Your ultimate guide for choosing the best eye cream with SPF plus a list of some of our favorite ones.

How to Pick the Best Eye Cream With SPF?

Picking the right product for your skin is never easy. You’d have to go through several bouts of trial and error before finding the one that best complements your skin. Not only can this process be frustrating, it can also be financially-exhausting as well.

To make this confusion worse, choosing the right eye cream with SPF entails so many considerations. You’d have to factor in eye cream consistency, active ingredients, SPF rating, sunscreen classification, etc. Lucky for you, we’re here to help you out with your skincare woes.

Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly eye cream for daytime use or a premium SPF eye cream that can treat your dark under-eye pigmentation, we’ve got the magic list for you. This ultimate guide will help you choose the best eye cream with SPF. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

SPF rating

SPF means Sun Protection Factor. The SPF rating of a sunscreen refers to the amount of time it takes for the sun’s UV rays to redden and/or burn the skin. For example, it would take 15 mins for the sun’s UV rays to burn your skin if you’ve applied sunscreen with an SPF 15 rating. However, this is only true if you’ve used and applied the sunscreen properly.

To properly protect yourself from UV rays, experts advise applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) daily. This should be liberally applied to the skin at least 30 minutes before sun exposure. It should also be reapplied every two hours, and/or after doing outdoor activities.

[bq] Reapplication is especially important for people whose face tends to get darker than their bodies and for people who have dark eye circles due to excess melanin. [/bq]

As discussed, experts recommend using sunscreens with Broad-Spectrum Protection. These sunscreens protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. On the other hand, sunscreens with Non-Broad-Spectrum Protection only protect the skin from UVB rays.

UVA rays mainly cause photoaging and wrinkles. On the other hand, UVB rays primarily cause sunburns and most types of skin cancers. While UVB rays have been primarily linked to most types of skin cancers, UVA rays also play a role in skin cancer formation. Also, there are approximately 500% more UVA rays in sunlight than there are UVB rays. This is why experts recommend using broad-spectrum sunscreens that protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays.

According to the US-FDA rules, non-broad-spectrum sunscreens and those with SPF ratings below 15 must indicate the following warning: “Skin Cancer/Skin Aging Alert: Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging.”

Thus, it is essential to start protecting your skin as early as possible.

Is it convenient to apply on-the-go?

Overexposure to sunlight causes several harmful effects on people’s overall health. Aside from wrinkles and fine lines brought about by photoaging, the sun’s UV rays can also cause skin cancer. In fact, experts believe that four out of five cases of skin cancer could be prevented with adequate sun protection.

Proper and adequate application of eye cream is key to maximising its effectiveness.

When choosing sun protection creams for your delicate eye area, go for under-eye creams with SPF that are stored in tubes, roll-ons, and pump-type packaging. Not only are they convenient to bring on-the-go, but they’re also hygienic and pro-longevity. They’re easy to carry and you won’t have to use a cosmetic spatula to scoop up the product anymore.

Also, some active ingredients in eye creams are volatile. They can degrade rapidly when exposed to air and pathogens. In these containers, eye creams get very minimal air and bacterial exposure.

On the other hand, eye creams stored in jars and small pots are not recommended. Their inherent structure increases the chances of eye creams for potential degradation due to oxidation and bacterial accumulation.

Pro Tip: If your favorite eye cream only comes in jars, there’s an easy hack for you. You can buy refillable squeeze tubes/airless pumps and transfer your eye cream onto them. This can prolong the eye cream’s shelf life and make on-the-go re-application easier. Also, avoid transparent containers. Light can also degrade certain volatile ingredients in eye creams. Go for dark-colored or opaque ones instead.

Does it suit my skin tone and skin type?

Before you can successfully choose the right eye cream for you, it’s essential to first know what your skin type is. This is because specific eye cream consistencies work better with certain skin types. Here’s when knowing the difference between physical and chemical sunscreens becomes vital. While both of them provide adequate protection against UV rays, their compositions and effects on the skin differ greatly.

Below are some useful tips to help you decide which of the two suits your skin better:

Physical sunscreens (a.k.a. mineral sunscreens/sunblock) work by sitting on top of your skin and literally blocking out UV rays. They’re naturally broad-spectrum and contain active mineral ingredients that deflect UVA and UVB rays.

• Common types: Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide.
• Best suited for: Dry and sensitive skin. Because physical sunscreens use natural ingredients, they’re less likely to cause irritation. This makes them a great option for those who have sensitive skin. Physical sunscreens also tend to have heavy and creamy consistencies. This is ideal for those with dry skin as heavy creams (and moisturizers) help boost skin moisturization.
• Not recommended for: Olive/dark skin tones and mature/oily skin types. The opaque physical blockers of mineral sunscreens sit on top of the skin. Because of this, they tend to leave a white cast on the skin surface.

