Hands Down, These Are the Best Eye Gels to Tackle Dark Circles and Puffiness

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(Image credit: @emilydidonato)

I know some people are pretty blasé when it comes to eye-centric skincare, but I take my collection of eye creams, eye gels, eye serums, and eye masks as seriously as I do my morning dose of caffeine. If you've ever experienced me pre-coffee, A) I'm sorry, and B) you know just how "serious" I'm talking here.

I was an avid eye-cream believer even before I was an editor (my mom is equally beauty-obsessed, and the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree), but to be honest, I always thought the trend of eye gels, patches, masks (whatever you want to call them), felt a bit gimmicky. However, once I became a beauty editor and was suddenly surrounded by makeup artists and skin experts more often than my family and friends, I became enlightened to how effective they can be, especially when it comes to relieving stubborn dark circles or puffiness.

Makeup artists consider them a pivotal step during skin prep when they're working with A-list clients, and after trying some of the best eye gels myself, I understood what all the fuss was about. Not only do eye gels feature many of the same ingredients some of the best eye creams do, but they can also act like a cooling and refreshing compress of sorts to help treat fine lines, wrinkles, puff, poor circulation, and other common eye woes. My co–beauty editor Courtney Higgs agrees, and together, we've composed a list of all the best eye-gel formulas we recommend and have seen real results from. Oh, and if you make it all the way to the end, we're sharing even more of our favorite eye-enhancing products beyond eye gels. Keep scrolling! 

Best for Puffiness

Best for Dark Circles

More Eye Products Courtney Loves

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(Image credit: @court_higgs)

More Eye Products Erin Loves

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)
Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.