Lack of rest may not be the only thing causing dark circles and puffiness under your eyes. Other lifestyle factors like eating salty foods, smoking and drinking wine can also contribute to fluid accumulating in the under-eye area. Fortunately, under-eye masks and patches can help. Like eye creams, they can tackle common concerns, including fine lines, inflammation and puffiness, with ingredients like vitamin C and hyaluronic acid.
I spoke to dermatologists about what to consider when shopping for under-eye masks, including which ingredients meet the gold standard and which ones work best to target specific skin concerns.
How I picked the best under-eye patches
Here are the factors experts told us to keep in mind while testing and compiling this list:
- Under-eye concern: When shopping for under-eye patches, consider how you want your skin to look and feel afterward. Some common concerns include dryness, puffiness, and fine lines. Knowing what you want to target will help you narrow down the search and find ingredients tailored to that particular treatment.
- Ingredients: Certain ingredients will help you address and prevent some of these concerns. Ingredients, including retinol and retinol alternatives, will help minimize the appearance of fine lines, while others, including vitamin C, will help brighten your under-eyes and lighten dark circles. If you’re looking to depuff, consider patches with ingredients like caffeine. For those who want to hydrate, consider patches with hyaluronic acid or glycerin, as these will add and draw moisture to the area.
- Price: Under-eye patches vary in price depending on whether they’re sold individually or in packs and sets. This list includes singles, packs and sets with prices as low as $5 and upwards to $135.
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The best under-eye patches and masks
Below are a handful of expert-recommended and editor-tested under-eye patches for all kinds of under-eye concerns.
Best overall
These cooling hydrogel masks are packed with powerful ingredients, including amino acids and hyaluronic acid, to brighten and moisturize your skin, while sea moss helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, according to the brand. These Grace & Stella patches are also a win for NBC Select updates editor Mili Godio, who swears by them. “I use them multiple times a week, and they’re extremely hydrating, which is great for my super dry under eyes,” she says.
Best non-slip
Summer Fridays’ Jet Lag line is a longtime favorite of NBC Select staff, and these under-eye patches are the latest addition. They have a humectant blend of glycerin and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate your under eyes, according to the brand. “I love how well they stay on my eyes,” says NBC Select associate SEO reporter Ashley Morris. “Even when I’m walking around my room or doing the rest of my body care routine, they don’t slip at all like the other patches I’ve tested.” She also likes their soft texture, and says they help soothe her under eyes when they’re dried out after removing makeup, or when she forgets to turn on her humidifier.
Most user-friendly
If slippery, slimy eye masks aren’t for you, these Topicals masks are right up your alley. They’re almost like puffy stickers that kids love — they’re sticky and won’t slide around on your face. “These are some of my favorite under eye masks; they fit comfortably under my eyes and don’t move around at all, which is a complaint I’ve had with other eye masks I’ve tried,” says NBC Select associate social media editor Caitlin Cusack. “They instantly brighten my skin and I can tell they’ve reduced puffiness and my dark circles after just one wear.” The sticky, slightly cooling gel has niacinamide for brightening and caffeine for temporary depuffing, according to the brand.
Best patches with caffeine
Brighten, hydrate and depuff your under eyes with these fragrance-free patches, which have a 4.3-star average rating from over 1,300 reviews on Amazon. Suitable for all skin types and morning or nighttime use, they have caffeine to reduce puffiness, niacinamide to address fine lines and uneven skin tone, and hyaluronic acid to moisturize the skin, according to the brand.
Best for puffiness
These Peace Out patches combine caffeine, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to reduce puffiness and brighten up the under-eye area, according to the brand. “I love using these patches in the morning, especially when I’ve had a long night or need a pick-me-up,” says Godio. “My under eyes feel instantly hydrated and smooth. Plus, the thin, gel-like patches feel cooling on my skin, which definitely helps with any puffiness.” They come in a pack of six, and the brand recommends leaving them on for 15 minutes.
Best for brightening
These patches have a blend of ingredients, including caffeine, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, to refresh and revitalize the under-eye area, says Dr. Marisa Garshick, a board-certified dermatologist. These masks also provide a cooling effect that helps reduce puffiness, especially if you store them in the refrigerator, according to the brand.
Best for dark circles
If you want to target dark circles, consider these biodegradable patches. Like many of the options on our list, these unscented patches, which have a 4.4-star average rating from over 100 reviews on Amazon, include ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. They also have aloe to hydrate and soothe the skin, while marine plant extract helps continue providing hydrating benefits, according to the brand. You can purchase these individually or purchase them in a pack of four.
Best soothing
The experts I spoke to gave these eye patches a thumbs up when it comes to addressing puffiness thanks to its cooling cucumber extract. They have glycerin to moisturize, niacinamide to improve skin tone and texture, sodium hyaluronic acid to hydrate and hemp seed and argan oils to smooth out the skin, says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Hadley King. “It also offers antioxidants to help with brightening and anti-aging,” she says.
Best travel-friendly
Celebrity makeup artist Tobi Henney recommends these eye patches because they are great to use at home and while traveling. “They come in a great little container and can be applied super easily in the morning or at night,” says Henney. The patches have hyaluronic acid, as well as caffeine to depuff and marshmallow extract to soften your skin, according to the brand. There’s also an included spatula to lift and separate the patches.
Best to use before makeup
“I always put these on before I do my makeup, especially on a night out when I want to look extra good,” says Godio. “They leave my dry under-eyes so much smoother, plumper and more hydrated, plus they stay perfectly in place while I get ready.” These under-eye patches have a noticeable cooling effect and help reduce puffiness, fine lines and dark circles, according to the brand.