If you have an olive or dark skin tone, this white cast can make your skin look chalky and ashy. To lessen the appearance of white streaks, try gently patting the sunscreen onto your skin instead of harshly rubbing it in. With this movement, you can have a more even application and harsh white sunscreen streaks can be prevented.

If patting it in doesn’t solve the problem, you can add a small drop of foundation to the eye cream (instant DIY tinted eye cream!). The added tint can cancel out the ashiness of the sunscreen and conceal dark eye circles. If all else fails, a chemical sunscreen or gel/serum-type eye cream may be better for you.

If you have mature skin, the opaque physical blockers of mineral sunscreens will likely sit on top of your skin. This can make your fine lines appear more prominent. If you have oily skin, the creamy and heavy consistency of most physical sunscreens can clog your pores and trigger breakouts.

Chemical sunscreens (a.k.a. organic sunscreens) protect the skin by absorbing UV rays. Unlike physical sunscreens, chemical sunscreens don’t sit on top of the skin. They penetrate the skin and are absorbed by the body.

• Common types: Oxybenzone, Avobenzone, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Homosalate, and/or Octinoxate.
• Best suited for: Oily and mature skin type. Chemical sunscreens in eye creams are usually lightweight. Their easy absorbent formulation is less likely to clog pores than heavy physical sunscreens. Because of this, they’re great for people with oily and acne-prone skin. They’re also great for people with mature skin as chemical sunscreens do not sit on the fine lines of the skin.
• Not recommended for: Sensitive skin types. Chemical sunscreens don’t naturally offer broad-spectrum protection. To solve this, most chemical sunscreens in the market today contain added ingredients to achieve broad-spectrum protection. The addition of multiple ingredients increased the risk of skin irritation, especially for those with sensitive skin types.

To make sure that your prospect eye cream with SPF suits your skin type, you can use SkinCarisma’s ingredient analyzer tool. This can give you a general overview of the eye cream’s composition and help you identify possible irritating and comedogenic ingredients to watch out for.

UV protection or Eye treatment?

As not all eye creams are created equal, you’ll need to decide on what’s more important for you: skin photoprotection or skin restoration. Eye creams that have ingredients that focus more on sun protection and skin hydration (preventive) tend to have high SPFs (>SPF 15). Meanwhile, eye creams that focus more on eye treatment (reparative) tend to have lower SPFs (≤SPF 15).

To get the best of both worlds, we recommend using your protective eye cream during the day and your reparative eye cream at night. This way, you can enjoy your day cream’s photoprotection when you need it the most. At the same time, reaping the anti-aging benefits of your restorative eye cream at night. Just make sure to wear UV-blocking sunglasses and big hats while you’re outdoors to help reinforce UV protection.

If your focus is more on the hydration power of eye creams, you can check our our favourite eye cream for 20s.

Texture

Aside from eye creams with SPF, makeup is also usually used during the day. The texture and consistency of your eye cream will greatly influence your makeup’s finish. That’s why when ultimately choosing an eye cream with SPF, make sure to consider texture as one of your buying factors.

One of the usual causes of cakey makeup is the incompatibility of your skincare product with your makeup. That’s why we recommend eye creams with lightweight formulations for daytime use. Eye creams with heavy consistencies are not easily absorbable. These tend to settle and sit on top of your skin. When it does, it can make wrinkles more prominent and cause your makeup to look cakey.

To avoid unwanted creasing, wait for at least 20 mins (or longer) for your eye cream to set completely. This will prevent any potential caking and improve the finish of under-eye make-up.

6 Best Eye Creams With SPF

Supergoop! Bright-Eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream

Supergoop! Bright-eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream (From: Amazon)

Key features:

• SPF 40 broad-spectrum protection (Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide) for sun damage prevention
• Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate for anti-aging effects
• Caffeine for reducing eye puffiness and dark circles
• Fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and essential oils-free
• Safe for all skin types
• Vegan and Cruelty-Free

The Supergoop! Bright-eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream is our pick for Best Overall as it contains a potent mix of ingredients that are effective in fighting skin aging, boosting photoprotection, depuffing eyes, and reducing dark circles. It offers SPF 40 broad-spectrum protection that protects the skin from UV rays and blue light. This eye cream provides non-nano 100% mineral protection and is gentle enough for sensitive skin.

