The Best Eye Products for Your 20s, 30s, 40s, and Beyond
When was the last time you put on an eye cream? A serum? Treatment? Unless you're a Charlotte York-level perfectionist, probably less often than not. (No judgment! Who can blame?) But the reality is, taking care of your eyes is just as important as taking care of the rest of your face. The skin surrounding your eyes is the thinnest, most fragile you have—and it only needs more love as life continues to throw nasty stuff your way (like pollution and sun damage). The good news? It’s never too late to start giving your eyes the attention they deserve. We put together a list of every holy grail eye product out there; with plenty of recommendations from the people who know best—derms.
Emily Kemp1/22The Best Eye Products for Your 20s
Congrats, you're starting early! (And yes, 20-anything is early.) The name of your game is prevention. "Now's the time to make sure you're maintaining a strong and healthy skin foundation," says Dr. Joshua Zeichner, MD and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. "By your late 20s, skin cell turnover starts to slow down. So the better your skin quality, the better shape you are in." Hit the next button for the best serums, creams, masks and treatments suited for you young ones.
Courtesy of Brand2/22A Multi-Tasking Eye Brightener
"Your 20s should be dedicated to prevention of damage," says Dr. Zeichner. This silky, hydrating eye serum does that and is also tinted—so you can fight signs of aging and dark circles in one step. With ingredients like algae and alguronic acid (a mix of algae extracts that help firm and tone) mixed with color pigments, using this won't even feel like extra work. Hello, bright eyes.
Courtesy of Brand3/22A Damage-Preventing Eye Cream
Since it's all about damage prevention in your 20s, good protection is key. The best way to do that? Sunscreen and antioxidants. "At this age, your skin is healthy and needs to be protected," says Dr. Zeichner. "Use an antioxidant eye cream every morning to prevent free radical damage." His pick: SkinCeuticals AOX Plus Eye Gel, $93. But for the ultimate wrinkle-prevention, add in a sunscreen as well. This one, pictured, is safe enough to put on your eyelids (ophthalmologists have tested it, so it's legit) and provides an SPF of 50. It even has a slight tint to it—certainly no replacement for concealer on major dark circles—but it provides light, even coverage.
Courtesy of Brand4/22A Moisture-Packed Eye Mask
Upgrade your nighttime routine with a soothing, hydrating eye mask. "Women in their 20s should look for moisturizing eye products, particularly ones that contain antioxidants or hyaluronic acid," says Jeannette Graf, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "These ingredients will help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles." This one's got green tea, rice bran oil, and red algae—a trio of moisturizing antioxidants that help fight free radicals.
Courtesy of Brand5/22A Puffy-Eye Rollerball
Whether you've had a really late night that ended with disco fries or you've got a nocturnal baby at home, reasons for under-slept, puffy eyes are abound. Sure, banishing salt and spending a fortune on a night nurse are options...lol who are we kidding. For moments like these, "there's no better way to take down puffiness than with a cooling, metal rollerball on your eyes," says Dr. Zeichner. Origins' has yeast and mushroom extracts that instantly deflate and calm your skin. Keep one of these in your purse or at your bedside so you don't forget to reach for it.
Emily Kemp6/22The Best Eye Products for Your 30s
Ah, your 30s: Those dark under eye circles are becoming more prominent and you're noticing a few more fine lines (#adulting.) But don't panic. "You should continue your morning antioxidant eye cream [from your 20s] into your 30s, but now you should be adding on an evening retinol eye cream," says Dr. Zeichner. Intimidating? Kinda. Here's everything you need to know about the ingredient.
Courtesy of Brand7/22A Retinol Eye Cream
What even is retinol? Well, "Retinol is an ingredient that stimulates collagen and keeps skin strong to resist wrinkling," says Dr. Zeichner. The stuff's potent and may cause irritation when used too often, so ease into it. A few times a week for starters is fine. "If you have sensitive skin and can't tolerate retinol, look to a peptide, which is non-irritating and may stimulate collagen as well," he says. This one comes highly recommended.
Courtesy of Brand8/22A Vitamin C Serum
In addition to hyaluronic acid and retinol, "women in their 30s should also look for eye creams that contain vitamin C to boost collagen production, diminish wrinkles, and brighten," says Graf. Because retinols are best suited for nighttime (thanks to those potentially irritating properties we just talked about), this light vitamin C treatment is perfect for day. It's got maracuja fruit, vitamin C, and advanced botanicals which firm and brighten. Bonus: It smells lovely.
Courtesy of Brand9/22A Renewing Eye Mask
So, let's recap. You've got your sunscreen. You've got your retinol. You've got your vitamin C. Now, it's time to condition. Know how you deep condition your hair? These masks do the same thing, but for your eyes. "Women in their 30s should also look for skin-restoring ingredients that are important in reducing damage caused by environmental exposures that get past sunscreen," says New York City dermatologist Heidi Waldorf, MD. So at the end of a long, pollution-packed day, try a mask that delivers. With plant extracts, peptides, and antioxidants, they renew, soothe, hydrate, and detoxify.
