10 Top Rated Eye Creams With Natural Ingredients (2024)
The Good Trade editors endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and genuinely love. Learn more about our methodology and business model here.
I personally tested dozens of clean eye creams — these are my top picks with organic ingredients that are hydrating, nontoxic, and affordable.
Whether we’re sleep-deprived, dehydrated, or in the midst of changing seasons, our eyes are typically the first place on our faces to show wear and tear. From puffiness to dark circles to fine lines to tender skin, our eyes show it all. But there’s still hope for nourished, hydrated under-eye skin: A good eye cream.
Below, we’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite organic eye creams and gels that are sure to revive your eyes. Using organic ingredients like rosehip oil, coffee extract, aloe, squalane, and algae, these products take care of your skin in a safe and natural way.
Why choose natural, nontoxic eye cream?
Since the thin, delicate skin around the eye area is some of the most sensitive on our bodies, it’s extra prone to showing those signs of stressors — like exhaustion or dehydration. And that sensitive skin might also react more harshly to commonly irritating skincare ingredients, so we love to steer towards brands that use more natural ingredients for their eye creams.
Note that most good eye creams are kind of like a cross between a serum and a moisturizer, hydrating the area while delivering active ingredients, too. Eye creams are definitely not 100% necessary in anyone’s skincare routine — since hardly anything is (besides SPF!). But if you’re looking to target a specific concern like dark circles or fine lines, an eye cream can go a long way in helping you with an extra boost of nourishment and active ingredients.
Our methodology and criteria:
To test the below eye creams, I used them like I would any other eye cream — after serum and before moisturizer — multiple times, and some I even tested for months. I used no more than a pea-sized amount between both eyes. For ones that boast “brightening,” I applied in the morning, and ones designed for nourishment, I let sit overnight — although you’ll notice in the below reviews that some creams are great for both morning and night.
A bit about me: I have combination, acne-prone skin with an under-eye area that can be oily or dry, depending on the weather and my own habits. I have subtle darkness and inflammation in the morning when I’m tired, but my main concern is fine lines — which are pretty nonexistent when my skin is hydrated but look much more noticeable when it’s dry out or when I’m dehydrated.
We chose all of the eye creams on this list based on the following criteria, and we conduct regular testing and updates to this piece when we find new favorites that meet our qualifications.
- HYDRATING | The best thing for your under eyes — hydration! The less dehydrated your skin is, the less noticeable concerns like fine lines and dark circles will look.
- NONTOXIC | Every brand below has some impressive natural and non-toxic claims. We’ve highlighted all their third-party certifications, like EWG verified, cruelty-free, and B-Corp certified.
- AFFORDABLE | We’ve included eye creams at a range of different price points to fit anyone’s budget.
Looking for something lighter than an eye cream? How about some natural under-eye patches instead? And while your eyes are getting revived, treat the rest of your face with these organic skincare brands and face moisturizers!
Best Overall | Most Affordable | Best for Sensitive Skin
1. Follain
Best For | Everyday staple
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Rose water, squalane, bakuchiol
Price | $38 ($76/oz)
I first reviewed this eye cream from Follain a few months ago, and it was so good, I’ve kept it in my rotation ever since. After a few weeks of use, I now notice a visible brightening effect under my eyes when I use it most mornings, and it has a lovely creamy gel texture and a light floral scent (from its rose water) to boot. That brightening effect is likely from its caffeine, which helps depuff and lighten since it’s a vasoconstrictor. The cream also has hydrating squalane and collagen stimulating bakuchiol, which can act like a gentler retinol alternative — meaning this product is both brightening and nourishing, suitable for use during the day and at night. Follain is known for its vegan and cruelty-free skincare at fairly affordable price points, and I’ve never yet been disappointed with anything from the brand.
2. Tata Harper
Best For | Luxury option
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Centella asiatica, lactobacillus ferment, calendula extract, green tea extract
Price | $130 ($260/oz)
The priciest of all the products on this list, the Tata Harper Restorative Eye Cream didn’t disappoint. It has a silky smooth texture that absorbs easily, and after I used it at night, I woke up with significantly fewer fine lines than I usually wake up with (my skin tends to dry out overnight). That efficacy comes from its curated blend of 32 botanicals formulated in high concentrations to work in tandem to rejuvenate the skin around the eyes. Designed for both morning and nighttime use, the cream is great at targeting dryness and under-eye bags. And, just like all Tata Harper products, the cream is made and packaged on their Vermont farm, so they have some pretty impressive sustainability specs like hand-selected raw ingredients and refillable glass packaging that looks so gorgeous on my counter.
3. Ilia
Best For | Light-reflecting particles
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Avocado oil, jojoba oil esters, squalane
Price | $46 ($92/oz)
A cross between skincare and makeup, Ilia’s Bright Start Retinol Alternative Eye Cream has super subtle light-reflecting particles — mica, namely — that help to visibly brighten the under-eye area. But that’s not all. The cream is packed with other powerhouse ingredients, too, like caffeine, squalane, and peptides to nourish the area while still layering beautifully underneath makeup (no slipping and sliding here!). I loved its cooling ceramic tip that helps you massage the area and further depuff under your eyes, along with the luminosity of this one — it definitely helps you look like you got a full eight hours even when you didn’t. Ilia’s known for other skincare/makeup hybrids like their skin tint, so they definitely know what they’re doing on this front.
