Combat Puffiness and Dark Circles with picks from Estée Lauder, Live Tinted, Joanna Vargas, Skyn Iceland, and more
“Mask” is kind of a loose term these days. There are PPE masks, cloth masks, and various types of skincare masks, like sheet masks and leave-ons. And then you’ve got eye masks. According to Dennis Gross, MD, board-certified dermatologist and the co-founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, eye masks are similar to face masks in that they offer a treatment boost for your skin.
Additionally, Dr. Gross notes, “Eye masks are used infrequently compared to a cream.” Think of it like a trip to the spa for the windows to your soul—not something you do every day but a nice refresher when you need it most.
Most masks come in the form of little patches that you place over your under-eyes to address dark circles and puffiness. “I think these are a great option to put in the refrigerator and apply first thing in the morning after a night of salt-rich snacking or alcohol to reduce puffiness,” says Claire Wolinsky, MD, a New York dermatologist specializing in facial rejuvenation.
There are also little pots and tubes containing gels, creams, and balms you can apply all around the delicate eye area morning, night, or whenever you feel like it. These tinctures tackle other eye-area woes, like dryness, fine lines, wrinkles, crepiness, and hyperpigmentation.
We conducted hours of research on the best eye masks for dark circles, evaluating dozens of products on the active ingredients in their formulas, results, and overall value. After consulting with board-certified dermatologists for their expert recommendations, we narrowed down the list to give you the following best in show.
Best Overall: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery Eye Mask
Our number one pick comes from the queen of cosmetics, Estée Lauder. From the beloved Advanced Night Repair line, these eye patches get to work while you get your beauty sleep.
They simultaneously hydrate with squalane and hyaluronic acid, soothe with chamomile, and battle puffiness with caffeine4 and coffee extract. “Caffeine constricts blood vessels and can therefore reduce the amount of fluid accumulating,” explains New York dermatologist Hadley King, MD.
The high concentration of ingredients makes for a truly effective product, delivering plumper, calmer, more radiant skin with each application. This eye mask is so good, in fact, that you only need to use it once a week to reap the benefits.
“I was happy to find that these eye masks did nothing but hydrate my under-eye area, and I never experienced any irritation,” said our product tester.
Best Budget: e.l.f. Cosmetics Charcoal Hydrogel Under Eye Mask
For something more budget-friendly, your best bet is the e.l.f Charcoal Hydrogel patches. They’re powered by charcoal, which is thought to help purify the skin, though more research is needed to back up those claims. Still, they also hydrate, boost radiance, and soothe with green tea,5 lavender, and allantoin.
Best Drugstore: Yes To Cucumbers Depuffing Undereye Masks
Yes To Cucumbers makes the best eye masks from the drugstore aisle. These green patches are saturated with verdant ingredients, like aloe,6 green tea,5 and yes, cucumber,7 all of which offer soothing and depuffing benefits.
Best Splurge: 111Skin Sub-Zero De-Puffing Eye Mask
Want to give your eyes the top-shelf treatment? 111Skin won’t let you down. The Sub-Zero Eye Mask doesn’t waste time cooling and calming stressed under-eyes. Thanks to researched-backed ingredients like CoQ10,8 peptides,9 and red algae,10 you can also count on improved elasticity, less visible fine lines, and free-radical protection.
Best for Dark Circles: Bliss Eye Got This Under Eye Mask
Dark circles got you down? This serum-rich eye mask is formulated not only to reduce discoloration but also to depuff under-eye bags and leave firmer skin in its wake.
Best Brightening: Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C Power Brightening Hydra-Gel Eye Patches
Board-certified dermatologist Marie V. Hayag, MD of Fifth Avenue Aesthetics stands behind Peter Thomas Roth’s Potent-C Eye Patches. “The caffeine helps constrict blood vessels to reduce the appearance of circles and puffiness,” Dr. Hayag tells Byrdie.
