16 Best Natural & Clean Eye Creams For Wrinkles + Application Tips

Retinol is the original, but there are many alternatives that can provide similar benefits—and often without the irritation. This uses sea fennel extract, a phytoretinol that has similar smoothing and brightening properties. It also uses avocado extract for hydration, caffeine to reduce puffiness, and peptides to help tighten skin. I love the cooling application tip, and that you can use it morning or night. 

Ingredient highlights:

-Sea Fennel Extract

-Caffeine

-Avocado extract

-Peptides

One of the biggest nuscenses with eye wrinkles is that makeup settles in them making them appear more pronounced and worse than they actually are. A prep cream, like this one, is an ideal solution. This blend contains three complexes that instantly brighten and smooth, creating an ideal base for concealer. 

Ingredient highlights:

-2% BRIGHTENYL

-1% Mica Mineral blend

-5% GRANT-XT (blurring technology)

Vitamin C is another derm-favorite ingredient as it can support collagen production, brightens tone, neutralizes free radicals, and smoothes texture. (Not bad, no?) This gentle eye cream uses a stabilized 5% vitamin C complex, alongside peptides, hyaluronic acid, and a concentrated ginger extract. 

Ingredient highlights:

-Vitamin C

-Peptides

-Hyaluronic acid

-Zerumbone (ginger extract) 

-The formula is free of parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, triclocarban, and triclosan

People often ask me when they should start using eye cream, and my response is “whenever you want!” Eye creams—while helpful—are an add-on to your routine. That means you don’t have to use one if you don’t want to. But for those who want to start, this is the eye cream I always recommend. The texture of the application is easy and fast-absorbing. It has the slightest shimmer and tint to help add some immediate radiance. And it contains effective, but not harsh, active ingredients like peptides, algae, and olive oil. (All of which can help treat and prevent fine lines.) Oh, and it has a great price point. What’s not to love?

Ingredient highlights:

-Peptides

-Algae

-Olive oil

Speaking as someone who has both dark circles and fine lines, I need all the help I can get. And this brightening cream delivers. It works so well thanks to the cocktail of ingredients that play double-duty. Vitamin C not only brightens tone, but it supports collagen production. Niacinamide addresses discoloration, as well as smoothes texture. Caffeine reduces swelling, dark circles, and has antioxidant-properties. Ginseng helps rejuvenate skin, both in texture and tone. 

Ingredient highlights:

-Vitamin C

-Niacinamide

-Caffeine

-Ginseng

Retinol is one of the most popular healthy aging ingredients, thanks to its ability to encourage cell turnover, improve rejuvenation, and stimulate collagen production. The ingredient’s big catch is that it can trigger irritation, especially on sensitive skin (such as the eye area.) However, this formula was made specifically with the eye in mind, so it’s not as aggressive. The gel’s also buffered with soothing antioxidants and botanical extracts. I’m going to be honest with you: I was very scared to test this out, given how sensitive my skin is. But it didn’t cause any reaction, felt hydrating, and really smoothed out my crow’s feet. I used up the entire bottle! 

Ingredient highlights:

-Retinol

-Bakuchiol

-Ferulic 

-Rambutan

-Centella Asiatica Extract

Who amongst us hasn't woken up with puffy, swollen eyes a time or two? (If you have magical no-puffing eyes, you may cast the first ice roller.) For those who puffiness is a regular issue, grab yourself this long-time fan favorite from Clinique. (I have used this product many-times in my career, and it never gets old.) The silky formula is infused with caffeine to depuff, panthenol for hydration, and pomegranate extract for addressing aging concerns. 

Ingredient highlights:

-Caffeine

-Panthenol (vitamin B5)

-Pomegranate extract

-The formula is free of fragrance, mineral oil, alcohol, talc, parabens, and phthalates. 

This dense eye cream floods the skin. Dryness becomes more common with age, and one of the first places folks start noticing this is around the eyes (as the skin is thinner). Dehydration can exacerbate the formation and appearance of fine lines—so first and foremost you’ll want to load up on moisture. The cream is made with super rich avocado oil, which is high in fatty acids, antioxidants, and more. It also contains beta-carotene, a type of antioxidant known for targeting fine lines. I love to pile this on at night, and wake up with fresh, rested eyes.