4. cocokind
Best For | Most affordable
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Hibiscus flower acids, oat extract
Price | $19 ($38/oz)
We’re big fans of cocokind here at TGT, a sustainable skincare brand with transparent formulations available at affordable price points. The revitalizing eye cream uses powerful plant-based ingredients like hibiscus flower acids, a natural source of AHAs for gentle exfoliation, while oat extract locks in the skin’s moisture barrier for a rejuvenating, plumping effect. The eye cream has a gel-like formula, and I especially loved its metal applicator tip for a cooling and soothing effect — so good in the morning! I didn’t notice much of a visible difference with this one beyond the intense hydration, but that alone was worth it (along with the cooling tip!), especially at this price point, which makes this a really approachable product. And the brand is available at big box stores, too, like Target!
5. True Botanicals
Best For | Mature skin
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Green tea extract, mango seed butter, lactobacillus ferment, coffee seed extract
Price | $80 ($160/oz)
One of the thicker eye creams on this list, True Botanicals’ Resurrection Radiance Eye Cream is all about nourishment and hydration. It has a buttery texture that applied much more smoothly after I warmed up a pea-sized amount between my fingers, and it has a lovely, subtly herbal scent from its cocktail of active botanicals. Its texture is thicker than what I prefer in an eye cream for my acne-prone skin, but for folks whose major concern is dryness, it’s ideal. In an independent study, 100% of women saw an improvement in hydration, fine lines, and wrinkles in the eye area after six weeks of use. The cream is formulated to be super gentle on sensitive skin while still targeting under-eye concerns effectively — but I’d most recommend it to dry, sensitive, and mature skin types.
6. 100% Pure
Best For | Best price per ounce
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Green tea extract, coffee extract, rosehip oil, aloe
Price | $29 ($29/oz)
For a good balance of affordable and visibly depuffing, I loved this Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream by 100% Pure. I applied it after an early wakeup one morning and it felt so soothing to my tired eyes, with a gel/cream texture and a subtly sweet scent. It has some powerhouse natural ingredients, like green coffee extract, green tea extract, and coffee cherry extract for natural caffeine sources, along with vitamins E and C for soothing and brightening. Don’t just take my word for it — based on a four-week independent clinical study, nearly 100 percent of users saw a reduction of puffiness with continued use and all participants said it improved their skin’s hydration. And with an ounce of product, you really get bang for your buck here. 100% Pure is one of those under-the-radar brands that we love — they have super clean formulations that tend to work impressively well.
7. Ursa Major
Best For | Dry skin
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Green tea, shea butter, rosehip oil, mushroom extract
Price | $56 ($112/oz)
Another eye cream with a thicker, more buttery consistency, Ursa Major’s Forest Alchemy Eye Cream is ultra hydrating and has a luxe feel on application. It’s packed with botanicals like green tea, rosehip oil, and mushrooms, along with skin-loving ingredients like peptides and hyaluronic acid for deeper nourishment. Because of its shea butter, it’s better as a night eye cream than a morning one, supporting skin’s elasticity and hydration while you sleep and fighting hyperpigmentation at the same time. Ursa Major makes all of their products in Vermont, too, and has some impressive sustainability stats. They’re B-Corp certified, and they use sustainable packaging as much as possible — the eye cream comes in a recyclable glass jar.
8. Juice Beauty
Best For | Morning and night use
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Jojoba oil, shea butter, apple juice, aloe
Price | $50 ($100/oz)
This unassuming eye cream by Juice Beauty actually packs a punch, and I woke up with visibly reduced fine lines the morning after using their Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Eye Treatment. It’s chock full of botanical ingredients (its first ingredient is apple juice!) including the brand’s proprietary blend of fruit stem cells, and also uses vitamin C, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid to amp up the efficacy. The cream has clinically proven results, too, with 100% of testers reporting an increase in hydration and 88% percent reporting an increase in brightness and a decrease in fine lines. The eye cream comes with an application tip, but I found it better to use my finger since the tip wasn’t perfectly smooth. I’m excited to see how my under eyes look after a few weeks of use, especially since Juice Beauty is all about clinically validated results.
9. Osea
Best For | Serum-like consistency
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Quinoa extract, gardenia extract, honeysuckle extract
Price | $58 ($100/oz)
This one’s a bit different from the others on the list — it’s an eye serum rather than a cream, giving you juicy hydration in liquid form, which explains why it’s called Ocean Eyes. 🙂 It delivers a high concentration of hydrating and brightening ingredients straight to your eye area, like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and caffeine, and felt so refreshing when I applied it after a long day (though it’s ideal for tired morning eyes, too). Participants in a clinical study loved it, almost all of them noting that it reduced under-eye puffiness and darkness and made skin look brighter and less fatigued after four weeks of use. It goes on with a convenient roller ball and it comes in gorgeous frosted glass packaging, much like other products from Osea, known for formulating clean, elevated, seaweed-infused skincare.
10. Three Ships
Best For | Gentle formulation
Natural & Organic Ingredients | Squalane, acerola cherry extract, shea butter
Price | $32 ($64/oz)
If you’re prone to eczema or other skin conditions, this no-frills eye cream with an approachable price point from Three Ships might be the ticket. Their First Light eye cream is best for morning use, with coffee extract for a gentle version of caffeine and acerola cherry extract for a natural vitamin C. It even has that cute ceramic applicator, too, for a cooling massage tool that feels so good in the morning. Its squalane adds lightweight hydration with no greasy residue, and the formula is fast-absorbing and plays well with makeup. In a clinical study, 80% of participants said their under eyes appeared brighter after use, and 90% saw a reduction in under-eye puffiness after continued use. The brand is pretty impressive, too, boasting a B-Corp certification.
Natalie Gale is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a Boston-based freelance journalist. When she’s not writing about art, food, or sustainability, you can find her biking to the farmers’ market, baking, sewing, or planning her next Halloween costume. Say hi on Instagram!
