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The problem with revenge bedtime procrastination and binge-watching your favourite TV shows is that the next morning, it shows.
Undereye bags and dark circles are a sure sign of sleep deprivation. Although one of the best ways to combat these effects is to sleep early and rest well, you can also help your skin along with caffeine eye creams.
Caffeine is powerful, as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient; it is also a vasoconstrictor, so it works wonders in reducing puffiness and discolouration around the eyes. Since caffeine eye creams boost collagen production, they can also reduce fine lines and help decrease the damaging effects of free radicals from ultraviolet radiation and pollution. Like most skincare, though, you’ll need to be consistent in application for about four to six weeks, to see results over time.
TikTok has caught on to the benefits of caffeine eye cream, with thousands of videos and reviews of people testing various top-rated products. We scoured socials and consulted user reviews to curate a list of the best caffeine eye creams available right now.
If you’re ready to wake up your eyes with a boost of caffeine, use Prime membership to have your new eye cream delivered to you as early as tomorrow.
1. Best Overall: Dermalogica Awaken Peptide Eye Gel
There’s no magic formula for getting rid of puffy eyes or dark circles, but Dermalogica’s Awaken Peptide Eye Gel comes pretty close. This product uses a highly active blend, with tetrapeptides and soothing rosemary leaf extract to minimise the appearance of puffiness and fine lines around the eyes. Bioengineered succinic acid blend supports a more radiant appearance, while Voandzeia subterranea seed extract leaves the skin smoother and more luminous. Caffeine ties it altogether, with its ability to reduce the appearance of puffiness. Reviewers say the formula is fast acting, and can visibly improve undereye skin’s texture and appearance in just 10 minutes. Many use it under make-up as well, since it’s a lightweight, hydrating product that doesn’t cause any pilling.
2. Best Anti-Ageing: CeraVe Skin Renewing Eye Cream
Do you struggle with rough, dry, and patchy skin around the eyes? Then reach out for a CeraVe Skin Renewing Eye Cream. This deeply hydrating formula features niacinamide or vitamin B3, which helps visibly smooth out fine lines and brighten the skin, along with a peptide complex that reduces the appearance of fine lines and crow’s feet wrinkles. Caffeine works to reduce puffiness, while three essential ceramides help to maintain the skin’s natural barrier. Nearly 28,500 reviewers on Amazon give this product 4.2 stars, for its gentle effectiveness. It goes on as a semi-opaque, white cream, and needs to be lightly massaged in – but don’t worry, it absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave behind any sticky residue.
3. Best for Puffiness: The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG
The Ordinary’s water-based serum works to reduce puffiness and dark circles, with its high concentration of caffeine, alongside highly-purified epigallocatechin gallatyl glucoside (EGCG). The latter is the major antioxidant component of green tea, and is known for its skin-soothing properties and its ability to help defend the skin from effects of sun damage. Reviewers say they’ve noticed a brightening effect over time, and love that it works without drying out the skin. Many use it twice a day, since it’s gentle and effective on all skin types.
4. Best for Dark Circles: Sunday Riley Auto Correct Eye Cream
A TikTok favourite, Sunday Riley’s Auto Correct Eye Cream has been known to instantly depuff tired eyes, giving you a more rested, and brighter appearance. Caffeine combines with Brazilian ginseng root extract here, to energise tired-looking eyes, and reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles. Other ingredients, like concentrated horse chestnut and acmella oleracea extracts, provide anti-ageing benefits, by smoothing the appearance of fine lines and crow’s feet. Cocoa and shea butter add hydration and bring back elasticity to the skin around your eyes. Overall, it’s an excellent eye cream to add to your vanity table, although some users complain that it’s a bit expensive.
5. Best for Dry Skin: Colorescience Total Eye Firm and Repair Cream
If you’re looking to help improve the texture of your undereye region, consider Colorescience’s Total Eye Firm and Repair Cream. Particularly beneficial for dry skin, it’s packed with humectants and emollients that draw moisture into the skin and lock it in. Sea buckthorn fruit oil, an anti-inflammatory botanical oil that’s rich in vitamins and minerals, helps promote hydration, elasticity and cell regeneration. Squalane, a sugarcane-derived emollient, helps retain moisture and improve the skin barrier’s health, and is aided by meadowfoam seed oil. Caffeine tightens and brightens the skin by boosting circulation and reducing puffiness, along with a powerful blend of peptides. There are also actineyes – a combination of sea water and marine microalgae – that support the health of collagen and make the skin more supple, reducing the appearance of crow’s feet and fine lines. Overall, it’s an ultra-hydrating eye cream that’s gentle and well-suited to sensitive or dry skin.
6. Best Eye Kit: Good Molecules Energising Eye Kit
An all-in-one solution, Good Molecules’ Energising Eye Kit includes the Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel and Caffeine Energising Hydrogel Eye Patches – both work together to reduce puffiness, brighten your undereye region and hydrate your skin. The eye gel is a lightweight formula, with yerba mate as its hero ingredient – a South American herb that contains caffeine and is a natural source of antioxidants and polyphenols that fight oxidative damage, leaving the skin looking more radiant. The gel also contains hyaluronic acid for a boost of hydration, as well as peptides for nourishment. Use the caffeine-infused hydrogel masks for 10 minutes, when you need a boost; it’s the perfect pick-me-up for tired-looking eyes.
7. Best Eye Mask: DRMTLGY Brightening Eye Masks
While it’s not an eye cream, DRMTLGY’s eye mask is just as effective – if not more – in delivering an intense boost of caffeine to your delicate undereye area. Each eye mask is saturated in a serum of powerful anti-ageing and hydrating ingredients: caffeine reduces puffiness, hyaluronic acid moisturises the skin, and niacinamide adds brightness. Use the included spatula to pick out masks and apply it to clean undereye skin. Then leave it on for 15 minutes to enjoy a spa-like rest, before you discard the eye mask. Some reviewers store this product in the fridge for a cooling effect that feels even more refreshing. It’s ideal for a soothing, destressing interlude at the end – or beginning – of a long day.
Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