Courtesy of Brand10/22An Eye-Lifting Device
In your mid-to-late 30s when lines really start to show, microcurrent treatments are there to help. Basically, it's a tool that uses wands and microcurrents to stimulate and lift your face, which reduce the appearance of lines around your eyes, brows, and mouth. "To stimulate and freshen the eye area, women in their 30s should focus on lymphatic drainage," says Graf, a.k.a. flushing out extra fluid that accumulates in your lymph nodes. This attachment, which works on the NuFACE Trinity microcurrent tool, is specifically made to do just that around your delicate eye area.
Emily Kemp11/22The Best Eye Products for Your 40s
You're in your 40s. You've seen and tried it all. But have you tried the right things? "At this point, reduction in skin quality, meaning your skin's thickness, amount of collagen, and volume, becomes apparent," says Waldorf. Your game plan? "Look for creams containing retinol as well as those with hydrolyzed collagen and peptides to thicken the thinning skin around the eyes," says Graf.
Courtesy of Brand12/22A Volumizing Eye Treatment
"With age, your face looses volume," says Dr. Zeichner. "As our cheeks drop, we lose continuity between the under eyes and cheeks giving us more prominent bags," he says. One way to gain more fullness: "Products with hyaluronic acid stimulate production and increase the look of fullness," says Waldorf. Enter Caudalie's Resveratrol Lift line; it's French-girl-approved and has a super potent blend of HA.
Courtesy of Brand13/22A Peptide Eye Cream
This is a great eye cream option for mature skin because it has both retinol and peptides. "Peptides boost collagen production, diminish wrinkles, and brighten," says Graf. But newsflash, you've got to put it on correctly in order for it to do its job. "Many people make the mistake of only applying eye cream to the outer crows-feet area," she says. "For a correct application, eye cream should be gently applied to the entire area surrounding the eye—from the mid-upper nasal bridge in one large circle around the eye." And don't forget to gently tap it in using your ring finger; it's got the least amount of pressure of all of them.
Courtesy of Brand14/22A Vitamin K Cream
"By the time you hit your 40s, women commonly have pigmentation under their eyes which may be caused by factors such as sun exposure and chronic eye rubbing," says Dr. Zeichner. "While your vitamin C eye creams help brighten pigmentation, you may need help from Vitamin K oxide." Vitamin K whatsa? Basically, your body uses Vitamin K to help with blood clots. But as an ingredient in your eye cream, it can help alleviate dark pigmentation caused by eye rubbing, allergies, broken capillaries, and even damage caused by removing your makeup.
Isdinceutics K-Ox Eyes, $186
Courtesy of Brand15/22A Collagen-Stimulating Tool
Microneedling sounds like something out of a horror movie ("It stimulates the production of collagen by puncturing your skin," says Graf), but stick with us. Those tiny punctures it creates when you roll the tool over your face, make it easier for your skin care products to absorb. This in turn, results in better skin. In some cases, it's been proven to increase the absorption of skin care ingredients by 90 percent. "It's one of the most powerful and effective ways to stop early signs of aging and prevent new fine lines and wrinkles from occurring," says Kerry Benjamin, Los Angeles-based skincare expert and founder of Stacked Skincare.
Emily Kemp16/22The Best Eye Products for Your 50s and Beyond
"In your 50s and beyond, your under-eye skin is damaged and weak, giving it a crepe-like appearance," says Dr. Zeichner. You're wise enough to know it's time to bring out the heavy hitters. "Recommendations are similar to those given for women in their 40s," says Graf. "The exception is that women in their 50s may require more frequent treatments." As in, applying your eye treatments twice a day, every day.
Courtesy of Brand17/22An Eyelid Lifter
As we age, the skin around our eyelids tends to droop and loosen because our bodies produce less collagen. "Weakened blood vessels under the eye may also become leaky, contributing to puffiness," says Dr. Zeichner. That's where this stuff comes in. It's like a shot of espresso for your eyes; the powerful serum targets upper eye hooding and also works as a makeup primer by smoothing out lines. Proprietary ingredients like "Eye Regener" supports natural collagen to improve the appearance of skin firmness and tone while helping to visibly diminish excess fluids. And "Bioskinup Contour" improves the appearance of upper eyelid puffiness.
Courtesy of Brand18/22A Caffeine De-Puffer
One more note about leaky blood vessels: "Under eye products containing caffeine, especially those applied with a roller ball applicator, can help remove excess fluid and constrict blood vessels," says Dr. Zeichner.
Courtesy of Brand19/22A Soothing Eye Mask
They won't magically make you look 20 again, but "an eye mask can help infuse highly concentrated ingredients to your skin for an added benefit," says Dr. Zeichner. Look for those with calming, soothing botanicals and antioxidants.
Courtesy of Brand20/22A Wrinkle-Reducing Device
This wrinkle-reducing device smooths fine lines and wrinkles around eyes by using targeted beams of light to penetrate your skin, triggering your body's natural healing process. This in turn generates new collagen and elastin. "But women in their 50s may require more frequent treatments," says Dr. Graf. So you've got to be willing to put in the consistent work and be ready to change existing habits (like not wearing sunscreen and skipping your routine). How this works: You use it for two minutes a day around your eye area, and in a few weeks, you'll notice brighter, more revitalized eyes. But a warning: It's not exactly a pleasant feeling, so if you're going to shell out the $250 for it, go in with the notion that beauty is pain. Otherwise, embrace those lines. You've earned them.
