Under-eye bags are pockets of visible puffiness or bulging beneath the eyes. Products for under eye bags are designed to help minimize the appearance of puffiness while hydrating and smoothing the skin around the eye area. It’s important to understand that there’s a difference between under-eye bags and dark circles, and that these common concerns can have different causes. That said, many products for the eye area can help address both concerns. Products for under-eye bags and dark circles, such as our A.G.E. Eye Complex, contain ingredients that help reduce the look of puffiness along with optical diffusers that instantly brighten the eye area.

Several factors can lead to the appearance of under-eye bags, even as early as the 20s. In addition to genetics, allergies, and fatigue, the natural aging process can cause the pockets of fat that surround the eyes to descend and become more prominent. Lifestyle factors such as consuming too much salt or alcohol can also contribute to puffiness and under-eye bags.

Dark circles can be the result of genetics, allergies, fatigue, and skin dehydration, and may be visible early on or later on in life. Aging can also cause dark circles to become more pronounced as the skin becomes thinner and allows underlying blood vessels to become more visible, leading to a blue or purple hue beneath the eyes. Dark circles that are brown in color are usually due to excess pigment that develops after unprotected sun exposure.

Products for under-eye bags and dark circles are often formulated to address the full range of visible eye-area concerns. These products for under-eye bags and dark circles can help improve the look of puffiness and discoloration thanks to ingredients that enhance the look of radiance and provide hydration to plump the skin, as well as others that help address wrinkles, loss of firmness, and laxity.

Although it’s impossible to prevent under-eye bags caused by genetics, there are several ways to keep the eye area looking youthful and rested. In addition to maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes limiting salt and alcohol consumption, SkinCeuticals offers several products for under-eye bags and dark circles that can help to prevent the environmental damage that leads to visible skin changes over time. Our Eye Balm offers protection against aging free radicals as it reduces the look of puffiness, fatigue, and dark circles, while Physical Eye UV Defense SPF 50 and its 100%-mineral, tinted, non-migrating, broad-spectrum formula helps shield eye-area skin from damaging UVA/UVB rays.

The ideal products for under-eye bags are formulated to hydrate the skin and improve the look of skin laxity while improving the appearance of puffiness and dark circles. Ingredients to look for in products for under eye bags and dark circles include those that hydrate the skin and replenish lost lipids, antioxidants that help neutralize free radical damage, botanicals that help boost the appearance of firmness in mature skin, and optical diffusers that instantly disperse light to boost eye-area radiance.

Depending on the cause, dark circles may be permanent, however their appearance can be improved instantly with an eye-care product such as A.G.E. Eye Complex, which features optical-diffusing pigments. Eye-care products that help plump and thicken the skin can help improve the look of dark circles with ongoing use. Professional treatments such as hyaluronic acid injections can minimize the look of dark circles for up to a year or more.

The ideal ingredients for dark circles depend on whether their appearance is due to UV-induced pigment or thinning skin around the eye area. Vitamin C is effective for dark circles that are brown in color. For dark circles caused by age-related skin thinning, ingredients that work to plump the skin can help. A few examples (found in our A.G.E. Eye Complex) include flavonoid antioxidants, peptides, and Proxylane.