The 5 Best Concealers for Dark Under-Eye Circles

Finding the best concealer for your skin is challenging. Whether you need it to hide your dark, under-eye depressions and circles, make your skin tone more perfect, brighten your skin or cover imperfections such as acne scars and breakouts, it is not easy to choose. Unlike under-eye creams, concealers do not treat under-eye circles. They just hide them. Therefore, it is important to find a concealer that will accomplish its purpose perfectly.

The challenge is to find the best concealer that matches not only your skin type but also is suitable for different events and occasions. In addition, your choice may be affected by the purpose of using concealers. For example, if you want to hide a blemish, you may prefer concealers that match your skin tone and contain powerful ingredients such as salicylic acid that can cleanse skin pores. On the other hand, if your face has fine lines and wrinkles, you may want to choose a subtle concealer that does not make the fine lines more prominent and only make your skin glow.
In this guide, we will discuss the top 5 effective concealers that match most skin types and why we choose them.

Read our in-depth article on under-eye depression; its causes, prevention and surgical treatment here. Image appropriated from Park, K. Y., Kwon, H. J., Youn, C. S., Seo, S. J., & Kim, M. N. (2018). (16)

1. NYX Professional Makeup HD Photogenic Concealer Wand

Our first choice is the NYX Professional for women looking for the best concealer for their tight budget. NYX claims that it is safe for all skin types and can cover any imperfections, blemishes, dark under-eye circles, or discolorations. It is also available in 23 shades including lavender and green. Therefore, you do not have to worry about your skin tone or type. In addition, you will be able to sculpt your cheekbones and chin.

The formula is perfect. It contains many ingredients that make concealers great such as coconut oil, glycerin, and aloe vera extract. Coconut oil reduces inflammations, prevents any skin damages, and moisturizing your skin (1).
Glycerin hydrates and protects the skin. It is a humectant, which means that it pulls water from the deep layers to the outer layers of your skin (2, 3). Aloe vera is usually for acne since it has antibacterial and exfoliating properties (4, 5).

We recommend using lavender if you have shallow skin. Green can help you to reduce any redness appearances while yellow is the most suitable for under-eye depressions.
Some users report getting reactions to it. The most popular review on Amazon is

“Used it for two days…and my eyes had reaction to it. I honestly like it because it concealed really well but it ended up pretty bad.”

2. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer

With more than 66,000 reviews on Amazon, Maybelline claims that this concealer is the one of the best for erasing dark circles, brightening your skin, and correcting the redness appearance.

The main ingredient in Maybelline Instant Age is Haloxyl. It can eliminate fines lines, wrinkles, redness, blemishes, and dark circles. Your skin will relax and can rest. The under-eye area will be fresh and radiant. (6)

Your face is like a canvas. Maybelline has a wide range of options. The formulas are available in liquid, stick, and cushion for light or full coverage foundation. It works well with whatever makeup you wear.
On the other hand, some reviews say that the applicator is hard to use and does not release concealer liquid easily.

3. Almay Clear Complexion Concealer

If you are looking for the best concealer for breakouts, Almay Clear Complexion maybe your best option. This concealer does not only cover up your current breakouts but also heals them and prevents any other acne breakouts.

Its formula is amazing. It depends on salicylic acid to treat the current acne breakouts. Also, it contains chamomile and aloe vera to soothe your skin and prevent irritations and inflammations. (7, 8, 9, 10)
It is available in 6 shades. Both ophthalmologists and dermatologists recommend it.

Despite having a good formula, some people say that it is thick. It is probably fine for concealing blemishes, but may not work for other skin problems.

4. L’Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer

L’Oréal Paris Full Wear Concealer is one of the best concealers for full, flawless coverage, according to L’Oréal. Any imperfections will be covered and any scars, under-eye circles, discolorations, redness, or breakouts will be invisible.
It is waterproof with 25 shades. You have a wide range of options to choose the best shade for your skin tone.

