Dark Circles Under the Eyes: What Causes Them and What Actually Helps
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Dark circles are one of the most common skincare concerns — and one of the most frustrating, because the products marketed for them so often seem to make little difference. The usual explanation is that they're caused by tiredness, and the usual solution is a "brightening" eye cream.
The reality is that dark circles are not one problem but several, with different causes that respond to different approaches. An ingredient that works well for one type can do almost nothing for another. This guide explains the main types of dark circles, how to work out which you have, and what actually helps for each.
Why the Eye Area Shows Darkness So Easily
The skin under the eyes is among the thinnest on the body — around 0.5mm, compared to roughly 2mm on the cheeks. It has very little fat beneath it and sits directly over a dense network of small blood vessels. This means that anything happening beneath the surface — blood flow, fluid, pigment, or the shape of the bone and tissue underneath — shows through far more visibly than it would elsewhere on the face.
It's also why the eye area tends to change earlier with age. As collagen declines and the skin thins further, the structures underneath become more visible. For more on how eye area skin differs and when targeted care makes sense, see our guide on whether you need eye cream in your 20s and 30s.
The Four Main Types of Dark Circles
1. Vascular dark circles
These have a bluish, purplish, or reddish tone and are caused by blood vessels showing through thin skin, sometimes combined with sluggish circulation and slight fluid build-up. They often look worse in the morning, after poor sleep, during allergy season, or after salty food or alcohol. They are common in people with fair skin — including much of the Nordic population.
2. Pigmented dark circles
These are brown in tone and caused by excess melanin in the skin under the eyes. They are more common in medium and deeper skin tones and can be genetic, but are also worsened by sun exposure, rubbing the eyes, and inflammation such as eczema or allergies. They tend to look much the same regardless of how well you have slept.
3. Structural dark circles
These aren't really a colour at all — they're shadows. A hollow between the lower eyelid and the cheek, known as the tear trough, or loss of volume under the eye, creates a shadow that reads as darkness. This is often genetic and becomes more pronounced with age as fat and collagen decline.
4. Thinning skin
With age, the skin under the eyes loses collagen and becomes thinner and more translucent, making both blood vessels and the muscle beneath more visible. This usually overlaps with the vascular and structural types rather than appearing on its own.
Most people have a combination — vascular and structural together is particularly common — but one type is usually dominant.
How to Work Out Which Type You Have
A few simple observations in good, natural light can tell you a lot:
- Look at the colour. Blue, purple, or red tones point to vascular causes. Brown tones point to pigmentation.
- Press gently. Press a fingertip lightly against the darkest area for a second and release. If the colour fades briefly before returning, blood vessels are a major factor. If the brown colour stays exactly the same, pigment is more likely.
- Change the light. Look in the mirror with light coming from above, then tilt your head back to face the light directly. If the darkness largely disappears when the light hits it straight on, you are mostly seeing a shadow — a structural cause.
- Notice when it's worse. Darkness that changes with sleep, allergies, and lifestyle is usually vascular. Darkness that stays constant is more likely pigmented or structural.
What Helps for Each Type
For vascular dark circles
The most useful topical ingredients are those that support the small blood vessels and reduce fluid build-up. Horse chestnut extract contains escin, which strengthens capillary walls and reduces fluid leaking into surrounding tissue — our guide to horse chestnut extract explains how it works. Caffeine temporarily constricts blood vessels, and ginkgo biloba is an antioxidant used to support microcirculation. Cool compresses and sleeping with your head slightly raised help with the morning puffiness that often accompanies this type.
For pigmented dark circles
The priority is preventing further pigment and gradually reducing what is there. Daily SPF around the eyes — and sunglasses — is the foundation, because UV drives melanin production. Vitamin C inhibits melanin production, and niacinamide reduces the transfer of pigment to skin cells — together they work on two different steps of the same process. Our guides to vitamin C and niacinamide cover both. Avoid rubbing the eyes, which stimulates pigment.
For thinning skin
Ingredients that support collagen and cell renewal help improve the skin's density over time, making what lies beneath less visible. Retinol is effective but often too irritating for the eye area; gentler retinol alternatives such as Bidens pilosa or bakuchiol are better tolerated. Our guide to Bidens pilosa explains how it works. Hyaluronic acid plumps the skin with water, which can make it look smoother and less translucent in the short term.