“Vitamin C helps reduce the appearance of darkness and also helps increase collagen production,” she adds. “Ferulic acid and vitamin E help stabilize vitamin C (which is quite unstable and oxidizes easily when by itself), so it can provide its benefits.”
Best for Puffiness: Versed The Fix Emergency Eye Mask
“[With] provitamin B5, caffeine, cucumber, and vitamin E, this gel eye mask nourishes and hydrates the delicate skin around the eyes,” says celebrity aesthetician Joshua Ross of SkinLab. “Cucumber juice cools and depuffs, and caffeine calms swelling and redness.”
Best Hydrating: Tarte SEA Pack Your Bags Undereye Patches
Tarte’s ultra-gentle, fragrance-free patches replenish parched skin with glycerin, peptides, and coconut oil. After one use, you can expect a hydrated, plumper under-eye area.
Best for Firming: Dermalogica Stress Positive Eye Lift Mask
If you’re dealing with crepey eyelids or general loss of elasticity, go with Dermalogica Stress Positive. Containing fermented yeast11 and gallic acid,12 this powerful potion delivers noticeably firmer skin while lifting and boosting radiance around the eye area.
Best K-Beauty: Benton Snail Bee Ultimate Hydrogel Eye Patch
There’s no shortage of amazing Korean eye masks out there, but Benton’s Snail Bee Eye Patches stand out from the rest. As the name suggests, this treatment contains snail mucin13 (a natural source of hyaluronic acid) and healing bee venom14 to plump, soothe, and repair the skin while softening the appearance of fine lines.
Best for Tired Eyes: Skin Camp Magic Eyes Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Mask
We’re also big fans of Skin Camp Magic Eyes. The kicker is caffeine, which offers a temporary pick-me-up by minimizing under-eye bags while leaving the skin firmer and supremely hydrated.
Best With Vitamin C: Elina Organics Leave On Under Eye Recovery Mask
Containing a whopping 30% vitamin C, plus kojic acid from white truffle extract, this leave-on mask isn’t messing around when it comes to boosting radiance around the eye area and reducing hyperpigmentation.15
Best for Wrinkles: Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Fine Line Eye Cream with Retinol
“I love this because the retinol is encapsulated, therefore it is not irritating,” says skincare authority and expert cosmetic injector Kristina Kitsos. “Also, the avocado oil, avocado extract, and coffeeberry are packed with antioxidants that help fight wrinkles and protect the skin from a number of different environmental pollutants.”
Best for Sensitive Skin: Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Masks
“Wander Beauty Baggage Claim contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin to smooth thin, sensitive under-eye skin,” offers Dr. Wolinsky. However, she says those with particularly reactive complexions should use eye masks with caution to avoid irritation.
Best With Retinol: KNC Beauty All-Natural Retinol-Infused Eye Masks
Looking for a product that makes you look rested even when you’re not? KNC Beauty’s Star Eye Mask is your new best friend. These cute but effective shooting star-shaped patches combine retinol,16 collagen, licorice root,15 and hyaluronic acid to plump, boost radiance, and hydrate the skin before you put on makeup.
Best Lifting: Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Hydra-Gel Eye Patches
These Peter Thomas Roth eye patches basically treat everything: dark circles, fine lines, wrinkles, crow’s feet, puffiness, and more. While they’re successful at combating all of the above, the eye mask is a favorite for lifting tough areas. The combination of 24K gold, colloidal gold, and hydrolyzed collagen each visibly improve fine lines by giving the skin a more youthful appearance overall—bye, bye fine lines and wrinkles!
Best Reusable: Dieux Skin Forever Eye Mask
If you’re looking for a sustainable alternative, Dieux Skin’s reusable eye patches are made from 100% non-porous silicone so you can wear after more than one use (lasts up to one year with daily use, to be exact). Using this product will help your skin care, such as eye creams, serums, and moisturizers, saturate deeply into the skin, boost hydration, and leave a beautiful plumping effect.
