The Problem
Dark circles: an honest assessment
Mostly genetics and sleep debt. Here is what product can and cannot do about it.
The Short Answer
If you do one thing, start with the Aesop Parsley Seed Serum — our highest-scored pick for this. The full reasoning is below.
Dark circles have three causes that respond very differently: pigmentation (largely genetic), thin under-eye skin showing the vessels beneath (genetic, worsens with age), and puffiness or shadowing (lifestyle — sleep, alcohol, salt). Product meaningfully helps the third, modestly helps the second, and barely touches the first.
The honest protocol: consistent sleep before anything else, then a caffeine eye serum for morning puffiness, SPF to stop pigmentation deepening, and realistic expectations. Anyone promising to “erase” dark circles in a fortnight is marketing to your tiredness.
Worth Your Time
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG
Best for Morning puffiness, mild dark circles
Aesop Parsley Seed Serum
Best for Daily antioxidant protection
Go Deeper
Oily skin, handled properly
The counterintuitive truth: stripping oily skin makes it oilier. The fix is a boring, consistent routine.
Sensitive skin without the trial and error
Fewer products, zero fragrance, patch-test everything: the short rulebook for reactive skin.
The 10-minute skincare routine for men in their 30s
Four minutes in the morning, five at night — the routine that compounds through your 30s.
FAQ
Do caffeine eye creams actually work?
For puffiness and mild vascular shadowing, modestly — caffeine constricts vessels and shifts fluid. For genetic pigmentation, very little. Match the product to your cause.