Types of Eye Creams: Caffeine, Retinol, Peptides and What the Evidence Shows

The main types of eye cream are built around caffeine for puffiness, retinoids for fine lines and thin skin, peptides for wrinkles, brightening ingredients such as vitamin C and niacinamide, and plain rich moisturizers for dryness. The evidence is modest for all of them, and most studies were done on the whole face, with few on the eye area itself. Pick by your main concern, and expect gradual, partial changes.

Before you buy, you can scan an eye cream's barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check it against your skin type. It reads the ingredients; it doesn't diagnose skin conditions.

Below we explain how eye creams differ from face moisturizer, what each type of active can and can't do, the studies behind them, and which products in our catalogue fit each type. This guide is based on published research and each brand's ingredient list; we did not test these products on skin.

Is eye cream different from face moisturizer?

Somewhat. A 2024 review of popular eye cream ingredients in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology says eye creams tend to be thicker and contain more oil than regular facial creams, and often carry more active ingredients. They are also usually made and tested to be gentle on the thin skin around the eyes, which the review describes as the thinnest on the body, as little as 0.2 mm in some people.

That doesn't mean you must buy one. A fragrance-free face moisturizer that doesn't sting can go around the eyes too. A separate eye product makes sense when you want a specific active, such as caffeine or a gentle retinoid, at a strength meant for that area, or when your usual face products irritate your eyes. The same review is frank that the degree to which these ingredients visibly improve skin "is not universally proven," and that large trials of eye creams themselves are rare because they're sold as cosmetics.

Types of eye creams at a glance

Does caffeine eye cream work?

For puffiness, a little, and for a few hours. Caffeine is thought to work by narrowing small blood vessels. The 2024 review says caffeine at concentrations up to 3% is considered safe and easily absorbed into skin. Its best-known trial is small: in 11 women, an eye pad with 3% caffeine and vitamin K used for a month significantly reduced under-eye pigmentation, but the study was small and single-blind.

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG is the simplest example: a water-based serum with caffeine and a green tea derivative, made for puffiness and dark circles. Kiehl's Avocado Eye Treatment also contains caffeine, inside a rich, unscented cream with avocado oil, which suits dry under-eyes. Neither will change brown pigment or hollows. Our Caffeine Solution review and puffy eyes in the morning cover what else helps, such as cold compresses and a raised pillow.

Is retinol safe to use around the eyes?

Yes, if it's a formula made for the eye area and you start slowly. Retinol and retinal are the eye cream actives with the strongest biology behind them, because retinoids increase collagen and thicken the outer skin over months. The evidence is mostly borrowed from the face. The 2024 review cites a study in which 0.05% tretinoin, a prescription retinoid, improved fine wrinkles in three months, and notes the lack of clinical trials of retinoids in eye creams on the eye area itself. It also notes mild redness, peeling and dryness as common complaints.

RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream is a long-running drugstore retinol eye cream; RoC doesn't publish the percentage. Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum uses retinal, a step closer to the active form, with ginseng extract, niacinamide, adenosine and ceramide NP. Use either two or three nights a week at first, keep it on the orbital bone and off the lash line, and wear sunscreen in the day. Skip retinoids if you're pregnant or trying to conceive. Our guides to retinal vs. retinol, the RoC Retinol Correxion review and crepey skin under the eyes go further.

Do peptide eye creams work?

Modestly, according to a handful of controlled studies, most of them run by manufacturers. The best known involves palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 (pal-KTTKS, sold as Matrixyl). In a 12-week, double-blind, split-face study of 93 women aged 35 to 55, a moisturizer with 3 ppm of the peptide reduced wrinkles and fine lines significantly more than the same moisturizer without it. The study was run by Procter & Gamble researchers.

The same company tested an eye cream containing niacinamide, two peptides, carnosine and caffeine in two split-face studies of 42 and 35 women. After four weeks the eye cream improved the smoothness of crow's feet compared with no treatment, and pooled data showed less apparent wrinkle depth. That's encouraging but short, and it can't say which ingredient did the work. Peptides are a reasonable choice if retinoids irritate you; our guides to peptides in skincare and copper peptides compare the main types.

What about vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid?

• Niacinamide: in a split-face study of 50 women, 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles and improved elasticity. It's usually well tolerated near the eyes.
• Vitamin C: the 2024 review describes a six-month double-blind trial of 5% vitamin C on sun-damaged skin that improved overall appearance compared with placebo. Pure ascorbic acid can sting thin skin, so eye products often use gentler derivatives. See the vitamin C serum guide.
• Hyaluronic acid: in 76 women aged 30 to 60, a low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid cream used twice daily for 60 days improved hydration and elasticity compared with placebo. Hydration also makes fine dehydration lines look softer within hours.
• Ceramides: the review notes a ceramide cream significantly increased the water content of eyelid skin, with no adverse reactions on eye testing.

Eye cream, eye gel or eye serum: which texture should you choose?

Texture is a separate choice from the active ingredient, and it matters most for comfort and makeup:

• Eye serums are thin, water-based liquids, often with a dropper or roller. They suit caffeine and other actives and layer easily under a cream or concealer. The Ordinary's caffeine product is one.
• Eye gels are light and cooling and absorb fast. They suit puffiness, oily skin and mornings, and rarely leave a film under makeup.
• Eye creams are richer. As the 2024 review notes, they tend to be thicker and contain more oil than regular facial creams, which helps dry, crinkly under-eyes and buffers retinoids.
• Balms and sticks are the heaviest. They suit very dry skin or overnight use, and they're the most likely to feel greasy or migrate into the eyes.

If your under-eyes are oily or you get milia easily, start with a serum or gel. If they're dry or you're using a retinoid, a cream is more comfortable.

Which eye cream type helps dark circles?

It depends on the cause. Brown, pigment-type circles respond poorly to creams and need sunscreen and often a dermatologist. Bluish circles and puffiness may look a little better with caffeine. Circles from thin skin may improve slowly with a retinoid. Shadows from hollows or bags don't respond to any cream. Our guides to the types of dark circles and the best eye cream for dark circles match products to each cause, and how apps score dark circles explains what photos can and can't show.

How do you use an eye cream?

• Amount: a rice-grain amount for both eyes is enough.
• Where: tap it along the orbital bone with your ring finger. It spreads toward the lid on its own.
• When: caffeine in the morning; retinoids at night; hydrating creams morning or night.
• Order: after serums and before or with moisturizer, then sunscreen in the morning. See skincare routine order.
• Sun: Cleveland Clinic lists sunscreen and sunglasses among the basics for under-eye skin, because sun exposure makes the body produce more melanin there.

If small white bumps appear after switching to a very rich eye cream, they may be milia; a lighter formula for a couple of months is a low-risk experiment, as our guide to milia under the eyes explains. Stop any eye product that makes your eyes water, burn or swell, and see a doctor if swelling or darkness affects one eye only. Browse all options in the eye cream catalogue.