The Best Drugstore Eye Creams

High-quality skin care ingredients can diminish bags, wrinkles and dark circles underneath the eye area. While many women rush to the department store for a pricey jar of eye cream, many of the same ingredients are found in drugstore products. For the best drugstore eye creams, look for specific ingredients to banish common under-eye ailments such as sagging, dryness, dark circles and puffiness.

Close-up of a woman applying eye cream. (Image: Elena Stepanova/Hemera/Getty Images)

Dry Skin: Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid, also known as sodium hyaluronate, is a skin plumper that draws essential moisture to the surface of the skin. Thanks to its water-loving properties, wrinkles are eliminated and skin is softened, leading to a silkier, smoother under-eye area. Because hyaluronic acid is naturally found within the skin's surface, it also has a low chance for allergic reactions. As a natural moisturizer, look for hyaluronic acid on labels of drugstore eye creams and give skin an immediate drink of water. Try Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream or Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting Eye Treatment which both contain sodium hyaluronate.

Wrinkles: Glycerin

Glycerin is a humectant, a type of ingredient that attracts and draws water into the skin's surface when applied topically. As an eye cream ingredient, it can instantly hydrate skin, which in turn reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Because of glycerin's chemical properties, the ingredient is usually combined with other skin-softening elements such as petrolatum, dimethicone or lecithin. Try Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Eye Cream or L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Double Eye Lift, Upper Eye Lifting Gel & Under Eye Anti-Wrinkle Cream, which both contain glycerin.

Anti-Aging: Sunscreen

Thin, sensitive skin around the eye area is particularly susceptible to sun damage. To preserve the eye's fragile skin and to prevent future wrinkles, use sunscreen. Because typical sunscreens can be harsh around the eye area, choose an eye-specific cream with SPF such as Vichy LiftActiv Retinol HA SPF 18 Day eye cream for a sensitive solution to anti-aging eyes.

Dark Circles: Vitamin B, Natural Botanicals

Dark circles can be the result of poor sleep, stress or genetics. If dark circles physically move with your skin when you gently pull the lower eyelid, the dark circles are likely caused by pigmentation. To brighten the eye area and reduce dark circles, look for eye creams with ingredients such as vitamin B. Try Olay Pro-X Eye Restoration Treatment for a naturally brightening boost. Natural botanicals also brighten under-eye circles. Try Aveeno Positively Ageless Lifting & Firming Eye Cream, a drugstore product that uses shiitake mushroom extract to revitalize dark circles.