Most of us can fake a full eight hours of sleep thanks to a few espressos, but dark circles often reveal the truth. Nothing says “I had a really late night” more than those purplish raccoon eyes. Not to mention, some of us can get plenty of sleep and still have dark circles under eyes.
What causes dark circles?
Dr. Diane J. Orlinsky, FAAD explains that dark circles are the result of genetics, allergies, dehydration or a combination of all three. Aging skin can also lead to dark circles. When collagen breaks down as we get older, it thins skin and makes blood vessels more visible, thus creating a darker eye area. Ami Mallon, global corporate educator for Osmosis Colour Mineral Cosmetics, adds that dark circles and puffiness can be attributed to stagnant blood in the undereye area due to kidney strain, excess caffeine or other stimulants, medications, lack of sleep or even anxiety and heavy stress.
How to get rid of dark circles under eyes
As much as we’d like to think that dark circles are a bit mysterious and sexy, the truth is, they make us appear tired. Luckily, we don’t need to go through the day looking like a panda. There are many ways to get rid of dark circles under eyes — and none involve covering them up with a pair of oversized sunglasses.
Treat and brighten the area
The first step in getting rid of dark undereye circles is to treat the area. Instead of tapping on a generic eye treatment, look for a product that’s specifically formulated for dark circles. Orlinsky recommends products with light-reflecting ingredients, like boron nitride, which make eyes look brighter. Retinopeptide and niacinamide also help strengthen and brighten the skin under the eyes and they reduce redness. With continued use, the eye creams will make the area brighter and reduce undereye bags.
Use the right concealer
After skin care products comes makeup. There are concealers specially formulated for the eye area that cover up darkness without looking cakey or creasing. The right products even have eye-brightening ingredients like caffeine and reflective pigments to make the eye area look more awake. Sébastien Tardif, co-founder and CEO of Veil Cosmetics, suggests choosing a concealer with the correct undertone to counteract the color of dark circles. For instance, concealers with soft pink undertones are great for purple and blue dark circles, while a soft golden orange undertone is suitable for olive and brown dark circles. A concealer with a neutral undertone is ideal when there is minimal discoloration.
Ready to bid those dark circles adieu? Scroll through the gallery to see the best products for getting rid of dark circles. When these brightening eye treatments are in your beauty arsenal, you won’t have to worry about people asking if you’re tired again.
[ Next: Before You Buy: We Rank the Best and Worst Eye Creams ]
How to Get Rid of Dark Circles Under Eyes (SEO)
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Brightening Eye Treatment
Forget about tapping the eye area countless times to try and get that "lightweight" eye product to absorb. This eye treatment can simply be rolled on. It's rich in caffeine and lemon essence to perk up tired eyes. The energizing rollerball also helps stimulate microcirculation, which keeps the skin around the eyes looking thick and healthy. It also has a soft tint to counteract purplish dark circles, so there's no need to follow it with concealer.
Garnier SkinActive Clearly Brighter Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller, $12.99 at Ulta
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Dark Circle Treatment
When we wake up with a major case of panda eyes, we want results. Now. This eye treatment comes to the rescue with its light-diffusing formula that camouflages dark circles under eyes.
Neutrogena Rapid Dark Circle Repair, $21.99 at Ulta
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Dark Circle Treatment
This skin-brightening complex contains horse chestnut, green tea, licorice and yarrow to target dark circles that are caused by poor circulation. The vegan formula is made without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, gluten, GMOs and lanolin. Apply a pearl-sized drop to the entire eye area and kiss dark circles goodbye.
Derma E Dark Circle Reducing Eye Cream, $29.95 at Derma E
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Under Eye Treatment
The skin around eyes is thin and extra delicate. Applying any old sunscreen to the area can result in irritation. This chemical-free eye cream is formulated with SPF 15 broad spectrum protection. It also has optical light diffusers to minimize the appearance of dark circles and alpha hydroxy acids to retexturize skin and reduce the appearance of puffiness and fine lines.
Dermalogica Total Eye Care With SPF 15, $52 at Dermalogica
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Brightening Eye Serum
This versatile serum tackles every eye issue, including puffiness, fine lines and dark circles thanks to its peptide-rich formula. Wear it alone or under your usual eye cream.
Skyn Iceland Brightening Eye Serum, $35 at Ulta
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Rejuvenating Eye Serum
The eyes can reveal a lot. They can reveal when we're sleep-deprived and when we've had one too many glasses of wine. This rejuvenating eye serum will help hide what's really going on. All it takes is a pea-sized amount to reduce puffiness, diminish dark circles and plump fine lines and wrinkles. Unlike some goopy eye creams, this one won't leave the eye area feeling heavy or sticky.
