Best Brightening Eye Creams of 2026
* We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.
Brightening Eye Creams are beauty products designed to reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, and fine lines around the eyes. These creams contain ingredients such as vitamin C, retinol, and caffeine that work to brighten and tighten the skin, leaving the eyes looking refreshed and rejuvenated. They are suitable for all skin types and can be used as part of a daily skincare routine. Regular use of these creams can help to improve the overall appearance of the eye area, giving a more youthful and radiant look.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Brightening Eye Creams
Garnier Brightening Eye Cream with Vitamin C
The Garnier Eye Cream is designed to brighten dull and tired under eyes. It helps to reduce eight signs of fatigue, including dark circles and fine lines, giving you a fresh and youthful appearance. With its vegan formula, it contains 4% Vitamin C, Niacinamide, and Caffeine, making it suitable for all skin tones. Applying this cream is simple: just dot it around your eyes, tap gently, and blend. This convenient routine can help you achieve smoother and firmer skin around the eyes.
Bubble Skincare Morning Rays Brightening Eye Cream
The Bubble Skincare Morning Rays is a brightening eye cream designed to refresh tired eyes by reducing dark circles and puffiness, helping your eyes look more awake and vibrant. It contains turmeric extract, which targets dark circles, and soothing green tea extract to protect your skin from environmental damage. The powerful Vitamin C brightens your under-eye area, reviving dull skin. Easy to use, simply apply it gently on clean, dry skin both morning and night to enjoy a refreshed and youthful appearance.
The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream for Dark Circles
The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream is designed to improve dark circles and brighten the under-eye area. This fragrance-free formula is suitable for all skin types, making it a versatile choice for everyone. As a skin moisturiser, it hydrates and nourishes the delicate skin around your eyes, helping to reduce puffiness. By incorporating this cream into your routine, you can enjoy a fresher, more vibrant appearance, addressing signs of fatigue and providing a perk-me-up for tired skin.
REN Radiance Brightening Eye Cream
REN Brightening Eye Cream is designed to tackle dark circles effectively, promising noticeable results in just seven days. With Elderberry Flower Extract, it helps neutralise free radicals and reduce puffiness, giving you a refreshed look. The inclusion of Glycogen ensures that your delicate eye area remains hydrated and firm, preventing dryness. Its lightweight and fast-absorbing formula makes it perfect for both day and night use, allowing you to enjoy a brighter, more youthful appearance effortlessly.
The Inkey List Brighten-i Under Eye Cream
The Brighten-i Eye Cream is designed to instantly illuminate and brighten your under-eyes, targeting dark circles and uneven skin tones. Its lightweight and hydrating formula contains BRIGHTENYL, which is four times more powerful than Vitamin C, helping to reduce darkness effectively. Additionally, the Mica Mineral blend reflects light, providing an immediate brightening effect. You will also appreciate how GRANT-XT blurs fine lines and wrinkles, leaving your under-eye area looking smoother and plumper.
COSRX Snail Peptide Eye Cream with Niacinamide
The COSRX Snail Peptide Cream is a brightening and tightening eye cream designed to help you achieve a youthful and healthy-looking complexion. It works to diminish dark circles and puffiness while reducing fine lines, giving your eyes a refreshed appearance. The lightweight, lotion-like texture makes it easy to apply without feeling sticky or heavy, allowing you to use it comfortably around the eyes and other areas like smile lines, forehead, and neck. Key ingredients include 73.7% snail mucin to rejuvenate your skin, 2% niacinamide to lighten dark circles, plus peptides and adenosine to firm skin and smooth wrinkles.
Olay Brightening Eye Cream with Vitamin B3
Olay Eye Cream is designed to help you achieve a bright and well-rested appearance. It visibly brightens dark circles, allowing you to look more awake and refreshed. The formula is enriched with vitamins B3 and caffeine, which work together to reduce the appearance of fine lines while hydrating your skin. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive, dry, and oily skin, this eye cream specifically caters to the delicate area around your eyes, ensuring it receives the special care it deserves.
Nip+Fab Vitamin C Fix Eye Cream 10% Brightening
The Nip+Fab Vitamin C Eye Cream offers a powerful 10% eye-brightening complex that revitalises your under-eye area and helps reduce signs of ageing. Its unique formula includes three stable forms of Vitamin C, enhanced with ferulic acid, ensuring long-lasting brightening effects for your skin. The cream also contains 3% Meiview to firm the delicate skin, 1% caffeine to smooth puffiness, and 1% Haloxyl to target dark circles, giving you comprehensive eye care. Additionally, niacinamide strengthens your skin barrier and evens out skin tone, working together with Vitamin C for healthier-looking eyes.
e.l.f. SKIN Bright + Brew-tiful Eye Cream
The e.l.f. Bright + Brew-tiful is an under-eye cream designed to refresh tired eyes. It contains vitamin C and banana-tinted powder to brighten your under-eye area, making you look more awake. The 3% caffeine blend helps reduce puffiness, giving a rejuvenated appearance. Its lightweight, fast-absorbing formula works well under concealer, making it a perfect step in your morning skincare routine for a smooth, radiant finish.
Clinique All About Eyes Lightweight Vitamin C Eye Cream
The Clinique All About Eyes is designed to help reduce the look of dark circles and puffiness, giving your eyes a refreshed appearance. It also works to soften fine lines and wrinkles, making your skin around the eyes appear smoother and younger. This eye cream strengthens the delicate skin in this area, providing better protection against daily stress. Additionally, it soothes and comforts tired eyes, helping to calm and smooth the skin for a more comfortable feel throughout the day.
During our brightening eye cream research, we found 193 brightening eye cream products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 60,117 customer reviews through our big data system to write the brightening eye creams list. We found that most customers choose brightening eye creams with an average price of £14.53.
The brightening eye creams are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of brightening eye creams, including Garnier, Bubble Skincare, The INKEY List, REN Clean Skincare, COSRX.
Charlotte Powell is a dermatologist and a licensed cosmetologist from Westminster, London. However, she was first a cosmetologist from London Beauty Training School. According to Charlotte, she needed better insight into the human skin, hence the dermatology degree. Long before she acquired her degree, she wrote and edited articles, eBooks, and editorials for companies and websites. Charlotte combines her skill and knowledge in providing DIY Beauty tips amongst other fashion related topics.