10 Best Eye-Tightening Creams in 2025, Tested & Reviewed

The best eye-tightening creams have become viral sensations, racking up millions of views (and buys) due to their visibly firming results. Undereyes seemingly go from puffy to smooth in the blink of an eye—albeit temporarily. Although they may seem gimmicky, many eye-tightening creams come highly recommended by board-certified dermatologists. Sure, their effects are short-lived, but they work. They even benefit the delicate, ultra-thin skin around your eyes over time with the help of collagen-boosting ingredients, like peptides, says Lindsey Zubritsky, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Our Top Eye-Tightening Creams

Of course, these eye-tightening creams are not bottled-up versions of IPL treatments or a blepharoplasty (eye lift), but they truly do the trick to help tighten, plump, and firm the skin around your eyes in a pain-free pinch. If one of your skin-care goals is to minimize the appearance of dark circles, offset sagging, smooth eye wrinkles, or all of the above, an eye cream—especially one with firming benefits—should be the first thing you add for undereyes that look more awake, and an overall more energized complexion.

Best Overall: SkinCeuticals A.G.E Advanced Eye

Why it’s worth it: Allure’s best eye cream lists consistently include the SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye because it’s a past Best of Beauty winner, and many dermatologists swear by it. According to Kunal Malik, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, this eye treatment combines immediate visible improvements with long-term benefits by addressing the advanced glycation end-products (a.k.a. A.G.E.), which naturally develop and build up in our bodies as we age and cause our skin to sag. A.G.E. Advanced Eye’s potent blend of peptides, in particular, helps reverse them by improving firmness, tightness, and elasticity.

This undereye-tightening cream is also spiked with proxylane, blueberry extract, and flavonoids to help decrease the appearance of crow’s feet, as Lauren Penzi, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, has told Allure. “With regular use, patients have definitely noticed a decrease in the appearance of fine lines around the eyes,” she added.

Best Firming: Dr. Loretta Tightening Eye Gel

Why it’s worth it: Dr. Loretta’s Tightening Eye Gel earned its Best of Beauty seal in 2019 for its highly effective, ultra-versatile formula that takes a literal 360 approach to rejuvenating the eye area. Tap it around the circumference of each eye, including your upper eyelid, to harness the benefits of tetrapeptide-5 and antioxidant-rich nannochloropsis oculata extract (a form of microalgae). Both help deflate puffiness, restore tautness, and kick-start collagen production for a smoother, more resilient eye area.

Best Overnight: Laneige Bouncy & Firm Eye Sleeping Mask

Why it’s worth it: Soothe puffy undereyes and fine lines while you snooze with the Laneige Bouncy & Firm Eye Sleeping Mask. This overnight mask enhances your beauty sleep with a max-strength combination of caffeine and niacinamide to brighten tone and soothe undereye puffiness, while antioxidant-rich peony extract and peptides create a firmer, plumper feel. Since it’s free of harsh active ingredients and fragrances, its formula is suitable for those with sensitive skin as well.

Best Budget: RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream

Why it’s worth it: RoC’s Retinol Correxion Eye Cream targets lines, dark circles, and puffiness without making a huge dent in your bank account. “I love this one as it provides so many benefits of pricier products at a fraction of the cost,” Dr. Malik says. He points to its inclusion of gentle retinol, which helps promote collagen production, boost firmness, and reduce the appearance of crow’s feet. (Just be sure to wear sunscreen to avoid irritation, as retinoids can increase sun sensitivity.) It also allows this incredibly lightweight formula to help diminish discoloration over time, adds David Li, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Boston.

More eye-tightening creams we love:

Best Fast-Acting: Peter Thomas Roth Instant Firmx Eye

Why it’s worth it: The Peter Thomas Roth Instant Firmx Eye deserves all the TikTok hype, according to Dr. Zubritsky and board-certified dermatologist Mona Mislankar, MD. It functions like a transparent clay mask, thanks to silicates extracted from natural clays. As it dries down, the gel formula absorbs moisture and gently pulls the delicate skin in the undereye area, making it feel tight—just like your favorite rinse-off mask—and instantly appear firmer, as cosmetic chemist Javon Ford previously shared with Allure. Dr. Zubritsky loves that Peter Thomas Roth’s Instant Firmx Eye is also formulated with peptides to help depuff undereye bags and smooth wrinkles with long-term use.

Best Tinted: Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF 35

Colorescience

Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF 35

Why it’s worth it: The Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF 35 covers all of our bases for daytime skin care, which is why Donna Hart, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas, swears by it. “It really checks multiple boxes: SPF coverage, concealing properties, fluid reduction, and fine line-reducing ingredients all in one,” she says. As it guards skin against UV rays with mineral-based sun blockers and provides creaseless complexion coverage, this hydrating mix of glycerin and panthenol also smooths sagging skin and boosts brightness for a more awake look, even when you’ve skimped on sleep.

Best for Hooded Eyes: Revision Skincare DEJ Eye Cream

Revision Skincare

DEJ Eye Cream

Why it’s worth it: If you have hooded eyes (i.e., your lids slightly droop over your eyes), consider this eye-tightening cream recommendation from Dr. Malik. Specifically formulated for your eye shape, the Revision Skincare DEJ Eye Cream delivers a nourishing formula through a pump or a flat metal applicator. (The choice is up to you at checkout.) “It contains antioxidants, peptides, and other actives that address the multiple signs of aging around the delicate under-eye area,” Dr. Malik says. You can also count on them to help lift the drooping skin around your eyes and improve its firmness and elasticity.

