How to Get Rid of Dark Circles: The Best Skincare Routine & Products
Dark circles under the eyes are one of the most common skincare concerns, yet most people only address them with concealer. Coverage helps in the moment, but a targeted routine that combines active skincare with smart application delivers far better and more lasting results.
What Causes Dark Circles?
Dark circles have several possible causes, and most people are dealing with more than one at the same time. Genetics play a significant role, as some people naturally have thinner skin under the eye or more prominent blood vessels in the area.
Other contributing factors include lack of sleep, dehydration, poor micro-circulation, hyperpigmentation and allergies. Because so many factors can be involved, a multi-step routine is more effective than any single product.
Types of Dark Circles
Not all dark circles look the same, and identifying the type you have helps you choose the right approach. Blue-purple circles are vascular, caused by blood vessels showing through thin skin. Brown or grey marks are usually pigmentation-related, often linked to sun exposure. Hollow shadows in the inner corners or beneath the orbital bone develop as volume decreases with age.
Many people have a combination of two or three types, which is why a routine targeting hydration, circulation and tone together tends to work better than addressing one cause in isolation.
For pigmentation-based circles, PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Eye Serum 2.0 is the most targeted option, since its idebenone and niacinamide complex works directly on tone and brightness. For vascular darkness and puffiness, the same formula's caffeine and peptide activity supports micro-circulation and firmness. For hollow shadows linked to volume loss, Advanced Ceramide Lift and Firm Eye Cream delivers the ceramide and hyaluronic acid support needed to plump and restore the under-eye area overnight.
Can You Prevent Dark Circles?
Adequate sleep and hydration are the two most controllable factors, as both directly affect how swollen and depleted the under-eye area looks each morning. Applying SPF around the eyes daily also helps, since UV exposure worsens pigmentation-based circles and accelerates skin thinning.
Limiting screen time, managing seasonal allergies and sleeping slightly elevated all reduce the fluid retention and vascular pooling that darken the under-eye zone over time.
Evening Routine: Skincare Steps for Dark Circles
The evening is where the targeted skincare work happens. Active ingredients work best overnight because the skin shifts into repair mode during sleep, and there is no UV exposure to interfere with the process.
Step 1: Gentle Makeup Removal
Rubbing or tugging to remove mascara or eye makeup stretches the delicate under-eye skin and worsens dark circles over time. Use a dedicated eye makeup remover or micellar water, pressing a saturated cotton pad gently against the eye rather than dragging it across.
This step matters even on days without makeup. Cleansing removes the oil, sunscreen and environmental residue that build up over the day, and skipping it leaves that residue to sit on the delicate eye area overnight.
Explore Elizabeth Arden's cleansers collection for eye-safe options.
Step 2: Hydrating Serum or Capsule
A targeted serum or capsule applied to clean skin addresses the dehydration and thinning that make dark circles more prominent. Vitamin C supports brightening, retinol helps with cell turnover and skin thickness, peptides support firmness, and hyaluronic acid plumps shallow hollows.
The Hyaluronic Acid + Peptides Ceramide Capsules Hydra-Plumping Serum can be applied across the full face and orbital area as a first layer, delivering ceramides, peptides and multi-weight hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump the skin overnight. Follow with a dedicated eye treatment to ensure the under-eye area receives targeted active support, particularly vitamin C or niacinamide for pigmentation-based circles.
Step 3: Eye Cream
An eye cream applied after serum seals in moisture and delivers additional targeted ingredients for overnight repair. Caffeine supports micro-circulation and helps with puffiness, peptides build firmness, and ceramides strengthen the barrier to prevent the moisture loss that makes skin look more sunken and shadowed by morning.
The PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Eye Serum 2.0 combines idebenone, retinol, peptides and niacinamide to brighten, depuff and firm the eye area with each use. For those whose primary concern is hydration and firming, the Advanced Ceramide Lift and Firm Eye Cream delivers concentrated ceramide support to restore the barrier and plump fine lines overnight.
Step 4: Depuffing Techniques
Simple at-home techniques work well alongside your products to improve circulation and reduce overnight puffiness. A cool compress pressed gently against closed eyes for a few minutes constricts blood vessels and reduces swelling.
Gentle tapping massage along the orbital bone from the inner corner outward encourages lymphatic drainage. Sleeping slightly elevated also reduces the fluid pooling that settles under the eyes during the night.
Morning Routine: Brightening and Coverage
The morning routine focuses on refreshing the eye area, brightening the skin tone and providing coverage that lasts through the day without settling into fine lines.
Step 1: Refresh and Cleanse
A gentle morning cleanse removes any overnight residue and preps the eye area for the products that follow.
Avoid anything stripping, such as sulphates or denatured alcohol, as the skin around the eyes needs its natural moisture intact. Elizabeth Arden's cleansers collection includes gentle options suited to this zone.
Step 2: Brightening Eye Cream
A vitamin C or peptide-rich eye cream in the morning helps to brighten and even the tone of the under-eye area before concealer is applied. Apply with the ring finger, patting gently along the orbital bone from the inner corner outward.
Prepping the skin this way also creates a smoother, more hydrated base so that concealer blends more evenly and lasts longer. The PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Eye Serum 2.0 is a strong choice for this step, since its brightening and firming ingredients work well as a morning prep layer as well as an evening treatment. Explore Elizabeth Arden's eye care collection for targeted morning options.
