The Promise of Youth: Do Under Eye Creams Work? And Do We Care?

Every few weeks, I get a text or two from friends asking for an under eye cream recommendation “I am so tired of puffy eyes,” says one. “I want to stop looking like a Koala!” chimes another. But almost every time, these concerned statements are followed by, “Do you think eye creams actually work?”

In the glittering realm of beauty, few products command such a loyal following—and equal skepticism—as eye creams. Those diminutive jars, often nestled in elegant packaging, carry with them a promise: to turn back time, erase dark circles, banish puffiness, and lift sagging skin. And yet, as with so many of beauty’s secrets, the effectiveness of eye creams remains shrouded in mystery and myth.

Consider the beloved La Mer The Eye Concentrate, its iconic formula imbued with the brand’s mysterious “Miracle Broth.” Or Chanel’s Sublimage La Crème Yeux, which claims to ‘smooth and refine’ the eye area, leaving one bright-eyed and full of promise. The price tag is steep, but for many, these creams are an investment in vanity’s most precious currency: time.

La Mer The Eye Concentrate (Rs.22,000) and Chanel Sublimage La Crème Yeux (Rs.21,450)

The Concerns:

I reached out to Dr. Jaishree Sharad, one of the leading dermatologists in India, to ask what are the biggest concerns of people who visit her. “Patients often come for under-eye darkness, hollowness, bags, puffiness, wrinkles, and visible blood vessels. Often unaware that the reasons for each of these can be manyfold” says Dr. Sharad. “Dark under-eyes can be caused by genetics, lack of sleep, stress, and nutritional deficiencies. Hollowness could be the result of either volume loss or tear trough. And then under-eye puffiness may be due to fluid retention, disturbed lymphatic drainage, or excess alcohol consumption. Bags could simply be formed because of genetics or age-related fat herniation, so on and so forth”

The Answer:

There’s no yes or no answer to under eye creams’ efficacy according to Dr. Sharad. “The answer to this depends on specific concerns and whether those concerns are amenable to treatment by just eye creams. For example, retinol does help reduce under-eye fine lines, caffeine helps with puffiness, Vitamin C, Kojic acid and Niacinamide brighten the under-eye to a certain extent. But more often than not, under-eye darkness is a combination of actual pigmentation and structural deformities. If you have an actual hollow, no eye cream can fill it. So, depending on your concerns and their intensity, your dermatologist may suggest either chemical peels, pigment lasers, under-eye fillers, or skin boosters. It is important to note that eye creams will help maintain and prevent further damage to your under-eyes skin when coupled with sunscreen, but they do not work as magic erasers. They are usually paired with some in-office treatments for optimum results.”

The Commerce:

Beauty industry has, consistently tried to make consumers add under-eye skincare into their daily ritual through creams, gels, masks, and rollers in the hope that they’ll learn to cue it in. And once it becomes a part of a ritual, it’ll be a strong product category specially in India where we have huge population growth and competitive local and international brand launches. Because that’s what rituals do, they make every part of it sacrosanct. Eye creams, too, want to be a part of a ritual. To evoke, with each gentle tap under the eyes, a sense of indulgence, a pause from the chaos of life, a moment of self-care. It is here that these creams succeed, even if the results take time or never fully live up to their promises.

So why has eye cream not become an integral part of the regime the way serum has in the last decade? Why has no brand, in a larger sense, managed to create a category for under-eye care? While International brands like Estée Lauder (Advanced Night Repair), The Ordinary (Caffeine Solution 5%), L’Oréal (Glycolic Bright) seemingly top the list of eye cream category on Nykaa, it’s the affordable Indian brands like Aroma Magic, Minimalist and Dot & Key that have deeper market penetration and trial generation. Even new brands like Quench Botanics launch spare no time launching an eye cream. When it comes to under eye creams, most luxury brands sell them like perfume or a vanity accessory. Most often they’re just smaller and more expensive iteration of their cult serum or moisturiser … a part of a range. But do consumers simply extend their trust to a particular range because the serum/moisturiser works for them or do they spend time understanding ingredients basis their needs? These are some of the questions we would like to get answers to.

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG (Rs.900), Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex (Rs.5,700), L’Oreal Paris Glycolic Bright Eye Serum (Rs.629), and Quench Dark Circle Under Eye cream (Rs.499)

The Ingredients of Hope

The ingredient list of the modern eye creams reads like a who’s who of skincare’s finest: hyaluronic acid for hydration, caffeine to de-puff, peptides to smooth fine lines, and retinol to boost collagen production. Each promises its own form of magic, scientifically engineered to tackle the delicate skin around the eyes—where aging tends to reveal itself first.

Yet, for all the luxury and science behind these potions, dermatologists remain divided. As the skin around the eyes is thinner and more prone to showing signs of aging. Hence, the effects of topical products, while beneficial in terms of hydration, are often subtle when it comes to reversing deeper lines or bags caused by genetics or aging.

The Ritual of Application

The tactile experience—the coolness of the cream, the lightness of its texture—draws one in. For some, it is less about instant transformation and more about the promise that tomorrow, you might wake up with a fresher, brighter gaze and slow the hands of time. So perhaps, that the value of an eye cream is as much psychological as it is physical? A moment of pause, a gentle pat under the eye, a small indulgence in the pursuit of an ageless gaze. And perhaps, that’s where the true magic lies. And perhaps that’s why the luxurious tools, patches and masks whose efficacy and promises remain questionable, continue to gain incredible popularity.

And that’s why my answer to my friends is always that the best eye cream is the combination of genetics, three litres of water daily and a good night’s sleep, but to undo the remnants of sleepless nights and “todays’ lifestyle,” there’s always faith, a good dermat and a tiny glass jar of hope. 

Topics