Best eye cream for men 2024: fix the effects of a hectic lifestyle

The best eye cream for men can awaken, hydrate and firm up your eye area within a matter of minutes. If there’s one area of skin you should focus your attention on, it should be your eyes. They’re the biggest betrayer of age, emotion and health and require all the TLC you can muster.

Late nights, hangovers and allergies will have an effect on the fragile fabric around your eyes, and rather than risk the raccoon look, a dab of the best eye cream for men can help restore normality. You may have realised that the women in your life have probably been applying eye cream since their mid-twenties and now, thanks to the influx of male beauty products on the market, you can, too.

What’s needed is a unique potion to fortify the skin and banish all signs of a hectic lifestyle, leaving you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed every day. Our list of the best men’s eye creams covers a range of products that are renowned for reducing the signs of aging. From names like Clarins to obscure brands such as Shiseido, our guide features gels, creams and balms which all differ in their properties – just remember that youthful looks come at a cost!

If you're looking to fully refresh your grooming routine, check out the best moisturisers for men to keep your whole face feeling fresh, and the best men's fragrances so you're always smelling your best.

WRITTEN BY

WRITTEN BY

Lizzie Wilmot

Lizzie is T3's Home Staff Writer, also covering style, living and wellness. She works closely with Bethan Girdler-Maslen, T3's Home Editor, ensuring all the latest Home news, trends and recommendations are covered. Outside of T3, Lizzie can be found mooching around Bath, attempting (or at least trying to) a new DIY project or spending time with family and friends.

The top three

Best eye cream for men 2024 ranking

The best eye cream overall

This clinically proven anti-wrinkle eye cream harnesses the powerful properties of hydrating Padina Pavonica and nutrient-rich Chlorella and Blue Green Micro-Algae to help smooth, firm and tone the delicate skin around the eyes. The product should be applied every morning and evening after cleansing. Apply 1 pump to each ring finger and gently pat around the eye contours for the best effect. 

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The best budget eye cream

For when you’ve been burning the candle at both ends, or simply suffering from interrupted sleep, you need to wake up tired eyes with a topical caffeine hit. The active ingredient works to constrict the blood vessels under the thin layers of skin, consequently brightening and tightening your snoozy eyes. This may be ordinary by name but it’s exceptional by nature, or rather, nurture. 

The high dose of caffeine and green tea extract target the betraying symptoms of exhaustion, you’ll be hard pressed to find potency like this elsewhere. It’s a no-frills product with fantastic results that target dark circles, fatigue and puffiness, giving high-end brands a run for their money. At this price, The Ordinary is more than eye-deal.

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The best luxury eye cream

One too many late nights at the office (or otherwise) can leave your eyes looking a little worse for wear. Minimise dark circles and fine lines around the eyes with the La Mer Eye Concentrate. This deeply conditioning cream is made with specially formulated hematite which is a magnetically charged mineral that contributes to a reduction of unevenness and discolouration of the skin. 

When used on a daily basis, this cream helps to reveal a brighter, more radiant complexion while fine lines and wrinkles are nowhere to be seen.

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The best Vitamin D eye cream

A simple and affordable eye cream with a potent dose of vitamin D that does what is says on the tin. The addition of caffeine also works to de-puff sleepy eyes and the creamy formula locks in moisture nicely. Apply each morning to waken your appearance and hide the signs of a late night. 

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The best hydrating eye cream

A great hydration-boosting moisturiser thanks to the perfect combination of shea butter and avocado oil to create a luxurious, smoothing eye cream with visibility soft, supple results. The fatty acids found in avocado work nicely to lock in moisturiser, this Kiehl's creamy eye treatment is the perfect everyday eye cream for those without specific concerns. 

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The best eye cream for fine lines

This skin-replenishing eye cream has a double whammy effect. With the presence of Retinol, known for reducing fine lines and wrinkles, combined with a powerful combination of Vitamin A, C and E, Charlotte Tilbury's eye cream moisturises, brightens and fights the signs of ageing. 

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The best eye gel

The idea of dehydrated eyes seems somewhat odd, but the skin is much thinner and more in need of hydration than the rest of your face. Dehydrated skin enhances the visibility of wrinkles and betrays your skin’s real age, so plump with moisture to deceive further. 