Step 3: Colour Correcting (Optional)
A colour corrector neutralises strong discolouration that concealer alone may not fully cover. Peach or salmon tones counteract blue-purple circles, while bisque tones address brown pigmentation.
Apply a very small amount with the ring finger, blending lightly along the discoloured area before the concealer goes on top. Used consistently in the evening, the PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Eye Serum 2.0 also reduces the intensity of discolouration over time, which means less correction is needed each morning.
Step 4: Concealer
The most effective technique for dark circles is to apply concealer in an inverted triangle shape from the inner corner downward, rather than dabbing it directly under the lash line. Blend with a damp sponge or ring finger using light patting motions to avoid pulling the skin.
Setting lightly with a translucent powder prevents creasing, particularly in the fine lines that develop at the outer corners with age. The Flawless Finish Skincaring Concealer is enriched with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and vitamin E, providing buildable coverage that does not settle into fine lines or feel dry on the delicate under-eye skin.
Step 5: SPF
UV exposure is one of the most consistent aggravators of dark circles, worsening both pigmentation-based discolouration and the thinning of skin that makes blood vessels more visible.
Applying SPF around the eye area each morning protects the progress made by your evening skincare and slows future pigmentation. Keep application to the orbital bone and brow bone rather than the eyelid itself or right along the lash line, since sunscreen that migrates into the eyes can sting. A dedicated eye-area SPF or a mineral formula tends to be better tolerated this close to the eye than a chemical sunscreen.
Explore Elizabeth Arden's SPF collection for lightweight options that sit comfortably under concealer.
Key Ingredients That Help with Dark Circles
Different types of dark circles respond to different ingredients, so knowing what to look for makes it easier to build the right routine.
Vitamin C and niacinamide are most effective for pigmentation-based circles, helping to brighten and even tone over time. Both are present in PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Eye Serum 2.0 alongside idebenone antioxidant protection. Caffeine and peptides address puffiness and micro-circulation, making them well-suited to vascular and fluid-related darkness.
Retinol helps with thinning skin by stimulating cell turnover and supporting collagen production, which gradually makes the under-eye area more opaque and resilient. Hyaluronic acid and ceramides address hydration and barrier strength, plumping hollow shadows and preventing the moisture loss that leaves skin looking more shadowed by morning, both of which are core to the Advanced Ceramide Lift and Firm Eye Cream formula.
Dark Circles in Men
Dark circles affect men just as commonly as women, driven by the same combination of genetics, age, sleep and lifestyle. The routine steps above apply equally, with the same ingredient logic and application techniques.
Men who prefer to skip the concealer step can still achieve a visible improvement by focusing consistently on the skincare steps alone, particularly the evening eye serum and eye cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes dark circles under eyes?
Dark circles develop from a combination of factors rather than a single cause. Genetics, skin thinning with age, hyperpigmentation, dehydration, poor micro-circulation and lack of sleep can all contribute, and most people experience more than one at once. Identifying which type or types you have helps direct which ingredients and products will make the biggest difference.
How do you get rid of dark circles under your eyes?
A consistent multi-step approach is more effective than any single product. The evening routine focuses on active ingredients that address the underlying causes, including hydration, brightening, circulation and barrier support. The morning routine focuses on brightening and coverage.
With regular use, products like the PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Eye Serum 2.0 and the Advanced Ceramide Lift and Firm Eye Cream visibly reduce the intensity of dark circles over time.
What is the best concealer for dark circles on mature skin?
On mature skin, the priority is a formula that provides coverage without settling into fine lines, drying out the under-eye area or looking cakey by midday.
The Flawless Finish Skincaring Concealer is enriched with hyaluronic acid and vitamins C and E, delivering buildable coverage alongside genuine hydration. The formula is lightweight, long-wearing and designed for skin that needs care as much as coverage.
Do dark circles go away with sleep?
Sleep deprivation makes dark circles more visible by increasing blood vessel dilation and causing fluid to pool beneath the eyes, both of which deepen the appearance of darkness. Getting seven to eight hours consistently will reduce these short-term effects.
However, dark circles caused by genetics, pigmentation or skin thinning are structural and will not resolve with sleep alone. Those require a targeted skincare routine using active ingredients over several weeks.
How long does it take to see results from dark circle skincare?
Puffiness and vascular darkness can improve noticeably within two to four weeks of consistent evening skincare, because these are driven by circulation and hydration rather than structural changes.
Pigmentation-based circles take longer, with most people seeing a meaningful difference after eight to twelve weeks of daily use of brightening ingredients like vitamin C and niacinamide. Thinning-related darkness takes the longest to address, as retinol-driven collagen support builds gradually over several months.
Is it worth using an eye cream for dark circles?
Yes. The skin beneath the eye is significantly thinner than the rest of the face and has fewer oil glands, meaning it loses moisture faster and shows signs of ageing earlier. A dedicated eye cream delivers targeted active ingredients at a concentration and texture suited to this zone, without the heavier emollients in face moisturisers that can cause milia around the eye area.
For dark circles specifically, look for an eye cream containing at least two of the following: vitamin C, niacinamide, caffeine, peptides or ceramides.
Explore Elizabeth Arden's Dark Circles Collection
Dark circles respond to consistency more than any single product. Building a routine that addresses hydration, active ingredients and smart coverage compounds over time, with each step reinforcing the results of the others.
Explore Elizabeth Arden's full dark circles collection to find the right products for every step of your routine.
