Whether it was an eventful night out, a cathartic crying sesh (gotta do what you gotta do) or a late night work shift, sometimes we just don’t get the eight hours of sleep we need, and as a result wake up with puffy under eyes. For those times in need, we call on the best eye creams (opens in new tab) to soothe, soften and often work against rest-related fine lines and wrinkles (opens in new tab). And, providing you apply your eye cream correctly (opens in new tab), they can definitely work to de-puff.
We’ve called in the help of the experts to explain exactly what causes puffy eyes and how you can reduce them, as well as when to ditch the skincare and turn to professional help. Read on to see which eye creams we count on to quickly and effectively tackle under eye puffiness.
What causes puffy under eyes?
Puffy eyes occur for several reasons. The most common include, “lack of sleep, allergies, ageing, excessive alcohol, or some medical conditions,” explains Dr Sonia Khorana (opens in new tab), GP with special interest in dermatology.
But you might be wondering why it’s after sleeping that our eyes are particularly puffy? Well, the reason actually makes a lot of sense. “Our bodies are continually making and blinking away tears during the day, but at night, when we are asleep, we stop blinking,” says Dr Khorana. “This means that a layer of tears can stay on the eye, without being drained through the tear ducts. Sometimes, this excess fluid is reabsorbed into the tissues around the eyes, giving you a puffy appearance in the morning,” she adds.
In addition to this, lying down can cause fluid to rest and collect in the face, and this could be exacerbated by your sleeping position.
It’s important to note that puffiness tends to come and go when we have a particularly late night or boozy evening. Whereas fat pads (often people refer to them as eye bags) are much more prominent and tend to be a little more permanent. The former is where eye creams are most effective and the latter might need professional intervention for best results.
Make sure to give your skincare time to work, too. If an eye cream seems too good to be true, promising to fix your under eye puffiness overnight, then sadly it probably is too good to be true. You should give at least a month of consistent use (every morning or evening) to see visible results.
Ingredients to look out for for under-eye puffiness
So what should you be looking out for? There are a few ingredients that are often used in eye cream formulations to specifically target puffiness. The first is caffeine (opens in new tab). No, not in the form of your hot cup of Joe in the morning so please don’t be putting instant coffee under your eyes. “Caffeine is considered a vasoconstrictor, meaning that it’s capable of temporarily shrinking the size of blood vessels and reducing eyebags,” says Dr Khorana. You’ll often find this as a key ingredient on the packaging.
The next is peptides, which have the ability to help build collagen and elastin, explains Dr Khorana. This, paired with niacinamide, which is a soothing and calming ingredient, helps maintain skin hydration and reduce inflammation. Finally, trusty hyaluronic acid can work well for that quick fix, cooling and soothing; especially when kept in the fridge.
Aside from eye creams, one of the most simple and effective ways to reduce puffiness is a cold compress. “Cold compresses or cool teaspoons can be a quick fix to temporarily reduce puffiness—the combination of the cold temperature and massaging movement helps to de-puff and aid lymphatic drainage in this area,” Dr Khorana explains. Plus, it’s one fail-proof way to wake yourself up in the mornings.
What are the limitations of eye creams for puffiness?
Sadly, skincare can’t fix all of our skin woes so there’s only so much eye creams can do, particularly if you have a loss of elasticity with your fat pads. “It’s important to have realistic expectations because eye creams cannot get rid of puffiness, but they can temporarily help to minimise their appearance,” Dr Khorana says.
“What we can do in the clinic is so much more than anything that you can achieve with just a cream,” explains Dr Ahmed El Muntasar, (opens in new tab) GP and award-winning aesthetician. This includes things like tear trough filler for mild bags and lower eyelid blepharoplasty for more severe cases.
1. The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream
(Image credit: Boots)
This cream certainly isn’t luxurious (the packaging isn’t super special and the scent isn’t one we adore) but—and it’s a big but—we can always count on The Inkey List to provide products that truly work and won’t break the bank. The Caffeine Eye Cream works to quickly de-puff thanks to, you guessed it, caffeine in the formula.
2. Elf Holy Hydration Eye Cream
(Image credit: Boots)
Elf always delivers and the Holy Hydration range is no different. The Holy Hydration Eye Cream does what it promises: moisturises and leaves your eye area looking refreshed. Although rich, the formula is lightweight, non-greasy and also fast-absorbing. It works nicely under makeup, provided you haven’t been overzealous with your application.
3. Naturium Multi-Peptide Eye Cream
(Image credit: Space NK)
The Naturium Multi-Peptide Eye Cream is fantastic in its simplicity. Focusing on the ingredients—boasting peptides, squalane and sodium hyaluronate (the salt derivative of hyaluronic acid)—to deeply hydrate, soothe and reduce dark circles (opens in new tab). The formula is fragrance- and cruelty-free, working wonderfully both day and night.
4. Ilia Bright Start Activated Eye Cream
(Image credit: Sephora UK)
If you’re hoping to tackle puffiness as well as addressing brightening—and just generally make yourself appear more awake—the Ilia Bright Start Activated Eye Cream is the one. We like to think of this product as a skincare/makeup hybrid since the formula contains light reflecting pearls to add instant brightening to the under eyes. The applicator is dual-sided, one side for dispensing the product with its handy nozzle and the other for massaging around the eye area with a curved wand for cooling.
5. Skin Proud Icicle Cooling Eye Serum Stick
(Image credit: Beauty Bay)
Cooling and soothing the aim of your game? This Skin Proud Icicle Cooling Eye Serum Stick is exactly what you need. Pop it in the fridge and you’ll feel instant relief and reduced puffiness with just a few swipes. The only downside of this product is that it’s on the pricey side for something that simply soothes. Having said that, it does work really well to do its job, and those with allergies particularly love it.
6. Oskia Eye Wonder Nutri-Active Eye Serum
(Image credit: Sephora UK)
If smart hydration is the top of your wish list then allow Oskia’s Eye Wonder Mutri-Active Eye Serum to do its job. The gel-serum formula is packed full of vitamin E, niacinamide, milk peptides, MSM (dimethyl sulfone) and hyaluronic acid to name a few, which works to refresh tired eyes and de-puff. The serum is super lightweight and on first application seems like it’ll be quite tacky but it dries down nicely so make-up layers seamlessly on top. A little goes a very long way!
7. Iräye Eye Revive Cream
(Image credit: Iräye)
The magic of Iräye lies in the lymphatic system, working alongside to improve micro-circulation, support lymph vessels and reduce water retention to de-puff the under eyes. If you’re looking for an investment product that’ll yield impressive results, this is the one.
8. 111Skin Cryo De-puffing Eye Mask
(Image credit: 111Skin)
Okay, okay, so it’s not an eye cream but the 111Skin Cryo De-Puffing Eye Mask works wonders to ease puffiness and hydrate the under eyes. These smart hydrogel masks are everything we love about cryo—the use of extreme cold to reduce inflammation—without a trip to the clinic needed. It’s important to note that single-use eye masks are not great for the environment. Where eye cream is on hand, it’s always best to choose that option rather than single-use items. However, for hen dos, hangovers and even hospital trips (yes, I do keep soothing eye masks in my overnight bag), masks are a great last resort option to de-puff.