Caffeine is a wonderful ingredient. While many of us consider it a morning routine staple in the form of a delicious drink, according to dermatologists, it can actually do a whole range of incredible things for your skin, too. It’s particularly great if you struggle with things like dark circles, loose skin, and puffiness around the eye area.
Caffeine is a powerful antioxidant that can protect skin from free radical damage that can cause premature lines, skin sagging, and photo damage. According to board-certified dermatologist Brendan Camp, MD, it is also known to be a vasoconstrictor which means it causes the blood vessels to constrict or tighten, helping with sagging skin, discoloration, and fine lines.
I don’t know about you, but the above statement alone inspired me to web-surf for the best caffeine eye creams money can buy. Luckily for you, you won’t have to do too much surfing yourself—I asked Camp for a few of his favorites and found a few more options to choose from. Keep scrolling—there’s something for every budget.
“In addition to caffeine, this lightweight eye cream contains retinol to help treat fine lines and hyaluronic acid to keep skin hydrated.” —Camp
“The caffeine in this eye cream helps minimize the appearance of swelling and dark circles, while copper and calcium improve skin elasticity and hydration.” —Camp
“Caffeine and other ingredients work to make the skin around the eyes appear brighter and reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.” —Camp
This hydrating and lightweight option from The Inkey List combats puffiness and contains Matrixyl 3000—a potent peptide that helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area.
Youth to the People offers one of my favorite options in the caffeine eye cream category. It brightens your under eye area like no other with caffeine, vitamin C, a peptide complex to reduce dark circles and fine lines, and synthetic mica for an extra glow.
Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost eye cream contains caffeine, hyaluronic acid, and a peptide complex which work together to reduce dark circles and puffiness around the eye area. It’s also fragrance-free, making it a great option for those with skin and eye sensitivities.
At just $9, this concentrated eye serum from The Ordinary gets the job done. With high-solubility caffeine and green tea cathechin, it reduces eye-contour pigmentation and puffiness fast.
This SkinCeuticals eye cream is definitely a bit pricier than some of the other options on this list, but I can personally vouch for how effective it is. It has a thicker, balm-like texture that improves the appearance of puffiness, dark circles, and crow’s feet which are typically associated with advanced glycation in the skin. Peptides, proxylane, blueberry extract, and caffeine work together to add radiance to tired-looking eyes.
If you love BeautyStat’s Universal C Skin Refiner, you’ll love its eye cream-counterpart equally. It contains a patented, stable formula of vitamin C along with caffeine and anti-inflammatory properties that calm, revitalize, and reduce puffiness.
As the name would suggest, this Mario Badescu eye cream is packed with high doses of caffeine to hydrate, firm, tighten, and de-puff the eye area.
Containing three key ingredients known to help dramatically improve the look of dark circles, Herbivore’s Super Nova Eye Cream is another great option. Vitamin C, caffeine, and turmeric root are all packed with antioxidants that help even your skin tone and create an overall brighter under eye area.
French skincare brand Typology offers this eye serum with caffeine, Albizia Julibrissin extract, and niacinamide which work together to boost circulation and restore radiance to the eye area.
