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You won’t need to hide behind big sunglasses with these line-fighting potions.

We know that the eyes tell all, but lines and wrinkles don’t have to give away your age or show that you were up partying all night. Because the skin around our eyes is thinner and more fragile than the rest of our face, it deserves special care. “The eye area is not only thin and delicate; it has fewer oil glands to hydrate it and is subjected to constant facial expressions and repetitive movements,” says Azza Halim, MD, multi-specialist physician based in Newport Beach, California. “In addition, as we age, we produce less collagen, which is responsible for the elasticity in our skin.” These factors, plus other skin aggressors like sun damage, pollution, lack of sleep, poor diet, and sleeping on your face, can cause lines and wrinkles to develop. “However, incorporating an eye cream in your daily routine can help minimize the appearance of lines and wrinkles, while tackling other concerns such as dryness, dark circles, puffiness, and pigmentation irregularities,” says Chanel Jenae, Beverly Hills–based aesthetician and owner of ARCONA Skincare.

While eye creams don’t entirely fix lines and wrinkles—only in-office treatments like Botox injections can—they do help; and it’s about the quality of the formula. “The ability of an eye cream to improve the appearance of skin around they eyes is dependent on the product’s ability to hydrate and moisturize,” says Barbara Paldus, PhD, founder of Codex Beauty Labs. Eye creams are formulated specifically for the skin around the eye area, so they tend to be thicker and richer. “They contain more oil than a traditional moisturizer and a higher concentration of active ingredients to target the concerns around the eyes,” says Jenae. “Look for ingredients such as vitamin C, peptides, and retinol to help boost collagen production. And ceramides and hyaluronic acid are moisturizing ingredients that can help prevent water loss and improve skin’s elasticity.”

When using an eye cream or serum, also be as particular about how you apply it as you are about its ingredients for the product to be effective. Massage it in daily for maximum absorption and to increase blood circulation. Apply your cream or serum using your ring finger for the right pressure, in upward directions with gliding movements. And follow with lightly tapping the upper cheekbone to boost microcirculation. A bonus to this technique is that it’s an effortless way to get in some self-care.

Check out our roundup of creams and serums that help smooth lines and wrinkles, and smile all you want while you’re skipping the skin-blurring camera filters for selfies.

“I recommend products that are high in caffeine for tightening skin and reducing puffiness, along with hyaluronic acid and peptides for hydration and moisture,” says Azza Halim. This refreshing eye gel is one of Halim’s go-to products, which she likes for layering under a restorative eye cream every morning for maximum results.

A nutrient-rich cream that delivers potent peptides to plump and firm the skin around the eyes, as well as silk tree extract to brighten and lift, and niacinamide to fight wrinkles. “This cream is formulated to also be used on the eyelids, an often-neglected area that is prone to sagging,” says Shani Darden, Beverly Hills-based aesthetician and founder of Shani Darden Skin Care.

In addition to ceramides and hyaluronic acid, this product is packed with a triple-peptide blend to plump skin and stimulate cell renewal. The peptides help build collagen and elastin, while ceramides and hyaluronic acid capture and bind water to the skin. A little goes a long way with this ultra-rich cream.

This crystal-clear serum plumps, brightens, and reduces lines around the eyes with hyaluronic acid that boosts moisture and caffeine to help reduce dark circles and puffiness. Its triple roller applicator with cooling, stainless steel balls contours and massages around the eyes.

A retinol-based eye cream that also includes caffeine to banish under-eye bags and dark circles, glycerin to keep skin hydrated, and the brand’s trademark French thermal spring water that contains skin-soothing minerals and antioxidants

This rejuvenating serum not only smooths lines and wrinkles and restores the delicate skin around the eyes, it’s also meant to be used on your brows and lashes to help improve density. Its regenerating formula firms the eye area, plus conditions brows and upper lashes, promoting a fuller look with continued use.

This smoothing cream fills in wrinkles and fine lines with active antioxidant-rich ingredients that protect the skin from environmental damage and aging. You can also use it around your mouth for more defined, contoured, and plump lips.

This organic eye cream protects skin, firms the eye area, and improves the appearance of lines and wrinkles with powerful, plant-based antioxidants including ginseng, marula oil, and CoQ10. We also love that its ingredients are soured from organic farmers around the world.

An indulgent treat for the eyes, this melting balm features skin-nourishing ingredients like chocolate vine, used in Korean traditional medicine for its anti-aging properties; upcycled, sustainably sourced avocados to treat puffiness and dark circles; and babassu, a light-reflecting nut that helps blur and minimize the appearance of fine lines.

This product combines modern molecular science with ancient Ayurvedic medicine using an advanced peptide complex, lupine flower extract, and the brand’s signature blend of turmeric, peony, and neem extracts to promote collagen production and improve elasticity around the eyes.

The revitalizing longoza plant is the star ingredient in this serum’s formulation to help regenerate, strengthen, and repair cells, so that the skin around the eyes looks firmer and tighter. The wide applicator allows you to massage the eye area up to the brow bone as you smooth on the product.

This hydrating serum contains cosmeceutical-grade ingredients to soothe and defend skin against environmental aggressors like free radicals and sun damage, which can cause fine lines and wrinkles. “It’s an ultra-corrective, rich serum with intensified concentrations of peptides, retinol, and cholesterol that help to nourish and hydrate skin while also encouraging collagen production,” says Jenae.

A decadent emulsion of botanicals and peptides that actively works while you’re asleep to smooth, soothe, and moisturize the skin around your eyes after a long day. This product uses cutting-edge green biotechnology like pre-collagen amino acids from seaweed to brighten and extremolytes to protect.

This moisturizing eye cream is specially formulated with hyaluronic acid, squalene, and an exclusive cocktail of antioxidants that protect against inflammation and aging, and restore microcirculation to erase dark circles and brighten the under-eye area.