Osmosis Refresh Eye Serum, $60 at Osmosis
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Dark Circle Corrector
The best eye treatments not only have amazing formulas, they also have next-level applicators. This splurge-worthy corrector is made with skin-strengthening ingredients that make the delicate skin around the eyes look less transparent and dark circles less obvious. The formula is dispensed through a cooling massage tip that gently soothes puffiness.
Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector, $41 at Sephora
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Cooling Eye Gel
Even if we are tired, we don't want to actually look it. This cooling eye gel will help fake a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed appearance. It's packed full of caffeine and antioxidants, including cranberries, ginseng and lemon balm to wake up the eye area. The formula also provides 24-hour hydration without feeling sticky or heavy. Use it regularly and dark circles will be diminished.
Lancôme Énergie de Vie Illuminating & Anti-Fatigue Cooling Eye Gel, $39 at Macy's
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Brightening Eye Cream
Shiseido's brightening eye cream tackles dark circles caused by poor microcirculation (blue) and by pigment (brown). The effective treatment has a multiluminizing powder that diffuses light to sunken-in eyes.
Shiseido White Lucent Anti-Dark Circles Eye Cream, $57 at Sephora
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Brightening Eye Cream
People can have bluish or brown-toned dark circles — or even a combination of both. This paraben- and fragrance-free formula has caffeine, phe-resorcinol and light-reflective pigments to counteract dark circles, no matter the tone. The cooling metal applicator delivers the melt-in formula without tugging delicate skin.
La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Eyes Dark Circle Eye Cream, $42.99 at La Roche-Posay
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Eye Cream
Fact: The eye area needs moisture just as much as the rest of the body. This shea butter-based eye cream promotes lasting hydration. Additionally, it depuffs swollen eyes, brightens dark undereye circles and makes the eye area look more youthful.
Eve Lom Eye Cream, $75 at Nordstrom
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Brightening Eye Cream
Desperately trying to figure out how to get rid of dark circles under eyes? Say goodbye to shadows and hello to brighter eyes with this rich eye cream. It has been designed to treat dark circles associated with fatigue, allergies, age and sun damage. Use it in the a.m. and p.m. to make eyes look radiant and well-rested.
Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Bright Dark Circle Minimizer, $44 at Sephora
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Dark Circle Treatment and Concealer
Time travel may not be possible quite yet, but it is possible to turn back the clock with this concealer. The anti-aging formula contains haloxyl and goji berries to reduce puffiness, lighten dark circles and minimize fine lines and wrinkles. Just like the name states, it also effectively targets dark undereye circles.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer, $8.99 at Ulta
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Brightening Serum and Concealer
Streamline your regimen with this dual-sided product. There's a brightening serum on one side that contains color-correcting pigments to brighten raccoon eyes. With continued use, it increases moisture levels and diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. On the other end is a long-wearing concealer to instantly conceal discoloration.
Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Brightening Serum + Concealer, $35 at Estée Lauder
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Full Coverage Concealer
An eye concealer should not only cover up discoloration, it also needs to last. This highly pigmented formula won't crack or crease and it's fully waterproof. It tackles every eye issue from dark circles to redness to broken capillaries with just a couple drops of product.
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer, $24 at Sephora
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Brightening Concealer
The best concealers for disguising dark circles help enliven the eye area. This brightening concealer offers a soft-focus finish that can be layered on to achieve a natural look. It contains a nourishing antioxidant formula made of white tea extract, cucumber and nourishing avocado oil to soothe tired, puffy eyes.
Jane Iredale Active Light Under-Eye Concealer, $28 at Jane Iredale
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Brightening Serum Concealer
One of the big downfalls with many eye products is that they're only available in three colors. This concealer is available in eight. The serum formula blends easily into skin for a seamless finish without settling into fine lines. It's extremely lightweight, but can be layered to disguise even the darkest circles. An electrolyte balance system of essential minerals, ionized water and hyaluronic acid helps replenish skin and makes dark circles disappear.
Stila Aqua Glow Serum Concealer, $27 at Stila Cosmetics
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Illuminating Concealer
Just a bit of this creamy concealer will help disguise dark undereye circles, thanks to a hint of orange that counteracts blue tones. The orange is barely perceptible since the rest of the concealer is made of natural-looking pigments. When the product is blended in, it has a second-skin finish that will fool everyone.
NYX Professional Makeup Dark Circle Concealer, $6 at NYX Cosmetics
