The Ultimate Guide To Skin Care For Eye Care | Cult Beauty (2025)

Caring for our eyes goes above and beyond our basic skin care routine. Why? Because the surface around your peepers is arguably the most delicate. While face serums and moisturisers help boost a happy, healthy and hydrated complexion, these solutions may contain active ingredients (such as retinoids) that can be considered too strong a concentrate for this area.

That’s where skin care for your eyes come into play. Designed to specially treat the delicate skin on your eyelids and around your eyes, they’re enriched with skin-brightening, strengthening ingredients that soften fine lines and counteract the tell-tale signs of tiredness.

To celebrate these eyeconic essentials, here at Cult Beauty we’ve uncovered everything you need to know about the best eye care products and how to incorporate them into your beauty regime.

WHY IS SKIN CARE FOR YOUR EYES IMPORTANT

Also known as the ‘cashmere of your complexion’, the skin around our eyes is the most sensitive, making it more susceptible to damage. The area surrounding your peepers has less muscle tissue – making it harder to hide premature aging and tiredness – and it contains a vast majority of small blood vessels (otherwise known as capillaries) that can cause puffiness. Your eyes are also overworked due to the constant blinking, squinting and other movement that they perform over a thousand times per day. And with no oil glands, the skin is primed to get drier than other parts of your body – so it’s important to give them the TLC they deserve.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR EYES

01 CLEANSE

When it comes to eye care, cleansing simply refers to removing make up, dirt and debris from the selected area. The key here is to be gentle. Using a reusable cotton pad, wipe away the day by softly pressing it onto your skin before slowly dragging it in an outwards motion. Repeat this step until your make up is fully removed.

Best Make Up Removers:

02 HYDRATE WITH EYE SERUMS

Next, it’s time to nourish your peepers to prevent fine lines from appearing too soon. Bursting with a bunch of beneficial blends, eyes serums help firm the appearance of skin while improving its elasticity. For optimum results look for formulas that feature hyaluronic acid (for hydration), vitamin C (for brightening) and retinol (to stimulate collagen production). As for application, gradually pat the product into the skin using your fingertips.

Best Eye Serums:

03 MOISTURISE WITH EYE CREAMS

Before getting stuck into the next step, it’s important to make sure you choose the best eye cream for you. To do this you’ll need to consider your specific needs – for example if you’re looking to diminish dark circles, it’s best to opt for a solution that includes niacinamide. Or, if you’re wanting to calm puffiness, take advantage of blends that contain vitamin A, peptides and caffeine.

Now for the main event – it’s time to apply your eye cream the right way. Taking a pea-sized amount for each eye, dot the product around your orbital bone (the bone beneath your eyeball) and brow bone. Then, using your ring finger, lightly tap it into your skin until it’s fully absorbed.

Best Eye Creams:

04 TREAT YOURSELF TO AN EYE MASSAGE

It’s not just your scalp, face and body that should reap the benefits of a massage… your eyes are just as deserving too. Using a facial roller or gua sha tool helps improve the application of other products along with the reduction of puffiness, sagging and under-eye circles. When using a roller, start from the upper inner edge where your nose hits your brow and move outwards, roll around the top and under the eye towards the tear duct, rocking it gently as you go. Then place the roller vertically into the inner corner of the eye and press lightly. As for the gua sha, slowly move the tool from the outer corner of the bottom of your eye working inwards. Repeat on the area under your eyes by moving it from the inner to the outer corner 5-10 times.

Best Eye Massaging Tools:

05 LEVEL UP YOUR ME TIME WITH EYE MASKS

Adding eye masks to your self care Sundays (Mondays, Tuesdays, or whatever day you want to wind down) takes your much-need me time to the next level. We recommend popping on a classic film, kicking back and relaxing with hydrogel masks. Cooling and refreshing, these treasured treatments minimise the look of puffiness while brightening dull skin and hyperpigmentation.

Best Eye Masks:

06 PROTECT

We all know by now that SPF is non-negotiable… And if you didn’t, why not head over to our Sunscreen Guide to understand why? An indispensable part of any skin care routine, it must be applied every day and all over your face – including your upper eyelids. One of the most forgot areas when applying SPF, your lids are just like all other facial features and can indeed develop sunburn. When applying your sunscreen, gently close your eyes and massage the formula into the skin with your finger. Our top tip? Don't rush this process, as half-hearted work can leave you with irritated peepers and limited protection.

Best SPF:

Now you’re a pro at protecting your peepers, it’s time to look give them the special attention they’ve been longing for…