Late Night? You'd Never Know It Thanks to These Brightening Eye Creams

Trust me, I’m as surprised as anyone to learn that six years into my parenting journey, I am still sleep-deprived as I was at the start. (This is not to scare anyone out there who is about to become a parent—I do believe that, as someone who considered napping to be a weekend non-negotiable in my former life, I have somehow imbued my offspring with enough energy to power them 24 hours a day.) That said, while I never understood what the fuss was about eye creams before having children, now that I’m dealing with broken sleep and 5 A.M. starts on a daily basis, a brightening eye cream has become an absolute essential. Because who knew, exhaustion tends to settle straight under your eyes with dark circles and discolouration quickly becoming the first things to greet me in the mirror each morning.

Of course, even with the best eye cream for dark circles at your disposal, there are myriad factors at play when it comes to dealing with dark circles, puffiness and tired skin—with sleep really being the only thing that will legitimately shift the needle. However, whilst a brightening formula won’t impact getting those eight hours, it does offer something that I genuinely value in my skincare routine: immediate improvement. Infused with illuminating ingredients, light-reflecting pigments and quenching hydration, finding the right one can make the eye area look fresher, more awake and more even in tone. Much like my old weekend naps, it’s become an instant non-negotiable in my routine.

From eye serums to illuminating formulas, these are the best brightening eye creams I've tested.

The Best Brightening Eye Creams

• Best Overall: E.l.f. Cosmetics Bright + Brew-Tiful Eye Cream
• Best Luxury Eye Cream: Loya Radiance Eye Cream
• Best for Instant Results: Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème
• Best for Oily Skin: Byoma De-Puff and Brighten Eye Gel
• Best for Dehydrated Skin: Bareminerals Skin Longevity Revitalizing Eye Cream

1. E.l.f. Skin Bright + Brew-tiful Eye Cream

I have been seriously wowed by this £13 discovery which rivals one of my other favourites on this list which is triple the price. Enriched with vitamin C, a 3% caffeine blend and a banana-coloured powder, like your morning coffee it gets to work fast to energise and perk up tired under-eyes. Any darkness or discolouration is immediately dialled down while the caffeine gets to work on awakening and de-puffing the area. The result makes for brighter looking under-eyes that feel smooth and hydrated too.

2. Loya Radiance Eye Cream

I feel almost hesitant to include this in my list because it’s an undeniably luxe formula with a price tag to boot. However, there is no denying that this eye cream gets the job done. It’s a peptide-rich formula with a whole host of supporting actives that really work to smooth and tighten the skin and alleviate dark circles. Lipophilic vitamin C—a stable and fast-absorbing form of the vitamin—is the star ingredient for giving that instant brightening, but it also helps with evening tone and minimising pigmentation too. I’d say this is a particularly great investment for anyone my age or above (I’m 36), as the formula is rich with ectoin, so it really does melt into the skin and deliver on hydration, while tapioca starch polymers help to lift that delicate skin beneath the eye that can start to sag a little with age. Even better, it smells amazing too. An investment, yes, but a worthy one if you can afford it.

3. Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème

4. Byoma De-Puff + Brighten Eye Gel

5. BareMinerals SkinLongevity Revitalizing Eye Cream

If you often wake to find the skin beneath your eyes is not only tired-looking, but also feels papery, then this quenching gel-cream will replenish it in no time. It’s a deeply hydrating glycerin-rich formula, imbued with the brand’s exclusive mineral herb complex, and it works to not only combat dehydration but also strengthen the skin barrier over time. Although it’s not as instantly illuminating as others on the list, its focus on long-term skin strengthening means that eyes look brighter and more even in tone with continued use.

6. Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream

7. Beauty Pie Youthbomb™ 360° Multi Action Eye Repair Night Serum

8. Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream

It took three years and a whopping 37 reformulations for Allies of Skin to land on this formula and, as such, it is a highly efficacious eye cream. Harnessing peptides and omegas to deliver on firming and brightening benefits, it has a rich but effortlessly absorbed texture that lifts and smooths the most tired of under-eyes in a flash. If you’re concerned with discoloration and the texture of your skin (I’m talking puffiness and fine lines) then this stuff works to both unify tone and strengthen the delicate under-eye area. The only downside is that you are paying for a formula of this quality.

9. Lelive Eye-Conic Eye Cream

A bit of an all-rounder, this brightening eye cream harnesses the power of bakuchiol and niacinamide to brighten, coffee to reduce puffiness and peptides to improve elasticity for a formula that really does tick all the boxes on tired mornings. It has a beautifully lightweight texture that melts into dry skin to add glow and hydration. And it also has a delightfully smoothing finish that plays nicely under the rest of your skincare or makeup products that you might layer on top.

10. The Inkey List Brighten-i Eye Cream

11. 001 London AOX Hydro-Correct Bright & Tight Eye Serum

What Causes Dark Circles and Discolouration?

Unsurprisingly, there is no one thing that causes dark circles under the eyes, and it’s the myriad of factors that means a brightening eye cream should be seen as just one thing in your arsenal for combating them. “Genetics play a big role; some people naturally have thinner skin or more pigmentation under the eyes, which makes darkness more visible,” explains Dr Quinn. “Lifestyle factors can also contribute, like lack of sleep, dehydration, stress, excessive screen time and allergies, and as we age and lose collagen and elasticity, the blood vessels beneath the surface may also show through more easily.” Bearing this in mind, Dr Quinn points out that the results you can expect to see from a brightening eye cream will vary from person to person.

What to Look For When Choosing a Brightening Eye Cream

With so many formulas on the market, knowing exactly what to look for when shopping for the best brightening eye creams can really help to streamline your options. Aesthetic specialist Alice Henshaw, founder of Skincycles and owner of Harley Street Injectables, advises looking for clinical-grade actives and treatments that actually stimulate collagen rather than just sitting on the surface. “Look for peptides to relax muscle contraction signals, glutathione, which is a powerful antioxidant that inhibits melanin production to tackle pigmentation and hyaluronic acid for deep hydration,” she suggests.

Plus, beyond your eye cream, skin protection remains crucial in maintaining a bright and healthy eye area. “Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen applied gently around the eye is critical because UV exposure aggravates pigmentary changes, explains Ooi, who also points out that consistency is key when using an eye cream. “Most topicals need six to eight weeks of use before visible change,” she says.

How We Tested

Eye creams have pretty much become my specialist subject since I had children, and I have tried hundreds over the years as a beauty editor. For this list, I’ve included eye creams that I’ve personally tried and tested, as well as those that peers in the industry have recommended. All of them have been considered for their ability to offer short-term results—that instant illumination and brightness—as well as the way that they target pigmentation and discolouration long-term.

Why Trust Us

At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products over the years—spanning skincare, makeup, hair and nails—and work closely with trusted experts, including dermatologists, makeup artists and leading industry insiders, to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.

We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.