Best Clean Beauty: Mei Apothecary Cloudberry Dew Eye Gel Mask
The adorable cloud shape in the Mei Apothecary Cloudberry Dew Eye Masks correlates to the product’s star ingredient: cloudberry. The vitamin C and antioxidant-rich ingredient, along with hydrating peptides and hyaluronic acid, visibly plump and awaken the eye area after just one use. Not only are these eye patches super affordable for the pack of three, they’re also clean, vegan, and cruelty-free.
Best Firming: Joanna Vargas Bright Eye Firming Mask
If the skin around your eyes isn’t as firm as it used to be, reach for Joanna Vargas’s Bright Eye Firming Mask. These patches deliver a heaping dose of moisture that plumps the skin while addressing sagginess and keeping puffiness at bay.
Best Cooling: Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels
Tired, puffy eyes? These gel pads might be your best bet. The cooling formula works to depuff swollen skin around the eyes while offering a firming, smoothing effect to make the entire eye area appear more toned.
Best Biodegradable: Live Tinted Rays Copper Eye Masks
If you’re concerned about the waste of single-use eye masks, go with Live Tinted. These biodegradable patches can be tossed away guilt-free, but that’s not the only thing we love about them. They cool the skin under your eyes to create a depuffing effect while brightening dark circles and nourishing tired skin.
Final Verdict
When it comes to eye masks, Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Eye Treatment is a reigning champion. With weekly use, you can expect reduced puffiness, smoother skin, and an all-around radiant eye area. On a budget? Your best bet is e.l.f. Cosmetics Charcoal Hydrogel Under Eye Mask (view at Amazon), a hydrating and soothing solution that won’t run you more than a few bucks.
What to Look For When Buying Eye MasksAntioxidants
According to board-certified dermatologist Corey L. Hartman, MD, some of the best ones to look for if you’re after brightening benefits include antioxidants, such as vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, and coffeeberry.
Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream is an eye treatment chock full of antioxidants, but if you prefer single-use patches, go with Mei Apothecary Cloudberry Dew Eye Masks.
Caffeine
Another one of Dr. Hartman’s suggested ingredients, this is commonly found in all kinds of eye products, thanks to its ability to constrict blood vessels, tamping down puffiness and dark circles. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Eye Treatment is an excellent choice if you’re looking for something with caffeine.
Moisturizing Ingredients
Any type of product that’s going around the eye should contain moisturizing ingredients because the skin in this area is innately drier, Dr. Hartman explains. Ingredients to look for include glycerin, hyaluronic acid, aloe, and other humectants, like Snail Bee Ultimate Hydrogel Eye Patches.
FAQWhat are the benefits of eye masks?
“Eye masks sit on the skin and are very hydrating and nourishing with beneficial ingredients,” explains Ross. Containing soothing, tightening, and exfoliating actives, most are meant to address under-eye concerns, like dark circles, puffiness, and hyperpigmentation.
“Like face masks, eye masks are a great treatment boost,” says Dr. Gross. However, since they aren’t meant for daily use, he notes that eye masks “should never take the place of your daily topical.”
How do you apply eye masks?
With eye patches, you’ll want to place the tapered end underneath the inner corner of your under-eye area, carefully smoothing the wider end toward your temples. With a balm or gel, you can typically apply it like regular eye cream, tapping it gently over the entire eye area, including the eyelid, and up to the brow bone.
Most eye masks should be left on for about 15 minutes, then rinsed off. However, some gentler formulas can be left on overnight.
How often should you use eye masks?
“Eye masks are used infrequently compared to a cream,” Dr. Gross tells Byrdie. That said, the frequency of use really depends on the formula, as well as your skin type and specific concern.
Some eye masks will yield results with weekly use, whereas others may be more effective if used two or three times a week. “Also, I would advise to only try one new mask or product at a time in case of an irritation or allergy,” says Dr. Wolinsky.