The 13 Best Under-Eye Masks of 2024

Best Overall

Wander Beauty Rose Gold Eye Masks

View On Amazon $26 View On Nordstrom $26 View On Sephora $26

Sure, cute under-eye masks are fun to throw on for a quick hydration boost, but the best ones also go above and beyond to banish dark circles, brighten, and firm the delicate eye area. Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Rose Gold Eye Masks manage to do all that and more, and it’s thanks, in part, to the impressive three layer design.

While many under-eye masks are made of one serum-infused layer, these feature three: First, the soft inner layer delivers a potent serum to the skin, the middle elastic layer ensures the masks stay securely in place (no slipping or sliding here), and the outer foil keeps everything locked into the skin to ensure the serum and all its benefits are adequately absorbed for the best results possible.

Though I didn’t initially see results after trying these masks, I did feel the cooling effects from the aloe, calendula, and lavender extract-infused serum. I experienced visible results hours later: Despite getting minimal sleep after testing the patches, not only were my dark circles barely visible come morning, but the area under my eyes also looked significantly brighter and felt much more firm. These have since become a staple in my routine.

As an added bonus, the masks are great for travel — slap these on before you take off you’ll be bright-eyed by the time you land.

Key Ingredients: Aloe leaf juice, Calendula extract, and Camu camu extract | Benefits: Firms and brightens | Count: 6 pairs

Best for Puffy Eyes

Peace Out Puffy Under-Eye Patches

View On Sephora $25 View On Ulta $25 View On Peaceoutskincare.com

If your primary concern is puffiness, these patches are your best bet. Puffy eyes can be the result of dehydration so the hyaluronic acid (along with drinking enough water!) add back in the necessary hydration. Caffeine also limits to limit blood flow to the area, temporarily, which can deflate the eye bags. Put these in your skin care fridge for an extra cooling effect and help reduce the baggage. 

We love how juicy these patches are, with lots of jelly serum on the cellulose mask, however some user found that it caused the masks to slide. These may be best for some sedentary self-care time to keep them in place. 

Key Ingredients: Caffeine, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid | Benefits: Hydration, brings down puffiness | Count: 6 pairs

Best Brightening

Topicals Faded Under Eye Brightening & Clearing Eye Masks

View On Sephora $22

This brand entered the skin care scene with a bang, thanks to their bestselling Faded Serum for dark spots and discoloration. If the darkness you’re trying to target is concentrated in the undereye area, then their eye masks are the product for you. Packed with caffeine, kojic acid, and arbutin—a plant-based extract that helps to address excess pigmentation—these patches do it. They hydrate, reduce puffiness, as well as brighten hyperpigmentation to give you a well-rested appearance (even if your sleep tally says otherwise). 

The patches are a great option if you’re a multi-tasker to the max—making coffee, packing lunches, and getting ready while you let your skincare marinate—these will stay in place. In saying that, these may stay in place a little too well. We noticed you need to (gently) peel them off and it’s a little stickier than we’d prefer. 

Key Ingredients: Caffeine, kojic acid, arbutin | Benefits: Brightening, address dark circles and dullness, depuffs | Count: 6 pairs

Best Budget

Burt's Bees Hydrogel Eye Mask

View On Target $5

Affordable yet powerful, these nourishing eye patches soothe in depuff in just 10 minutes (yep, you read that right). Made with vitamin E and algae extract, the essence in these masks quickly sinks into the delicate eye area to instantaneously reduce swelling, hydrate, and soften skin. The hydrogel texture also amplifies the soothing effect, so you start to feel refreshed from the moment you put these on.

Note that these masks are very slippery, so I recommend wearing them while laying down to ensure they stay in place (and to reap the most benefits). Because there’s only one set per package, these are especially great for travel, but I do wish there were multi-pack options available.