The solution to your problems may come at an eye-watering price at times, but this great offering from the reputable Dr Dennis Gross, harvests the finest ingredients to hydrate skin for up to 72 hours. From moisture-inducing hyaluronic acid to caffeine and Caribbean gorgonian extract to tackle puffiness and dark circles simultaneously. This featherweight formula is non-sticky, leaving skin feeling soft and supple.

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The best anti-ageing eye cream

If you’re seeking a lightweight eye cream, this balm could do the trick nicely. From the brand that proudly derives its products from plants, this balm promises to be super-light and help smooth lines and wrinkles at the same time. In addition to being lightweight, reviewers find it to be non-greasy and comment that it helps to make their eyes look more awake – perfect if your cheeky post-work pint turned into crawling in the door at 2am. 

With an RRP of £30, it’s pretty affordable and it’s worth mentioning that it’s the biggest bottle on our list. 

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The best eye cream for dark circles

This lightweight cream is full of all the necessary ingredients for reducing dark circles and puffiness, which should make it the perfect counteract cream for stressful lives. If you find that the skin under your eyes feels tight and dry, this cream also features hydrating properties, which should leave the sensitive under eye skin feeling renewed and refreshed. Reviewers like the consistency of the cream which, according to Clinique, is fast absorbing, so it shouldn’t add too much time to your morning routine. 

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The best skin repair eye cream

Fed up of battling with your bags? This eye cream, aptly named Age Defender, promises to improve the appearance of aging skin, combating dark circles and crow’s feet. This is largely thanks to its magic ingredient, rye seed, and other fancy minerals. Reviewers seem to be really impressed with the results of the cream, with many saying they’re surprised at how quickly they saw a difference. 

Despite the fact that it seems thick out the tube, it’s actually pretty fast absorbing, according to some reviewers. Another great all-rounder – just a tad more expensive.

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Best rescue eye cream

Never fear, Lab Series Age Rescue is here! Cheesiness aside, this light cream means serious business when it comes to leaving eyes appear fresh and revived. Similar to the Elemis product above, this cream features Ginseng as a main ingredient, so it should liven up tired eyes. The cream also features other ingredients which should help to reduce under eye puffiness and dark circles, great if you’re slogging it out at work everyday. Reviewers largely see improvements after using this cream, leading them to make a repeat purchase – certainly a sign that it should work for you, too. 

How to buy the best eye cream for men

Whether you’re looking to banish dark circles, plump out fine lines or maintain smooth, hydrated under eyes, a targeting eye cream or serum is your best bet. Some eye creams have been specifically developed to treat one thing, while others offer a more general tidy up. When looking for eye products to target specific problems, you need to identify what ingredients effectively counter them. 

So, where should you start? When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Are you met with bags and wrinkles that make your eyes appear sallow and tired? If so, you should look out for an eye cream that contains Hyaluronic Acid, as it is known to flatten and fill unwanted lines. 

If the skin under your eyes is dry and taut, Hyaluronic Acid is a hydrating ingredient, too. Some plants aid in the production of collagen and elastin, which renews the skin; and vitamin-rich eye creams can help to keep skin youthful. If you suffer from dry skin around the eyes, look out for hydrating eye creams.

Caffeine is great for tired, puffy eyes, Vitamin C to brighten dark ringed eyes and Retinol to lift and smooth fine lines. But whichever eye cream you choose, apply the cream each morning before applying a sturdy SPF moisturizer for added protection.

How we test

When we review eye creams the process is fairly simple – we use them! First, we look at the ingredients in the cream – looking out for those key active ingredients that actually do something, then we assess how the eye cream feels - whether it's oily or sticky, for example. This is an important consideration because ultimately an eye cream should feel good when you're putting it on – it should be a pleasing experience.

Of course, the most important factor when looking at these eye creams is the results. We test these creams in a real-world environment and assess how they affect our skin while living our normal lives. If they can successfully hide that we had a rough night, that's a win in our books! Finally, we'll look at less important considerations, such as fragrance and packaging.