Ingredient highlights:

-Avocado oil

-Beta-carotene

-Sodium PCA

Even if you don’t identify as having sensitive skin, you may find that the eye area is more prone to irritation. That’s because the skin around the eyes is very thin and has very few oil glands (that can produce protective oils). So if eye creams have caused you trouble in the past, you’ll want to find an option specifically formulated for sensitivities. This blend is hypoallergenic and contains soothing colloidal oatmeal, but it is still loaded with ingredients that can help ease the appearance of fine lines such as niacinamide and cranberry extract. Personally I love the light, effortless gel texture that can be worn alone or under makeup. 

Ingredient highlights:

-Colloidal oatmeal 

-Niacinamide

-Cranberry extract 

-The formula is fee of fragrance, parabens, phthalates, dye, and alcohol

Ourself may be one of the pricier brands on the market today, but let me tell you: They simply do not miss. From their viral lip plumper to this new lifting eye serum, it’s just a collection of all-stars (very expensive all-stars, but I digress). This silky eye serum contains an astonishing array of ingredients. The first is a hyaluronic acid complex to plump and hydrate. It also contains a poly-peptide blend that stimulates collagen and elastin production. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also vitamin C, niacinamide, and botanical extracts. I’ve been testing it daily and my skin looks shockingly smooth. I even apply it on my upper eyelid to help with sagging. 

Ingredient highlights:

-Hyaluronic acid

-Peptides

-Vitamin C

-Niacinamide

I’ve always had a soft spot for Biossance’s plush textures and innovative ingredient profiles. And I’m pleased to report I loved the eye cream (just as I knew I would). Not only does this formula contain the ultra-hydrating plant-derived squalane (what the brand is best known for), but it contains a strain of pink marine algae. Algae has been shown to reduce fine lines, lift skin, and protect against photoagaing. As someone with sensitive eyes, I also appreciate how gentle it is on the skin.  

Ingredient highlights:

-Squalene

-Algae

Caffeine is a popular eye cream ingredient as it’s a vascular constrictor, and therefore can help reduce swelling and discoloration. (Read: It treats both puffiness and dark circles.) This option also wields the power of a triple peptide complex to smooth out wrinkles and plump up fine lines. I love the applicator tip, which dispenses just a tiny amount of product so you can be very precise with application. It’s also travel friendly: I take this cream with me while on the go so I can dab it on midday if my eyes are looking a little crinkly or tired.

Ingredient highlights: 

-Caffeine

-Peptides

A swipe of this tinted stick will blur fine lines, mask dark circles, and protect against free radicals. The color-correcting primer neutralizes purple and blue under eye hues. It also smoothes over fine lines and creates a smooth base, so makeup is less likely to settle into wrinkles throughout the day. And it’s not just a “masking” product—the formula is infused with active ingredients that improve the health of the skin overtime, such as vitamin C. 

Ingredient highlights: 

-Vitamin C

-Caffeine

-Colored pigments

As someone who could cover herself head-to-toe with oils, let me tell you: I adore this eye oil! It glides effortlessly over the skin and makes for a perfect night treatment. The blend is a mix of organic rosehip, jojoba, sea buckthorn, and kahai oils—all of which provide the skin a mix of fatty acids, antioxidants, and other healthy aging nutrients. It also contains a tomato extract that's chock full of carotenoids. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that can help smooth texture and fine lines. 

Ingredient highlights: 

-Rosehip oil

-Jojoba oil

-Sea buckthorn oil

-Kahai oil

-Tomato extract

What screams luxury more than 24K gold? Because that’s exactly what is inside this precious eye cream. More specifically it’s a 24K peptide which has powerful antioxidant properties. But decadence aside, it’s also infused with incredibly innovative skin care actives like plant stem cells, a unique peptide complex, and other rare botanicals that help skin cell rejuvenation. It instantly brightens and keeps skin looking it’s most vibrant in the long-term.

Ingredient highlights:

-24K peptide

-Bionymph Peptide Stem Cell Extract

-Matrixyl™ 3000 Tripeptide

-Raspberry Stem Cell Extract

-Tomato stem cells

-Hexapeptide

This makes color-correcting oh-so-easy. The vitamin-infused eye cream comes in two shades— yellow and orange—to help cancel out dark undertones around the eye area. (Yellow is ideal for those with fairer skin targeting purple and mauve eye circles, and orange is better suited for those with deeper skin tones dealing with blue-ish hues. Check out our guide to color correcting here.) It doesn’t stop there, however, the formula contains vitamin K and other healthy aging botanicals. When I’m going sans makeup, this is the cream I reach for to keep my dark circles in check. 

Ingredient highlights:

-Vitamin K

-Mica