9 Best Eye Lift Creams for Hooded Eyes to Transform Sagging Lids
Do eyelid lifting creams really work? Yes, but with limitations. Experts say top formulas temporarily firm, hydrate, and tighten sagging skin for a lifted effect.
Hooded (or drooping) eyelids are extremely common. As Blair Murphy-Rose, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Rose Dermatology & Laser Center, explains, everyone’s eyelids can naturally droop over time. Our collagen levels decline, skin becomes thinner and less firm, the muscles that support the lids weaken, and sometimes the fat pads around our eyes can start to shift downward as we get older.
Genetics also play a major role with hooded eyes as someone could just be predisposed to these types of eyelids, Dr. Murphy-Rose explains, and you might also have to take into account some daily habits, such as excess sun exposure, smoking, allergies, and chronic rubbing in the eye area as factors at play. Simply put, there’s nothing wrong with having drooping eyelids. But if you’re like me, a perpetually tired-looking person with slightly hooded eyes, an eye cream that can help mask the sleep I did not get the night before and give me the appearance of a slightly more lifted look is always welcome.
Huge caveat: eye creams aren’t miracle workers; they will not dramatically tighten or change your overall appearance. For that, you’ll need to look into more intense in-office treatments. It’s all about the art of the subtle lift when it comes to these products; behold, the nine best ones below.
Eyelid lifting creams do work, but they have limitations. Dr. Garshick says they work best with mild hooding or crepey skin, as they focus on hydrating and supporting collagen production. “Most topical products work best for subtle improvement rather than significant lifting,” she says.
“An eye cream is not going to replicate the results of surgery or be able to significantly lift excess skin,” Dr. Murphy-Rose agrees. “Skincare is best to help [or] prevent some of these signs of aging over time.”
Both experts say that you’ll want to look for creams that have retinoids to improve skin firmness, stimulate collagen production, and support skin cell turnover. Because retinoids can be drying on such a sensitive part of your face, you’ll also want to look for hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid to balance it out. Other helpful ingredients include peptides, caffeine, vitamin C to support collagen, smooth out fine lines, and brighten up the eye area.
When we test and review a product, we take a holistic approach to deliver well-rounded product recommendations. First, we lean on Vogue’s vast network of experts—from board-certified dermatologists to celebrity estheticians—to gain professional acumen on the industry’s standout products, ones these specialists would actually use on their clients. We pair their expertise with our editorial best practices to curate the thoughtful edits you read on our site.
As it relates to eye creams for hooded eyes, we selected the best based on the following characteristics: ingredients, texture, application, finish, and the skin-care concerns they address. To do this, we paired our own personal tests of each formula with expert guidance and reviewer insights to determine which we would recommend to you. Read more about our testing methodology here.