It contains Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, a superstar anti-aging ingredient that promotes the skin’s youthful appearance by stimulating collagen production. It also has Caffeine, a known anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictive ingredient that calms the skin. By narrowing the blood vessels, caffeine can reduce puffy under-eye bags. When infused in topical cosmetics, caffeine’s antioxidant properties can also help enhance a cosmetic’s ability to stop photoaging.

It contains both Zinc Oxide (14.4%) and Titanium Dioxide. These two physical sunscreen ingredients are US-FDA certified safe and effective. They have long been used in cosmetics for preventing sun damage. These two work by deflecting and scattering UVA and UVB rays.

Another reason why we love this product is because of its blendable and fast-absorbing formula. This can save you a lot of time especially during busy mornings. It’s also a great makeup primer for your under-eye area. It has an illuminating pink tint that instantly revitalizes tired eyes and reduces the appearance of dark circles.

This product contains Non-nano Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide particles. These have a tendency to leave white casts on people with olive and dark skin tones. Fortunately, there’s a remedy for this. Just add a drop of foundation on the eye cream and gently pat it onto the eye area using your ring finger. For best results, Supergoop! recommends letting the formula absorb for one minute before adding another layer of product to the area.

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PCA SKIN Sheer Tint Eye

PCA SKIN Sheer Tint Eye (From: Amazon)

Key features:

• SPF 30 broad-spectrum protection (Zinc Oxide)
• Citric Acid and Vitamin E for under-eye smoothening and sun protection
• Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 for increasing skin moisturization, elasticity, and firmness
• Fragrance-free and essential oils-free
• Ideal for dry skin types
• Cruelty-free and Reef-safe

Coming in second is our pick for Strong Runner-Up, the PCA SKIN Sheer Tint Eye. This versatile eye cream has the perfect balance of SPF protection and eye treatment. It has SPF 30 broad-spectrum protection as well as under-eye brightening and smoothening properties. It also comes in a tube. This not only makes it hygienic but also very convenient to apply on-the-go.

This eye cream with SPF has a hydrating formula that’s effective in restoring moisture in the eye area. Its Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 ingredient promotes skin elasticity and reduces eye bag puffiness. Being a part of the peptide family, this ingredient also has powerful moisturizing properties.

This eye cream contains highly-hydrating ingredients such as Coconut Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter. These work great in moisturizing dry skin but they’re also comedogenic. As such, they’re not recommended for people with oily skin. These can clog pores and trigger breakouts.

This product contains Zinc Oxide (15%), an inorganic compound that’s been proven to aid in preventing UV-induced skin aging and skin cancer. It also has Citric Acid, an ingredient that aids in brightening skin, correcting dark spots, and minimizing fine lines. Its Vitamin E component also helps supplement sunscreen protection and anticarcinogenic protection.

The PCA skincare line manufactures cosmetics that are cruelty-free and reef safe. Their company-issued statements state that all their sunscreen formulations are without oxybenzone and octinoxate. This makes their sunscreens compliant with reef safety laws. They also have a zero-tolerance philosophy against animal testing.

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Supergoop! Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream with Oat Peptide

Supergoop! Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream with Oat Peptide (From: Amazon)

Key features:

• SPF 37 broad-spectrum protection (Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, and Cinoxate)
• Citric Acid for brightening dark circles
• Oat Peptide for fighting skin aging
• Fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and essential oils-free
• Safe for all skin types
• Vegan and Cruelty-Free

The promising but affordable Supergoop! Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream with Oat Peptide is our pick for Best Budget. This has potent physical and chemical sunscreen ingredients that offer effective broad spectrum protection at an affordable price point. It’s also convenient to bring and use on-the-go as it comes in a hygienic tube packaging. Plus, it’s fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and essential oils-free.

It contains Citric Acid, a type of Alpha-Hydroxy Acid (AHA) that’s been proven effective in improving wrinkled skin by increasing the glycosaminoglycans synthesis. It also has Zinc Oxide (10.1 %), Titanium Dioxide, and Cinoxate (7.5%). Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are physical blockers that have UV light blocking abilities. Cinoxate is a chemical blocker that also has powerful UVB light-absorbing capabilities.

This product is enriched with Oat Peptide, a group of amino acids made from the ground-up seeds of the Avena sativa (oat) plant. Peptide is a powerhouse anti-aging ingredient that increases the skin’s dermal thickness through stimulated collagen production. In effect, the under-eye skin becomes more elastic and appears more youthful.

According to their company-issued statement, the Supergoop! skincare line is ‘clean’, vegan, and cruelty-free. Supergoop! also follows European Union standards—the highest skincare safety standard in the world.

