11 Best Retinol Eye Creams 2023 to Target Fine Lines and Crepiness: RoC, Shiseido, Josie Maran
Shiseido’s Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream smells faintly of a delicious smoothie, which is unexpected in the most delightful way. This luxurious cream is spiked with only the good stuff: namely hydrating squalane, wrinkle-softening aqua peptides, and a blend of barrier-strengthening green, brown, and red algae. Bye, bye, deeply-etched wrinkles.
If you’re not into traditional eye creams and are looking for something a little lighter, you should definitely give Dr. Dennis Gross‘s Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum a go. This clear, lightweight gel absorbs into the skin immediately and because of its slightly tacky texture, its works wonderfully as a primer for concealer and other makeup. Formula-wise, a team of retinol, bakuchiol, rambutan, and ferulic acid (a powerful antioxidant) work tirelessly to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while green tea, sodium hyaluronate, and cica promote hydration.
Sunday Riley‘s 5 Stars Retinoid + Niacinamide Eye Serum is impressively lightweight and designed with a cooling ceramic applicator that refreshingly depuffs the skin. Don’t be fooled, though: this cute tube is filled to the brim with powerhouse ingredients like retinol ester and liposome-encapsulated retinol to boost collagen production, dark-circle-brightening niacinamide, and barrier-strengthening ceramides. In other words, this treatment has a little bit of everything you’re looking for.
New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Melissa Levin, MD, says Eau Thermale Avène‘s RetrinAL Eyes is a great option for smoothing the undereye area. “It combines retinaldehyde, a stabilized version of retinol, for collagen production with hyaluronic acid for moisture and dextran sulfate as a de-puffing agent,” she explains. And, in typical Eau Thermale Avène form, sensitive skin types won’t have to worry about this fragrance-free eye treatment causing any peeling or irritation.
See, we told you they weren’t all over-the-moon expensive. L’Oréal Paris‘s Revitalift Eye Cream With Pro-Retinol will only set you back $11, and it comes highly recommended by Marchbein. She likes it because the formula combines retinol with soothing Centella asiatica (a.k.a. tiger grass), which work in tandem to firm and smooth the skin without irritation.
We love the cooling metal applicator you’ll find on StriVectin’s Advanced Retinol Multi-Correct Eye Cream to minimize puffiness upon waking up but not as much as we adore the ingredients found in this powerhouse formula. Retinol is joined by the brand’s proprietary form of niacin (a.k.a. vitamin B3) to improve the efficacy of the star ingredient, as well as soothing ingredients like rambutan, hibiscus, and rice bran extract to reduce signs of sensitivity.