Under-Eye Dark Circles | What Causes Them & What You Can Do

Under-eye dark circles, ugh! 😩 If you’re like me, you’ve probably woken up, looked in the mirror, and wondered why you suddenly look like you haven’t slept in days! The truth is, dark circles are super common, and they don’t always mean you’re not getting enough rest. (Sorry about the lovely no-makeup photo above, but I wanted you to know that I have dark circles (and lots of other issues), too!)

Today, we’re looking at what causes under-eye dark circles and, more importantly, what you can do about them!

As always, click the pink text links or any image (including the collage below) for more information.

Why Do We Get Under-Eye Dark Circles?

There are a few reasons why dark circles show up:

• Thin Skin: The skin under our eyes is delicate, and as we age, it gets even thinner. This makes the blood vessels underneath more visible, which can create a dark or bluish tint.
• Genetics: Sometimes, it’s just in the genes! If your parents had dark circles, you might notice them too, no matter how much beauty sleep you get.
• Allergies: Seasonal allergies can cause inflammation and swelling around the eyes, making dark circles more pronounced. (I have this problem!)
• Fatigue: Well, yes, lack of sleep can definitely play a role! When we’re tired, our skin becomes paler, making dark circles stand out more.
• Pigmentation: Increased melanin production can lead to hyperpigmentation, causing darker skin under the eyes.

What Can We Do About Under-Eye Dark Circles?

While there’s no magic cure for dark circles, don’t worry, there are things you can do!

1. Get Your Beauty Sleep

Make sure you’re getting enough rest each night. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s important! If you’re struggling with sleep, you’re not alone. I’ve got a whole POST dedicated to why you might have trouble sleeping and what you can do about it. I’m a high-maintenance sleeper! 😂 I really work at my sleep routine and am usually pretty good about going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. I usually manage to get 7 hours or so a night.

To help me sleep, there are five things I swear by:

1. These cooling sheets – I bought them for our Waco loft, and we loved them so much, I just bought a set for our guest room in Dallas!
2. This white noise machine – It even drowns out Bob’s snoring! (Most of the time! 🤣)
3. My silk eye mask – Keeps my retinol eye cream from rubbing off on the pillow.
4. A bedside humidifier – Buh-bye winter dry skin! 🎉
5. My silk pillowcase – Keeps my nighttime skin creams on and my hair from frizzing out!

2. Elevate Your Head and Use Cold Compresses

Sleeping with your head slightly elevated on a wedge pillow can help prevent fluid from pooling under your eyes, which can cause puffiness and dark circles. Applying a cooling eye mask can reduce swelling and shrink dilated blood vessels, which can help lessen the appearance of dark circles.

3. Eye Creams

It’s important to keep the delicate skin around your eyes well-hydrated!

Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick

If you’ve been hanging around here for a while now, you know I’m a big fan of retinols when it comes to anti-aging skincare! Every night, I swipe on THIS retinol eye stick. It’s an encapsulated retinol serum in a balm, and it also contains peptides and plant-based bakuchiol for brighter, more even-looking skin around your eyes. It will not make you peel or cause sensitivity, but it will gently smooth your undereye skin so that your daily eye cream and concealer will go on smoothly. One of my favorite things about it is that it doesn’t come off overnight, thanks to the balmy texture!

Neocutis LUMIÈRE FIRM RICHE Extra Moisturizing Illuminating & Tightening Eye Cream

Every morning, I use THIS extra moisturizing and illuminating eye cream. It’s not the cheapest, but the bottle lasts a long time, and you just need a tiny bit. It’s made with growth factors to help promote cell growth and repair, peptides, caffeine (to reduce puffiness), and Vitamin C. I’ve been using it for years, and I’m so happy with it!

Looking for a less-expensive alternative to use for daytime? I’ve used It Cosmetics Confidence in an Eye Cream in the past and liked it. With concentrated peptides, it’s specifically designed to help with tired eyes, hydration, a lack of firmness, and dark circles. It’s affordable (for an eye cream) and good.

4. Use Sun Protection

Did you know that  5-10% of skin cancer is found around the eyes? Yikes! That’s because the thin skin around your eyes is more prone to UV damage, aging, and hyperpigmentation (which can also lead to dark circles). Don’t forget the sunscreen around your eyes!

Supergoop Bright-Eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream with SPF 40

I love Supergoop Bright-Eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream with SPF 40. It has a pinkish tint, so it immediately works to camouflage those dark circles! (Pink disguises under-eye dark circles because it neutralizes the bluish/grayish tones common with dark circles.) Also, since it’s mineral-based, it won’t sting if it gets into your eyes. Plus, it’s made with caffeine & probiotics to brighten your eye area and reduce puffiness. I’ve used it for years and will never stop!

5. Brightening Products

To brighten up and camouflage your dark circles, look for products with ingredients like caffeine, vitamin C, and light-reflective pigments.

Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Vitamin C Eye Crème

There are a couple that I’ve used and would recommend. The first is Banana Bright+ Vitamin C Eye Crème. It’s made with clean ingredients and is formulated specifically to help with dark circles. It features Vitamin C, bioflavonoids to neutralize free radicals, and orange extract for brightening.

The downside of the Banana Bright+ cream? It’s a little challenging (not to mention unsanitary) to dig the product out of the jar! My solution to this problem is THIS Heavenly Skin 2-in-1 Tap & Smooth Eye Cream Brush from It Cosmetics. It’s got a gentle brush on one end and a cooling aventurine stone on the other for soothing. (Brilliant!)