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Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy

Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy (From: Amazon)

Key features:

• SPF 35 broad-spectrum protection (Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide)
• Vitamin E treating dark under-eye circles
• Peptides for boosting skin elasticity
• Citric Acid for reducing fine lines and wrinkles
• Fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and essential oils-free
• Ideal for dry skin types
• Vegan

The Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy is our pick for Best Premium. Not only is it an eye cream, it also doubles as makeup and sunscreen. It contains powerful clinical ingredients that are effective in rejuvenating the eye area. Its formulation’s great balance between SPF protection (Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide) and eye treatment efficiently addresses some of the most common eye area concerns (i.e. photoaging and dark circles).

This sophisticated under-eye cream has a unique applicator that makes application more convenient and less messy. It contains Vitamin E (Tocopherol), a compound that has been proven effective in reducing dark under-eye circles. While Tocopherol is especially ideal in moisturizing dry skin, it’s not recommended for people with oily skin types. This type of Vitamin E is comedogenic and can easily trigger breakouts.

This eye cream also has Peptides. These are short strings of amino acids that boost collagen and elastin levels in the body. An increase in elastin and collagen levels results in the appearance of smoother and younger-looking skin.

Citric Acid, another component of this eye cream, is a popular type of AHA that contains powerful antioxidant properties. Research has found that the topical application of AHAs can increase skin thickness by approximately 25%. This increase in skin thickness leads to the significant reduction of wrinkles and fine lines in aging skin.

This vegan tinted eye cream is available in four different shades: Fair, Medium (Original), Tan, and Deep. To achieve a smooth finish, Colorescience advises users to be careful not to over-apply. One-quarter pump for each eye should be enough so as to avoid caking and creasing when layering other cosmetic products.

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Skinceuticals Physical Eye UV Defense Sunscreen

Skinceuticals Physical Eye UV Defense Sunscreen (From: Amazon)

Key features:

• SPF 50 broad-spectrum protection (Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide)
• Ceramides for increased skin hydration
• Alcohol-free
• Safe for all skin types

The Skinceuticals Physical Eye UV Defense Sunscreen is our pick for Best UV Protection. This dynamic eye cream is an eye-safe sunscreen first and eye cream treatment second. It has a lightweight and slightly-tinted formula that can give your under-eyes a refreshed look.

It contains microparticle Zinc Oxide and microparticle Titanium Dioxide. These sunscreen filters can provide broad-spectrum protection from UV rays. Because they’re micro fine in size, they don’t leave any unwanted white residue on the face.

This eye cream’s actual under-eye benefits mainly focus on skin hydration. It contains Ceramides, a complex group of sphingolipids that are effective in boosting skin hydration. By strengthening the skin’s barrier function, the skin is able to retain more moisture. This gives the under-eye skin a supple, hydrated, and youthful glow. This is great news for people who wear makeup as cosmetics layer well on hydrated skin.

SkinCeuticals has partnered with ReSurge International to support first-generation women reconstructive surgeons. Together, they’ve put up the Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery (PWRS) program. This initiative supports women-surgeons in underserved parts of the world by conducting training and mentorships.

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Philosophy Ultimate Miracle Worker Eye Cream

Philosophy Ultimate Miracle Worker Eye Cream (From: Amazon)

Key features:

• SPF 15 broad-spectrum protection (Titanium Oxide)
• Retinol for anti-wrinkle effects
• Licorice Root Extract for anti-aging effects
• Vitamin C and Vitamin E for treating wrinkles and fine lines
• Adenosine for reducing crow’s feet
• Glycolic Acid for improving skin texture and reducing hyperpigmentation
• Ideal for dry skin types

The Philosophy Ultimate Miracle Worker Eye Cream is our pick for Best Reparative Eye Cream. Its formula works great in stimulating cell renewal and improving skin elasticity. It’s recommended for people who want to focus on eye treatment. It contains several ingredients that fight the signs of skin aging.

It contains Retinol, a popular anti-aging ingredient that’s known for its anti-wrinkle efficacy. It also has Licorice Root Extract, an ingredient that’s been proven to have excellent anti-aging properties and anti-inflammatory effects on the skin. With the combined antioxidant properties of its Vitamin C and Vitamin E ingredients, this eye cream can effectively aid in reducing wrinkles and fine lines around the eyes.

It also contains Adenosine, a compound with beneficial effects on crow’s feet and glabellar facial wrinkles. Rounding up the list is Glycolic Acid, a type of AHA that’s effective in improving the skin’s texture and treating skin sunlight-induced hyperpigmentation.

The Philosophy cosmetic line is committed to empowering women through various mental health and well-being support activities. Through its Hope and Grace initiative, it has managed to donate over USD 4.5 million and has touched the lives of over 1.8 million women.

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If you’ve enjoyed our picks for eye creams with SPF and want to find out more, be sure to check out our top 10 favourite eye creams!