Credit: Courtesy of brands
Stylist Loves
Best retinol eye creams and serums that won’t irritate your skin
By Hanna Ibraheem &Chloe Burcham
2 years ago
All products on this page have been selected by the editorial team, however Stylist may make commission on some products purchased through affiliate links in this article
4 min read
Retinol is one of the few skincare ingredients that makes a tangible difference. Here, we run through the best retinol eye products that won’t cause irritation.
Retinol: it’s one of the few skincare ingredients proven to deliver transformative results and is a firm favourite among dermatologists. Derived from vitamin A, retinols improve cell turnover, help fade pigmentation, encourage collagen production and reduce spots.
However, retinol can cause skin sensitivity and irritation. “We speak to a lot of people who have burnt their face with retinol because they didn’t really know what retinol was,” says Colette Newbury, co-founder of The Inkey List. If you’re a beginner, experts recommend building up your skin’s tolerance. Start with a low percentage two to three times a week, gradually working your way up to every night.
Unfortunately, while it’s hailed as a holy grail ingredient, its associations with skin irritation means some people worry about applying it to more sensitive areas of the face, such as your eyes. But this area is actually one of the key places to apply retinol. “Fine lines will start to appear here, which is one of the benefits of retinol” explains Mary Curry, co-founder of The Inkey List.
As retinol encourages collagen production, it leaves skin plump and smooth. While you should be careful of getting retinol too close to your eyes, it’s fine to apply it around the contour of the eye. In fact, The Inkey List even made its own retinol eye cream.
“We’ve got a slow release retinol in there at 0.1% actual retinol,” says Curry. “This is because it’s working overtime overnight, so you’re going to get the impact.”
Eager to give it a go? Here’s some of our favourite retinol eye creams…
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum
Packed full of red algae extract that helps with skin’s elasticity, Murad’s eye serum is a lightweight cream that’s gentle enough for your under-eyes.
Shop Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum at Cult Beauty, £82
The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream
Reknown for its transparency in the skincare world, The Inkey List’s eye cream is a rich cream that both nourishes and smooths out fine lines.
Shop The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream at Cult Beauty, £12.99
La Roche-Posay Redermic Retinol Eye Cream
Formulated specifically for use around the sensitive eye area, this retinol eye cream is also blended with caffeine to reduce the look of dark circles. Gradual-release retinol works to smooth the appearance of accentuated wrinkles, leaving the eye area looking refreshed and luminous.
Shop La Roche-Posay Redermic Retinol Eye Cream at Lookfantastic, £30
Origins Plantscription Wrinkle Correction Eye Cream with Encapsulated Retinol
Packed with botanical extracts, encapsulated retinol and peptides, this creamy eye serum works to visibly plump delicate skin and smooth the appearance of fine lines. Sunflower seed oil is also added to nourish and hydrate, leaving your skin soft and smooth.
Neutrogena Retinol Boost Eye Cream
This fragrance-free eye cream is formulated with retinol to resurface and hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate. Dark circles appear brighter and puffiness is reduced, leaving the eye area feeling soft and supple.
Shop Neutrogena Retinol Boost Eye Cream at Lookfantastic, £27.99
Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye 3
A potent formula that’s heralded by dermatologists, this eye cream is available in three strengths – providing progressive, visible results – visibly lifting, smoothing and brightening the eye area.
Sunday Riley 5 Stars Retinoid + Niacinamide Eye Serum
Formulated with a 6% retinoid complex and centella asiatica, this serum helps to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while soothing the delicate fine texture of skin.
Shop Sunday Riley 5 Stars Retinoid + Niacinamide Eye Serum at Space NK, £60
Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream
With a cooling gold-tipped applicator, this advanced eye wrinkle cream has been specifically formulated to firm and smooth the eye area. Utilising retinol and bio retinols to reduce the appearance of dark spots and wrinkles, added hyaluronic acid works to hydrate for soft, healthy-looking skin.
Shop Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream at Space NK, £82
Strivectin Advanced Retinol Multi-Correct Eye Cream
With a slow-release retinol to gently but effectively smooth crepe-like skin, the formula is powered by rambutan, a plant-derived ingredient that helps to minimise the look of fine lines, while hibiscus extract seeks to hydrate and protect skin against environmental aggressors that can contribute to premature skin ageing.
Shop Strivectin Advanced Retinol Multi-Correct Eye Cream, £62
Dr Sam's Flawless Nightly Eye 2% Retinoid Serum
This hardworking eye cream not only draws upon retinol for smoothing fine lines but the formula’s enriched with vitamin C to boost brightness and niacinamide to restore the skin barrier function. It softens lines while increasing ceramide and collagen production for plump, hydrated and soft skin.
Beauty Pie Super Retinol Anti-wrinkle Eye Cream
Harnessing slow-release retinol microcapsules (1%) to smooth fine lines, plus moisturising hyaluronic acid to plump and soften and bioflavonoids to brighten this potent eye cream works overtime to leave your eye area looking brighter, smoother and more awake.
Shop Beauty Pie Super Retinol Anti-wrinkle Eye Cream, £75 (£15 for Beauty Pie members)
Images: Stylist Loves; courtesy of brands
Want to be the first to hear about our exclusive reader competitions, offers and discounts? Sign up for the Competitions + Offers email
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.