Key Ingredients: Algae extract and Vitamin E | Benefits: Hydrates and depuffs | Count: 1 pair

Best Splurge

Kat Burki Eye Recovery Masks

View On Bloomingdales $90 View On Katburki.com $90

To rejuvenate your under-eyes after a big event, the Kat Burki KB5 Eye Recovery Masks are a splurge-worthy option that come to the rescue time and time again. "These are the first things I grab after a long night out,” says InStyle’s Commerce Editor, Mary Honkus. “In 15 minutes flat the soothing patches make tired, dark circles disappear like magic.” 

The secret lies in the unique combination of plant stem cells and cold-pressed avocado oil: The former works to minimize signs of aging and improve overall skin tone, while the latter intensifies the results because it increases collagen production, which in turn makes skin appear more plump.

“Most eye patches I've tried have a gel consistency, but I like that these are like fabric because they stay in place and don't slide down my face at all,” Honkus adds. 

After massaging the remaining serum into skin, you might experience a tight feeling — fret not as it’s the ingredients working their magic, and the sensation will fade within a few minutes.

 Key Ingredients: Botanical Hyaluronic Acid and Cold-pressed avocado oil | Benefits: Soothes and depuffs | Count: 8 pairs

Best for Dark Circles

Pixi Brightening Eye Patches

View On Ulta $24 View On Target $24 View On Walgreens $24

If you’re like me and suffer from dark circles no matter how much sleep you seem to get, then these patches will be the solution to your tired-eyed woes. Together, vitamin C and licorice work as a dynamic duo to instantly brighten and energize the under-eye area while also evening out skin tone for a fresh-faced, revitalized look.

The patches should last you through countless long nights, too, because each container comes with 30 pairs. We appreciate that each tub comes with an included spatula — an underappreciated feature that allows you to carefully pull out each mask and reduce the risk of tearing. 

While these are suitable for all skin types — including sensitive skin — it’s worth mentioning that these have a strong licorice scent. So, if you’re more sensitive to fragrance you may want to choose something else. 

Key Ingredients: Vitamin C and Licorice | Benefits: Brightens | Count: 30 pairs

Best for Nighttime

Patchology Restoring Night Eye Gels

View On Amazon $20 View On Ulta $20 View On Macy's $20

Normally under-eye patches can be worn at any time, but these were specifically made to be worn at night due to the star ingredient: Retinol. The powerful active, which speeds up cellular turnover, works its magic to reduce fine lines on more mature skin while also minimizing the appearance of dark circles. Along with retinol, these impressive masks are also infused with peptides and arnica extract to reduce crow’s feet and inflammation, as well as de-puff. 

These patches only require about five minutes of wear to begin to see results. And though they have a gel texture, they stay in place (read: you won’t have to worry about them sliding down your face). If I had to pick one thing I didn’t like about this product, it’s the slightly sticky feeling it leaves. To remedy this, be sure to tap in the excess and follow up with an eye cream.

Key Ingredients: Retinol, Peptides, and Arnica extract | Benefits: Reduces fine lines and dark circles | Count: 5 pairs

Best for Morning

Milk Makeup Cooling Water Eye Patches

View On Selfridges.com $21 View On Cultbeauty.com

Caffeine doesn’t just wake you up when it’s ingested, it’s also proven to energize skin when used topically as well – and it happens to be the main ingredient in the Milk Makeup Cooling Water Eye Patches. When applied, the caffeine in these eye masks increases circulation to under-eyes, which in turn soothes and hydrates the area.

Other ingredients, such as natural seawater, aloe, and lavender, are used to add a boost of hydration, while also working to soothe and de-puff — which is super important when puffiness is more common in the mornings after waking up. These masks will ultimately make your eyes look and feel more refreshed. But that’s not all: The best part about Milk Makeup products is that they are completely vegan and cruelty-free, so you can feel good about your purchase, too.. 

Though this isn’t inherently a bad thing, It’s worth noting that these eye masks aren’t as serum-saturated as other options on this list, so they dry out more quickly when wearing. 

