Sephora

CkkTheDonn · ‎05-21-2020

Hi looking to purchase an eye cream for severe black under eyes, any recommendations?!

WinglessOne · ‎05-21-2020

Hi @CkkTheDonn ! Do you know what’s causing your dark undereyes? If that darkness is hereditary (caused by your genes), then there’s not much any cream can do and you’re better off with makeup color correction and/or concealer options, rather than waste money on skincare products that won’t work.

If it’s caused by sun damage, try using a serum under your eyes that contains vitamin C, niacinamide, and/or retinol. There are a few other ingredients that can decrease dark spots/patches, but those 3 are perhaps the easiest effective ones to find. And serums are generally more effective than creams at delivering ingredients to skin. Here’s what I use:

Spoiler

When I apply my vitamin C serum each morning (either Farmacy Very Cherry Bright 15% Clean Vitamin C Serum with Acerola Cherry 1.0 oz/ 30 mL or The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C & EGF Brightening Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL), I include my undereyes. There are plenty of other vitamin C serums out there, as well as vitamin C “eye creams.” Some folks’ skin can’t tolerate vitamin C, especially in the form of l-ascorbic acid. If yours can, it’s a great ingredient to have in your routine for brightening dull skin, evening out skin tone, and boosting protection from the sun.

At night, I use either DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum or The INKEY List Retinol Fine Lines and Wrinkles Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL under my eyes, alternating them every other night. The Inkey List Retinol gets used on my entire face (except eyelids and brow bones) every other night. The DDG serum is usually confined to my eye area, but once in a while I’ll use it on my whole face because it contains lots of good antioxidants. I used to have some undereye darkness caused by sun damage. The DDG serum knocked it out within 3 months of consistent use—and back then, I was using it at least once a day. (This was before I started using a retinol serum on my whole face.) I’m positive this serum contains a very low % of retinol, though DDG won’t state the %. And since retinol works gradually by increasing skin cell turnover at a deep skin layer, I didn’t expect results so quickly. But it did take months, so—as with any skincare product—patience is a must. Oh, and The Inkey List also makes a retinol eye cream now, but I’ve never tried it. I have no need for it since I can just use their full face retinol serum instead.

Whenever I apply niacinamide—usually via e.l.f. Hydrating Water Essence (other affordable options are The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Oil Control Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL and The INKEY List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL)—I include my undereyes. I also have a bottle of Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster which I sometimes use on my whole face. I can either apply it as a solo serum or mix it into another skincare product. Niacinamide is a great skin brightener, among other good things it does for skin. It’s in a lot of products, so if you see it placed high on an ingredients list, that’s a good thing. And it plays nice with pretty much any other skincare ingredient. <DIV class="lia-spoiler-noscript-content">When I apply my vitamin C serum each morning (either FARMACY - Very Cherry Bright 15% Clean Vitamin C Serum with Acerola Cherry or THE INKEY LIST - 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum), I include my undereyes. There are plenty of other vitamin C serums out there, as well as vitamin C “eye creams.” Some folks’ skin can’t tolerate vitamin C, especially in the form of l-ascorbic acid. If yours can, it’s a great ingredient to have in your routine for brightening dull skin, evening out skin tone, and boosting protection from the sun. At night, I use either DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum or THE INKEY LIST - Retinol Anti-Aging Serum under my eyes, alternating them every other night. The Inkey List Retinol gets used on my entire face (except eyelids and brow bones) every other night. The DDG serum is usually confined to my eye area, but once in a while I’ll use it on my whole face because it contains lots of good antioxidants. I used to have some undereye darkness caused by sun damage. The DDG serum knocked it out within 3 months of consistent use—and back then, I was using it at least once a day. (This was before I started using a retinol serum on my whole face.) I’m positive this serum contains a very low % of retinol, though DDG won’t state the %. And since retinol works gradually by increasing skin cell turnover at a deep skin layer, I didn’t expect results so quickly. But it did take months, so—as with any skincare product—patience is a must. Oh, and The Inkey List also makes a retinol eye cream now, but I’ve never tried it. I have no need for it since I can just use their full face retinol serum instead. Whenever I apply niacinamide—usually via e.l.f. Hydrating Water Essence (other affordable options are THE ORDINARY - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and THE INKEY LIST - Niacinamide Oil Control Serum)—I include my undereyes. I also have a bottle of Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster which I sometimes use on my whole face. I can either apply it as a solo serum or mix it into another skincare product. Niacinamide is a great skin brightener, among other good things it does for skin. It’s in a lot of products, so if you see it placed high on an ingredients list, that’s a good thing. And it plays nice with pretty much any other skincare ingredient. </DIV>

I still have some undereye darkness caused by hollow tear troughs/sunken skin. If that’s also your issue: no topical skincare product will work on that kind of darkness. The only reliable “fix” is an injectable filler like Juvaderm or Restylane, and I’m not willing to go down that road yet.