Best for Sensitive Skin: Eau Thermale Avène RetrinAL Eyes

Eau Thermale Avène

Retrinal Eyes Advanced 3-In-1 Eye Cream

Why it’s worth it: Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut, approves of Eau Thermale Avène RetrinAL Eyes for sensitive, reactive skin. “This formula uses retinaldehyde (a gentle vitamin A derivative) to smooth fine lines while soothing with thermal spring water,” she says, referring to it as “a silk robe for your undereyes.” If you’re not yet clued into retinaldehyde (or retinal for short), allow Noah Levit, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut, to explain further. “Retinal and retinol are both vitamin A derivatives, but retinal is one step closer to retinoic acid—the active form your skin uses. That means it works faster and is typically more potent than retinol,” Dr. Levit previously told us. TL;DR If you’re looking for a fast-acting eye cream that address fine lines, dark circles, and puffiness with minimal side effects, this drugstore find should be on your radar—and hopefully in your cart.

Best for Dry Skin: Caudalie Resveratrol-Lift Firming Eye Gel Cream

Caudalíe

Resveratrol-Lift Firming Eye Gel Cream

Why it’s worth it: This dreamy gel-cream puts resveratrol, an antioxidant, center stage to fight the loss of elasticity and fine lines along your under-eye area. Extracted from grapevine shoots, antioxidant-rich resveratrol helps visibly firm and reduce the appearance of wrinkles by promoting collagen production, says Margarita Lolis, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Hackensack, New Jersey. Studies have also found that it helps accelerate wound healing and skin regeneration. Caudalie’s Resveratrol-Lift Firming Eye Gel Cream also contains intensely hydrating ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, quinoa extract, and sunflower seed oil, to help plump the fragile skin under your eyes, she adds.

Best for Dark Circles: Isdin K-Ox Eyes

Why it’s worth it: Vitamin C may be popular, but Quynh-Giao Sartor, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Houston, Texas, says the Isdin K-Ox Eyes treatment includes a heavily underutilized antioxidant, vitamin K. The ingredient increases circulation while hyaluronic acid, the other primary ingredient in Isdin’s treatment, hydrates skin, creating a plumper, more supple appearance while diminishing dark circles and inflammation at the same time. “This is an excellent eye cream to reduce puffiness, and safe to use on eyelids as well,” she says.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does eye-tightening cream work?

Surprisingly, yes, but some have temporary skin-smoothing effects while others minimize the look of fine lines, sagging, and wrinkles over time with consistent use. Certain skin-care ingredients, like silicates, can have an instantly tightening effect on the under-eye area, as Lindsey Zubritsky, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, mentions to Allure. Another way they work their magic is by adding hydration to the eye area. “When the skin is more visibly hydrated, it looks tighter,” Dr. Lolis explains.

Collagen-stimulating ingredients, such as peptides, retinol, and vitamin C, help firm and tighten the delicate skin around your eyes, too, with consistent use. Keep in mind that eye-tightening creams won’t give you the same undereyes you had the day you were born, though. They can, however, effectively help diminish the appearance of fine lines, dark circles, and puffiness under your eyes.

How to apply eye cream

Dermatologists typically recommend gently tapping eye cream onto your eye area with your ring finger. It places the least amount of pressure on the delicate skin and is less likely to tug at it. Dr. Gohara says to “Apply along the orbital bone, not too close to the lash line.” You can also “use a chilled roller or gua sha [with your eye cream] for a spa-like boost,” she suggests as an optional upgrade.

Do you use eye cream or serum first?

Serum should be applied before eye cream. A general guideline experts suggest: Layer your skin-care products from thinnest to thickest consistency.

When to apply eye cream

Firming eye cream can be a part of your morning and nighttime skin-care routines. The only caveat: Eye creams formulated with retinol should only be used at night. (In the morning, you can reach for an eye cream with SPF.)

What in-office treatments are available for more intensive eye tightening?

We’ll let the pros take it from here: Dr. Gohara recommends radiofrequency microneedling (like Morpheus8), which is her “go-to for boosting collagen and elastin deep in the dermis.” If you’re looking for a non-invasive treatment (microneedling is considered minimally invasive, by the way), “Ultrasound-based devices like Ultherapy precisely target deeper layers to contour and tighten for a more lifted look,” Dr. Gohara adds. But, even with professional treatments, you shouldn’t negate your topicals. The strongest, most results-driven combination is always in-office treatments coupled with consistent at-home care.

Meet the experts

• Lindsey Zubritsky, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
• Mona Mislankar, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Javon Ford, a cosmetic chemist in Los Angeles
• Kunal Malik, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Spring Street Dermatology in NYC
• Donna Hart, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin
• Quynh-Giao Sartor, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Houston
• David Li, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Boston
• Margarita Lolis, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Hackensack, New Jersey
• Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut
• Noah Levit, MD, PhD, a board-certified dermatologist of Dermatology Physicians of Connecticut based in Fairfield, Hamden, and Norwalk, Connecticut

How we test and review products

When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.