The Best Japanese Eye Cream

In Japan, caring for the eye area goes beyond just using an eye cream. As with many approaches in J-Beauty, the focus is not just on applying a product, but making it part of a beauty ritual, massaging the treatment into the skin with thoughtful focus and care so the process becomes not just a task, but a treasured practice. Below we uncover the best Japanese eye creams to incorporate into your daily ritual, as well as application tips and the most effective eye massage techniques for a lifted look.

Best Tips for Loss of Firmness, Dark Circles, and Aging

As the time-old adage goes, the eyes are the window to the soul. Among the most delicate on your entire body, the skin around your eyes requires special care. One common occurrence as we age is a loss of firmness in the eye area. This happens for three main reasons.

1. The thin skin is more prone to laxity (meaning muscles that begin to sag) and wrinkles because the orbicularis oculi muscle around the eyes naturally age.
2. The delicate area doesn’t have as many skin-benefiting essential elements the rest of your face naturally produces, like oil glands and collagen. Thus, making it more prone to dryness, loss of firmness, fine lines, and wrinkles.
3. As you age, the blood vessels around the eyes can become more visible (thanks to genetics, lifestyle, or skin issues) making dark circles and puffiness more consistent and noticeable, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This can give the appearance of tiredness or aging, and over time can lead to a loss of firmness.

The Most Important Tip to Reducing Puffiness and Premature Aging

Besides eye cream, the most important aspect to incorporate into your daily ritual is a facial massage. One ancient Japanese text described the importance of promoting blood circulation on the face by gently massaging the forehead, cheeks, mouth, and eye area. Facial massage is still just as revered in Japanese culture and there are several timeless techniques still used today.

Best Tips for Healthy Eyes and Skin

Just as your skin and its characteristics are uniquely yours, the under eyes and its needs are singularly individualized. Some skin may be more sensitive, while others may have more prominent dark circles. That said, all of us can benefit from three best practice tips consistently used in Japan for healthier skin around the eyes:

1. Keep It Clean: In Japan, there is a concept called kiyome, which means purification in a general sense, and cleanse in a literal sense. Purification rituals are woven throughout Japanese culture, which includes everyday rituals like washing your face. They understand that a focus on cleanliness is particularly important around the eyes, too, as makeup, dirt, and sebum can loiter without proper cleansing, leading to irritation to both the skin and eyes. Using a gentle and irritation-free makeup remover is the first step to proper cleansing, while still protecting the under-eye skin. Then follow up with a gentle cleanser, ensuring you use the least amount of rubbing and friction around the eyes, to remove all traces of excess makeup, sebum, and impurities.
2. Hydrate: Just as hydration is one of the most vital steps in your daily skincare ritual, eye area hydration is just as important. Use an eye cream that contains super-hydrating ingredients, like peptides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, and apply it twice a day before applying your moisturizer. With your fingertips, apply the eye cream liberally in big circles around your eyes, down to the top of your cheekbones, and all the way up to your eyebrows.
3. Use SPF: Excessive sun exposure can lead to premature aging. The ultraviolet rays damage the skin’s elastic fibers, leading to early wrinkles and even potentially causing sunspots for some. Applying sunscreen around the eyes — very, very carefully, so as not to apply it into the waterline or eyes — is essential to protecting the delicate skin. You can also employ a handful of physical sun protection methods, including large sunglasses, parasols, hats, and other objects that block UV rays.

Best Eye Creams

Rooted in classical Kyoto rituals, our eye care collection remasters time-tested beauty secrets and harnesses the power of natural ingredients and antioxidant-rich formulas to target a handful of focuses, including puffiness, dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Best Eye Cream for Loss of Firmness

If you’re looking to address dark circles or a loss of firmness around the eyes, first choose the best eye cream for your needs. Look for products that will boost your skin’s collagen production, which both peptides and Vitamin C have been scientifically proven to accomplish. Try Tatcha’s ​​Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream, which is packed with antioxidants to protect skin and bring a visibly firmer look to the eye area. Plus, the rich cream has red algae and hyaluronic acid to hydrate the under-eye area.

Best Eye Cream for Puffiness

If you’re looking for the best eye cream to reduce puffiness, the Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Eye Serum combines red algae, honeysuckle leaf, and caffeine to diminish fine lines, visibly firm, and moisturize the eye area. Plus, the cooling ceramic applicator and fine dust of 23-karat gold brighten and visibly reduce shadows under the eyes.

Best Eye Cream for Hydration

When in doubt, try our bestselling eye cream, The Silk Peony. The buttery balm melts into the skin, releasing a shield of hydration around the eyes. Formulated with line-smoothing liquid silk and white peony, this eye cream seals in moisture and reduces the look of fine lines.

Best Eye Tool

While you can enjoy the benefits of an ancient Japanese facial massage with just your fingertips, you can also take the benefits one step further. Try our Akari Gold Massager, which is designed in partnership with Kyoko Getz, a Kyoto native and expert esthetician. The tool is inspired by classic Japanese acupressure tools, and with consistent usage, the massager is designed to release tension, reduce puffiness, and visibly lift the face. The 24-karat gold-covered tool can be used either hot or cold, depending on your preference.

Choosing the best Japanese eye cream for your needs is just the first step in finding your perfect skin ritual. No matter what eye cream, massage technique, or skin-supporting tips you use, try channeling one of the most important Japanese techniques: elevating your everyday skincare routine into a mindfulness ritual. Taking time to be present and mindful while caring for your delicate eye area is the most beneficial way.