Speaking of It Cosmetics, the other eye brightening cream I like is their Bye Bye Under Eye Brightening Eye Cream. I think it’s super hydrating, and I love its blue tint, which reduces the appearance of dark circles instantly. (Blue helps balance out the orange tones on the skin, which can correct the look of dark circles.) It uses ginseng extract to help protect the skin against free radicals. Again, it comes in a jar, so I recommend using the Heavenly Skin 2-in-1 Tap & Smooth Eye Cream Brush for application.

6. De-Puffing Products

Eye bags or under-eye puffiness can be caused by the same factors that cause under-eye dark circles, but puffiness can also be associated with excessive salt consumption (causing water retention and swelling), dehydration, sleeping position (side and stomach sleepers), and thyroid problems. If you struggle with bags under your eyes, your dermatologist can help you determine a plan for dealing with the cause.

These products do not treat the cause of eye bags and puffiness but temporarily reduce their appearance. Here are three product recommendations from my dermatologist:

1. The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% Serum – This water-based serum is made with caffeine and EGCG from green tea leaves. It can be massaged into the under-eye area am and pm.
2. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Bags Daytime Treatment – Designed for daytime use, this reduces under-eye bags in about 15 minutes, leaving a smooth and transparent finish.
3. Strivectin Hyperlift Eye Instant Eye Fix – This temporary tightening treatment works instantaneously to reduce the look of eye bags, puffiness, and lines. Ingredients include peptides and stem cell extracts.

Concealing Dark Circles

1. Color Corrector

If you’ve been using a concealer to help with your dark circles, but you still feel like they’re showing through, you may need a color corrector! Experts recommend selecting one based on your skin tone or specific issue:

• Peach – for lighter skin tones
• Orange – for tan or deeper skin tones
• Yellow – for olive or medium skin tones
• Green – tones down redness caused by things like blemishes, rosacea, sunburn, broken caplliaries, or hyperpigmentation
• Blue – dark brown to dark black skin tones

Several brands make color correctors. If you think you need one for your entire face, I recommend Make Up Forever’s full-face primer with color correction built right into it!

If you just need one primarily for your undereye area, there are two brands I’ve used and recommend. One is NYX Pro Fix Stick Color Correcting Concealer, which comes in 24 shades, is only $9, and glides on easily. The sticks are infused with hyaluronic acid to moisturize, and I think they layer well under concealer and foundation. My one problem is that it can be tough to tell which shade you need. (Twenty-four shades is a lot to choose from!😄)

The other one I like and use daily is E.L.F. Camo Color Corrector. I also contains hyaluronic acid, it’s lightweight, and it also layers well under concealer and foundation. (I let it settle for 2-3 minutes before layering.) Plus, it only comes in 5 color options, and it’s just $4! 🙌

To learn more about color-correcting makeup, check out THIS article on the E.L.F. website.

2. Concealer

A good concealer can work wonders! In addition to all of the treatments we’ve discussed above, you need a good concealer to, well, conceal! (If your dark circles are not bad (or if you’re in a hurry!), you may not even need a color corrector.) If you’re using a color corrector, apply concealer on top.

Here are the ones I’ve used and what I thought about each of them:

1. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer – If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you know that I am a big fan of It Cosmetics, because all of their makeup products have skincare infused right into them! (Specifically their full-coverage CC+ foundation with SPF 50+ is a big favorite!) This concealer is made with peptides, hydrolyzed collagen, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E and it’s full coverage. (Just use a little bit or it can look too cakey!) I really like that it is specifically made for the undereye area.
2. Benefit Boing Cakeless Concealer – This lightweight concealer blends really well and (despite the name!) isn’t cakey at all!
3. Tarte Shape-Tape Full-Coverage Concealer – This beauty award-winner has long been known as the gold standard for concealers, and it’s my favorite. It lasts forever! I’ve used mine for so long, the gold design on the lid has rubbed off, and so has the brand info on the side of the bottle!
4. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Instant Eraser – This is the top-selling “drugstore brand” concealer. They’ve recently improved the formulation, adding SPF 18, and adding good-for-you ingredients like goji berry and collagen. I really like the gentle sponge applicator. I don’t think it covers quite as well as the Tarte, but it’s the top-selling drugstore brand for a reason!

Product Application

When you’re using a lot of products, it can be challenging to understand the order of application! Here’s the rundown, along with the links to my favorite products for each category.

1. Eye Cream – I use this one am and pm.
2. Sunscreen – THIS one for around eyes, and THIS one for your entire face.
3. Primer – I’ve tried a bunch over the years, but I think THIS one (with mineral-based SPF) is superior!
4. Color Corrector – Tap, don’t rub, for the best coverage. I like to use the small side of THIS brush or THIS brush that is specifically for eye products.
5. Concealer – to provide extra coverage or brightening. Dot it on and tap it in!
6. Foundation – Use a brush and be gentle when blending over the other products!

To see all of the products I talked about in this post in one spot, click HERE. To see my very favorites, click the collage below.

Let me know in the comments if you have any go-to tips for those pesky under-eye circles, okay? Also, if you found this post helpful, would you consider sharing it with family and friends? Sharing my content with others is the biggest compliment you can give me!