For structural dark circles
This is where it's important to be honest: no cream can fill a hollow or change the shape of the underlying tissue. Hydration can soften the look slightly, and collagen-supporting ingredients can help long-term skin quality, but significant structural shadows are usually treated professionally — for example with fillers — if they bother you. A good concealer with a peach or salmon corrector is often the most effective everyday solution.
Lifestyle Factors Worth Knowing
- Sleep — poor sleep doesn't usually cause dark circles, but it makes vascular ones more visible by affecting circulation and fluid balance.
- Allergies — hay fever and other allergies cause congestion in the small vessels around the eyes, sometimes called "allergic shiners". Managing the allergy often improves the darkness.
- Rubbing your eyes — causes inflammation and pigment over time. Remove eye makeup gently; micellar water on a cotton pad held against the eye for a few seconds avoids dragging the skin.
- Salt and alcohol — both increase fluid retention, which can make puffiness and shadows worse the next morning.
- Sun exposure — worsens pigmentation and accelerates the thinning of the skin. SPF and sunglasses protect against both.
What to Realistically Expect
Topical products can make a meaningful difference to vascular and pigmented dark circles, and to the thinning skin that makes both more visible. The improvement is gradual — expect to use an eye product consistently for six to eight weeks before judging the result. Structural shadows respond least to skincare.
If dark circles appear suddenly, affect only one eye, or come with swelling, itching, or other symptoms, it's worth speaking to a doctor, as they can occasionally be linked to allergies, eczema, or other medical causes.
How to Apply Eye Products
Use your ring finger, which applies the least pressure, and tap a small amount — about a grain of rice per eye — along the orbital bone, working from the outer corner inward. Don't rub or drag the skin. Apply after serum and before moisturiser, morning and evening. Our guide on how to layer skincare products covers where an eye product fits in the full routine.
FrostBloom for Dark Circles
FrostBloom's Brightening Eye Cream is designed mainly for vascular dark circles and puffiness. It combines horse chestnut seed extract, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, and grape leaf extract with dual-weight hyaluronic acid and shea butter. It is a good daily choice from the mid-twenties onward.
The Retinol Alternative Eye Serum takes a more targeted approach for thinning skin and early fine lines, built around Bidens pilosa extract alongside horse chestnut, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, and dual-weight hyaluronic acid.
Both are ECOCERT COSMOS NATURAL certified and contain natural fragrance from essential oils, so a patch test is recommended if the skin around your eyes is fragrance-sensitive. For pigmented dark circles, pairing either with the Vitamin C Serum in the morning — followed by SPF — addresses the pigment side of the problem.
The Bottom Line
Dark circles have different causes — blood vessels showing through, excess pigment, shadows from the structure of the face, and skin that thins with age — and the right approach depends on which one you're dealing with. Identifying your type is the step most people skip, and it's the one that determines whether a product works.
For vascular circles, look for horse chestnut and circulation-supporting botanicals. For pigmentation, prioritise SPF, vitamin C, and niacinamide. For thinning skin, choose a gentle collagen-supporting active. And for structural shadows, set realistic expectations: that's where skincare has the least to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dark circles caused by lack of sleep?
Not usually on their own. Poor sleep makes vascular dark circles more visible by affecting circulation and fluid balance, but most persistent dark circles are caused by genetics, pigmentation, skin thickness, or the structure of the face.
Can eye cream get rid of dark circles?
It can improve them, depending on the cause. Eye creams with the right ingredients can make a visible difference to vascular and pigmented dark circles over several weeks. They cannot fill hollows, so structural dark circles respond much less.
What is the best ingredient for dark circles?
It depends on the type. Horse chestnut extract and caffeine are most useful for vascular dark circles; vitamin C, niacinamide, and daily SPF for pigmented ones; and gentle collagen-supporting ingredients such as Bidens pilosa or peptides for thinning skin.
Why are my dark circles blue?
A blue or purple tone means you are mainly seeing blood vessels through thin under-eye skin — vascular dark circles. This is especially common in fair skin.
Do dark circles get worse with age?
Often, yes. With age, the skin under the eyes loses collagen and becomes thinner, and the fat and volume beneath it decrease. Both make blood vessels and shadows more visible.
Should I use SPF around my eyes?
Yes. UV exposure increases pigmentation and accelerates the thinning of under-eye skin. Apply sunscreen carefully around the orbital bone and wear sunglasses in bright conditions.