Best retinol alternative
If you have sensitive skin, consider these eye patches, which come recommended by King. They feel cooling on the skin, help target the appearance of fine lines and hydrate the under-eye area, she says. They also have bakuchiol, which is a retinol alternative that’s suitable for sensitive skin, says King. The patches have niacinamide to help brighten and improve any texture, as well as caffeine to de-puff the skin, according to King.
Most cooling
The Skyn Iceland eye gel pads are great for dark circles thanks to topical ingredients like green tea polyphenols and caffeine, which can help reduce puffiness and brighten the under-eye area, experts previously told us. NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin loves these patches and pops them into the fridge to create a cooling effect that helps with swelling and de-puffing. They’re also free of parabens and silicones, and can help seal moisture and plump the skin in just 10 minutes, according to the brand.
Best budget friendly
These multi-vitamin masks have niacinamide to brighten and retinol to minimize the appearance of fine lines by increasing cell turnover, according to the brand. Godio loves that these under-eyes are free from common irritants like fragrances, dyes and drying alcohol, so they don’t irritate her sensitive skin. You can purchase them individually or in a pack of five.
Best hydrating
If you want hydrating patches that also offer a cooling sensation, consider these, which come recommended by King. To add to the cool feeling and maximize its depuffing effects, place your 12-patch pack in the fridge and take it out whenever you’re getting ready, according to the brand. Wear the patches for at least 10 minutes, and don’t worry about needing to lie down or stay still as you wear them since the hydrogels are non-slippery, according to Colorescience.
Best splurge
If you’re looking to invest in your eye patches, consider these from Chanel, which come recommended by Dr. Rachel Westbay, a board-certified dermatologist at Marmur Medical in New York City. You can apply the roll-on serum to your under-eye area and then place the hydrogel patches on top(the brand recommends leaving them on for 10 minutes). The rollerball also helps move fluid away from the under eye, according to the brand.
Best reusable
Unlike most under-eye patches on this list, this reusable set doesn’t actually have any skin care ingredients. Instead, they’re meant to assist your existing eye creams almost like a shield. They’ll last about a year with daily use and proper care, according to the brand. NBC Select editorial director Lauren Swanson owns them and can attest that they do what they say they’ll do.
Editor’s pick
These patches are a perfect addition to my morning routine because they prep my skin for any makeup and help reduce the occasional puffiness I have to deal with. After 20 minutes or so, my under-eyes feel more refreshed and hydrated, plus I look more awake too. I also put these vegan hydrogel patches in the fridge for a cooling effect.
Best for morning
Hero Cosmetics makes some of our favorite pimple patches and we also really like these under-eye patches, made with a sturdy, silicone-like material. Like others on the list, these include niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate and energize the skin.
Best retinol patches
Westbay loves these eye masks because of their potent retinol formula to increase cell turnover and fight wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. It also has rosehip, which is rich in vitamin C and helps fight free radical damage and promote skin cell turnover, according to the brand.
Most multi-tasking
Yes, it’s fancy to have gold foil eye masks, but it actually serves a purpose: The top foil layer helps retain heat and prevent moisture from evaporating off the skin, which allows the underlying serum to dive deeper into your skin’s layers, according to the brand. You can leave these masks on for 10 to 15 minutes to help depuff, brighten and prime your under eyes for makeup, according to the brand.
Best for eyelids
Targeting both your under-eye area and your eyelids, these patches focus on firming and hydrating the skin with ingredients like encapsulated retinol, hyaluronic acid and peptides, according to the brand. “My skin feels hydrated and fresh after using them, and it looks more rejuvenated,” says Malin. Although they may be a little challenging to put on, once they’re in the right place, they stay on well, according to Malin.
Best for quick results
Patchology has several under-eye patches to choose from, and our editors have tried them all. Our favorites are the Patchology On Ice Gels because they mimic the old-school beauty tip of sticking a cold spoon under your eyes (which, yes, we still do sometimes). You can store these in your fridge to leave the skin under your eyes looking a little tighter and depuffed.
Best pack
Suitable for all skin types, these patches brighten and even skin tone while also hydrating the under-eye area with the help of key ingredients, including vitamin C, licorice and ginseng, according to the brand. Safe for daily use, you can apply these patches to your skin, but be sure to use the spatula that comes with the tub to help separate them from one another. These patches, which have a 4.3-star average rating from over 330 reviews at Target, come with 30 pairs per tub to last you an entire month if you use them daily.
Most durable
To help her skin better absorb her favorite eye serum, Malin applies these reusable eye masks on top, which create a seal over her under-eye area. “The reusable masks are easy to clean, too — I just rinse them off with warm water, let them air dry, and they still maintain their stick well over time,” she says.
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Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Dr. Karen Burke is a board-certified dermatologist, research scientist and a clinical professor in the Department of Dermatology at Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine in New York.
- Dr. Hadley King is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City who specializes in medical and cosmetic dermatology. She is a clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
- Dr. Rachel Westbay is a board-certified general and cosmetic dermatologist at Marmur Medical in New York City.
- Tobi Henney is a celebrity makeup artist and former L’Oréal Paris Makeup Director for Australia.
- Dr. Marisa Garshick is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Cornell.
Why trust NBC Select?
Bianca Alvarez is a former associate reporter at NBC Select who covered skin care and hair care. For this story, she interviewed experts and researched highly rated patches and masks that were in line with expert guidance.
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