17 Vitamin C Eye Creams That Actually Work on Dark Circles

Who What Wear UK beauty editor Eleanor Vousden has been testing out this eye cream and told me it's great. "I've been using this for a while now and I've noticed that my dark circles are less prominent and I'm obsessed with the silky texture of this eye cream. It melts into a velvety finish which also prolongs the wear of my under eye concealer with zero creasing," she says. It contains brightening vitamin C, as well as vitamins A and E, which to help refresh the eye area, along with eyebright which helps to soothe the delicate skin around the eyes. At £35, this rivals more expensive eye creams on the market.

The whole Who What Wear UK team swear by Dr Barbara Sturm's formulas, and even Victoria Beckham and Hailey Bieber are fans. You can use this vitamin C serum all over, but it works great around the eye area too, particularly if your dark circles are caused by hyperpigmentation. The serum formula sinks in quickly and delivers hydrating hyaluronic acid to help plump as it brightens. Trust us, it's worth the investment.

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Beauty Pie's Youthbomb range has garnered a loyal following, and its eye cream is just as excellent with its firming, smoothing and brightening effects. It contains vitamin A (AKA, retinol) to visibly smooth lines, niacinamide (Vit B3) to soothe the eye area and brightening vitamin C to leave dark circles looking less noticeable come morning. It also contains an ingredient called Eyeliss that helps to reduce under eye bags. Is there anything this eye serum can't do?

As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best vitamin C eye cream on the market—and I've been through enough pots to feel confident in my decision. Everything from the triple vitamin C complex to the banana powder-inspired pigments, which give the cream its yellowish hue, work together to instantly brighten tired eyes and reduce darkness overtime. I truly can't get enough of it.

I adore the packaging of this eye cream. Vitamin C is notoriously unstable, so this airtight bottle prevents it from being exposed to the elements to keep its efficacy in check. This formulation uses an impressive five forms of vitamin C for a real brightening boost, along with cucumber extract to cool and de-puff and peptides to firm and tone.

As the name suggests, this is a seriously potent vitamin C eye cream and, as such, I'm not sure how well suited it would be particularly sensitive complexions. However, if like me, your skin loves vitamin c then this is a great eye cream to have in your stash when those dark circles aren't going anywhere. Formulated with 10% THD ascorbate—a form of vitamin C that is 50 times more powerful than it's traditional counterpart—it really does help to dissipate dark circles. Plus, there's ferulic acid, caffeine, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid to target fine lines, rehydrated tired skin and awaken the eye area.

Dare I say it, but this might be a bit of a dupe for my beloved Ole Henriksen eye cream. It also contains brightening banana powder for instant gratification, but there's 4% vitamin C, smoothing niacinamide and caffeine to target puffiness too. While, for me, the texture isn't quite as nourishing and the effects not quite as luminous, it's a brilliant option if you're looking for a great vitamin C eye cream on a budget.

For me, this eye cream bridges the gap between skincare and makeup—and also acts as a fantastic primer for any concealer that you want to apply on top. The formula itself is formulated with vitamin C and peptides to help replenish the skin and support collagen production long-term. However, it's the apricot hue and slight shimmer of this eye cream that I think sets it apart from others. It neutralises darkness, immediately brightens and adds major glow to the eye area. 

When it comes to making truly efficacious formulations with science-led ingredients, Paula's Choice is a brand that I know I can trust and their vitamin C eye cream proves it. Using 5% stabilised vitamin C at its core, this eye cream is really focused on not only helping you look like you've had a full night's sleep but also protecting skin long-term. To do this, it also contains peptides and hyaluronic acid to smooth and nourish dry areas while zerumbone (a form of ginger extract) reduces discolouration beneath eyes. Clever stuff.

The texture of this corrector is much more like a serum than a classic eye cream, but the results are so impressive that I'm including it in my round-up anyway. It uses gold-stabilised vitamin C to ensure that your eyes are getting as many brightening antioxidants as possible along with light-reflecting micro-minerals for radiance and red and brown algae extracts to help with puffiness. And it has some really impressive clinical results with 85% of users seeing a reduction in dark circles with 6 weeks of use. 

If you're wary of using vitamin C because you have more of a sensitive complexion then I'd recommend checking out this eye cream from REN. It has been formulated specifically with sensitive skin in mind, using clean ingredients like elderberry flower extract and glycogen to deeply hydrate, reduce puffiness and illuminate skin without causing irritation. 

I'll admit that this is an eye-wateringly expensive product. But, what can I say? Omorovicza know what's up when it comes to formulating luxurious skincare products that deliver on results, and this beautiful eye cream is no different. You need to smooth on just the tiniest amount to watch your dark circles diminish and your eyes look more wide-awake. Plus, alongside vitamin C it's got vitamins A and E which help to smooth fine lines, blur wrinkles and improve skin health. 

I'd describe this as a facial for your under-eyes–that's how good it is. It's effectively a concentrated serum enriched with vitamins C and E that sinks quickly into skin to leave your eye area looking dewy and fresh. The lightweight texture means it feels wonderfully cooling on tired eyes and it smells incredible too.

This is a bit of a cult product in the beauty community thanks to the way it delivers all of the best vitamin C skincare benefits to tired eyes alongside some instantly gratifying colour correction. Available in two shades—the pinkier-toned Original for paler skin tones and the peachier-toned Warm for deeper skin tones—it immediately counteracts the bluey-purple colours in dark circles and evens skin tone. Plus, it's packed with coffee beans, ginseng and niacinamide to help that well-rested appearance stick around for the long haul.

This is a heavy hitter amongst the best vitamin C eye creams thanks to its potent, science-led formulation. Along with a hefty 7.5% concentration of L-Ascorbic acid (that's stabilised vitamin c to you and me) it also contains 40% botanically-derived hyaluronic acid and copper tripeptides to plump skin and target early signs of ageing all the while brightening dark circles and protecting tired skin. Plus, the lightweight serum texture melts beautifully into under-eyes.

After going viral on TikTok amongst Gen Z, Kinship are finally here in the UK and their eye cream has made itself very much at home amongst my other vitamin C favourites. Alongside the star ingredient it contains red algae and chaga mushroom to de-puff and smooth, but it's the cooling texture that I really rate in this product. It feels so soothing on the most tired of eyes and the apricot-toned cream does a brilliant job at reducing the appearance of dark circles and prepping skin for concealer. 

Heritage skincare brand Antipodes boast some seriously impressive sustainable formulations, and their vitamin C eye cream is one of the best. It's a gentle formulation that's free from parabens, sulphates and phthalates and is infused with antioxidant-rich grape and kiwi extracts to improve elasticity alongside 23 karat gold flakes for eye-opening brightness. Even better? It also safeguards skin against blue light, UV rays and pollution.Up Next: I Have Dark Under-Eye Circles and These Are the Only 11 Concealers That Work for Me.This story was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.