These Vitamin C Eye Creams Are Like A Glass Of Freshly Squeezed OJ — For Your Skin

At just under $100, this eye cream from Neocutis is expensive. Some justification for that price: One Amazon reviewer commented that they’d gladly “hock all [their] clothes and live in a van” in order to continue using it, and another reported a visible difference in puffiness and discoloration around their eyes immediately after use. The formula is packed with some high performers, like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, caffeine to reduce swelling, soothing bisabolol, and brightening glycyrrhetinic acid, which is found naturally in licorice. The airtight pump packaging keeps that formula fresh, potent, and hygienic, too. You’ll get about five months’ use out of this bottle, but one enterprising reviewer suggested cracking it open to stretch the product another week.

In the absence of a small fortune to spend on an eye cream, consider this one from Bliss. It costs under $20 — a rarity for eye creams, which tend to be pricey — and the reviews are nearly as enthusiastic as they are for that Neocutis eye cream. In here, a spa-grade collagen blend supports plumpness and elasticity, licorice and peptides brighten, and a stable, nonirritating form of vitamin C does everything we all love about vitamin C. The texture is on the thicker side, so you only need to use a tiny amount at a time — which means you’re getting a ton of mileage out of that $20.

The gel-like consistency of this Image eye cream, which is packed with hyaluronic acid and peptides, feels especially light and refreshing — a great choice if you don’t like the feel of heavy products around your eyes. Since it absorbs so quickly, it’s ideal for makeup prep, too. This has a bit of added fragrance to it, which makes it smell pleasantly and appropriately like citrus, though Image products are typically safe for use on sensitive skin.

The ingredients list for this Peter Thomas Roth eye cream reads suspiciously similar to that of a vitamin C serum: There’s 10% THD ascorbate, a stable, penetrable form of vitamin C; 3% vitamin E for extra antioxidants; and 2% ferulic acid to boost the formula’s effectiveness. It’s so potent, in fact, that some reviewers refer to this as a serum rather than an eye cream, though hyaluronic acid, squalane, and glycerin provide plenty of moisture. Other gold-standard brightening and firming ingredients show up in here too, like soluble collagen, caffeine, diamond powder, and arnica.

Like all La Roche-Posay products, their vitamin C eye cream is a safe bet if you’re at all concerned about experiencing irritation with that Image eye cream (or any other eye cream). It’s ophthalmologist-, dermatologist-, and allergy-tested, free of most common irritants (like artificial dyes, fragrances, and parabens), and the brand’s signature thermal spring water is wonderfully soothing. You’ll see and feel a difference in your skin’s firmness and elasticity almost immediately after application, thanks to the hyaluronic acid, peptides, and pure vitamin C in the formula.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your options, keep it simple and pick up this Caudalie eye cream. Its low-to-mid-range price point, solid reviews, and potent, mostly plant-based formula make this a foolproof option for most skin types and budgets. Along with some common suspects (like stabilized vitamin C, vitamin E, licorice, and peptides), there’s grape seed polyphenols to protect against environmental aggressors, soothing witch hazel and calendula, and sunflower seed oil for nourishment. Luxurious, relatively affordable, works well — nothing not to love here.