Key Ingredients: Caffeine | Benefits: Soothes, depuffs, and hydrates | Count: 6 pairs

Best Reusable

Dieux Skin Forever Eye Mask

View On Dieuxskin.com $25

If I could only wear one pair of under-eye patches for the rest of my life, this would be it — seriously! Dieux Skin Forever Eye Masks are reusable silicone eye patches that can be worn over and over again (over 1000 times to be exact). After going through your regular skin routine, apply your favorite eye cream or serum to your skin, then place the masks over top — they will ensure your skin products stay in place, and actually increase absorption so you can get the most out of your skincare. After about 20 minutes, you can remove them, rinse, and then place them back in their case.

To ensure they stay sanitary and in pristine condition, you’ll want to clean them after each use. The cleaning process is pretty simple (with just a rinse), but make sure they’re completely dry before storing.

Key Ingredients: Silicone | Benefits: Reusable, helps products sink into skin | Count: 1 pair

Best Hydrating

Peter Thomas Roth Hydra-Gel Eye Patches

View On Amazon $55 View On Nordstrom $55 View On Sephora $55

The skin under your eyes is the most delicate area on your face — meaning it’s more susceptible to drying out. When I’m feeling extra parched, I always look to these masks to quench my under-eyes thirst. They’re full of hydrating ingredients including glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which both draw moisture into the area to help under-eyes look and feel more hydrated. Additionally, these masks also contain caffeine to soothe and de-puff, and marshmallow root extract to soften skin.

Since these eye masks are larger than others and have a gel texture, they’re not the best at staying in place. Also, the size makes them difficult to place, especially if you have more of a petite facial structure. I recommend cutting them to better fit your face (plus, you’ll be left with more patches in the end). 

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, Marshmallow root extract, and Caffeine | Benefits: Hydrates | Count: 30 pairs

Best for Eye Bags

Winky Lux Hydrogel Eye Patches

View On Amazon $22 View On Ulta $22 View On Winkylux.com $22

Woke up with serious eye bags? These will make them disappear in minutes. The immediate cooling sensation of these under-eye masks is what initially sold me, but the lasting results is what keeps me reaching for them again and again. Together, caffeine, Vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid work to depuff, brighten, and awaken tired under-eyes. 

Though they can be used at any time of day, I enjoy using these masks right when I wake up because they act as my eyes’ morning coffee. Plus, the cute star design is an instant mood booster, too. Pro tip: Store them in the fridge to enhance the soothing feeling.

While the instructions say to wear these for 10 minutes, I noticed that the serum completely soaked into my skin after about five minutes of wear. This could just be because my under-eyes are extremely dry, but it’s still something to consider before purchasing.

Key Ingredients: Caffeine, Vitamin C, and Hyaluronic Acid | Benefits: Cools and depuffs | Count: 30 pairs

Best Gold

Skin Gym Gold Foil Eye Mask

View On Skingymco.com $18

Believe it or not, the use of foil does more than add a style factor to eye masks. In fact, foil is often used to help lock in the serum and retain moisture to keep the delicate eye area hydrated. And while we love the gold foil aspect of these patches, it’s just the cherry on top to an effective formula.

Featuring bakuchiol (a natural retinol alternative found in nature) and CoQ10 (a powerful skin compound loaded with antioxidants), these two ingredients brighten, tighten, reduce fine lines, and completely re-energize skin. And if you struggle with dryness, these masks are also infused with hyaluronic acid to hydrate the delicate area. 

While I found these masks to be pretty saturated upon opening, I did notice that there was a significant amount of serum left inside each packet — don’t let this go to waste! Even after removing the masks, tap the excess into your eyes. I always do this and find I get better results by using the extra serum. 

Key Ingredients: Bakuchiol, CoQ10, and Hyaluronic acid | Benefits: Brightens and hydrates | Count: 5 pairs