The concealer contains many ingredients for dry skin such as Butylene Glycol (11) and Glycerin (2, 3). Also, it contains Vitamin E, which is great for dry skin and aging (12, 13)

According to L’Oréal, your look will be perfect all day without transferring, fading, or flaking. The concealer can also work as a contour or a highlighter to double your perfections.
On the other hand, some people complain that it accumulates fast in the fine lines even after working it and setting with powder. Then, within a few hours it loses coverage and accumulates even more.

5. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Radiant Brightening Cream Concealer

Our last choice on our list of the best concealers is Neutrogena. Neutrogena claims that it is the perfect choice if you want to get rid of the appearance of fine lines. Most users say that it leaves their skin smooth and creaseless.

The active ingredients in this concealer are peptides and vitamin E. Peptides participates in the formation of collagen and elastin. It makes your skin firmer and younger. Also, you will experience fewer breakouts (14, 15).
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant for protecting and moisturizing your skin. (12, 13)

It is available in 15 shades; just a few dots under your eyes and your tired look will disappear.
Some reviews say that it is expensive, the quantity is insufficient, and it cannot be used around the eye area because it causes irritations.

Citations:

1. Williams HC. Clinical practice. Atopic dermatitis. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jun 2;352(22):2314-24. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp042803. PMID: 15930422.
2. Sethi A, Kaur T, Malhotra SK, Gambhir ML. Moisturizers: The Slippery Road. Indian J Dermatol. 2016;61(3):279-287. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.182427
3. Milani M, Sparavigna A. The 24-hour skin hydration and barrier function effects of a hyaluronic 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract moisturizing fluid: an intra-subject, randomized, assessor-blinded study. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2017;10:311-315. Published 2017 Aug 11. doi:10.2147/CCID.S144180
4. Hajheydari Z, Saeedi M, Morteza-Semnani K, Soltani A. Effect of Aloe vera topical gel combined with tretinoin in treatment of mild and moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind, prospective trial. J Dermatolog Treat. 2014 Apr;25(2):123-9. doi: 10.3109/09546634.2013.768328. Epub 2013 May 6. PMID: 23336746.
5. Rahmani, Arshad H et al. “Aloe vera: Potential candidate in health management via modulation of biological activities.” Pharmacognosy reviews vol. 9,18 (2015): 120-6. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.162118
6. Pinsky MA. Efficacy and Safety of an Anti-aging Technology for the Treatment of Facial Wrinkles and Skin Moisturization. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(12):27-35.
7. Zander E, Weisman S. Treatment of acne vulgaris with salicylic acid pads. Clin Ther. 1992 Mar-Apr;14(2):247-53. PMID: 1535287.
8. Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010;3(6):895-901. doi:10.3892/mmr.2010.377
9. Miraj S, Alesaeidi S. A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (chamomile). Electron Physician. 2016;8(9):3024-3031. Published 2016 Sep 20. doi:10.19082/3024
10. Surjushe A, Vasani R, Saple DG. Aloe vera: a short review. Indian J Dermatol. 2008;53(4):163-166. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.44785
11. 8 Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol, and Dipropylene Glycol. Journal of the American College of Toxicology. 1985;4(5):223-248. doi:10.3109/10915818509078692
12. Keen MA, Hassan I. Vitamin E in dermatology. Indian Dermatol Online J. 2016;7(4):311-315. doi:10.4103/2229-5178.185494
13. Nachbar F, Korting HC. The role of vitamin E in normal and damaged skin. J Mol Med (Berl). 1995 Jan;73(1):7-17. doi: 10.1007/BF00203614. PMID: 7633944.
14. Jeong S, Yoon S, Kim S, et al. Anti-Wrinkle Benefits of Peptides Complex Stimulating Skin Basement Membrane Proteins Expression. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;21(1):73. Published 2019 Dec 20. doi:10.3390/ijms21010073
15. Bauza E, Oberto G, Berghi A, Dal CF, Domloge N. Collagen-like peptide exhibits a remarkable antiwrinkle effect on the skin when topically applied: in vivo study. Int J Tissue React. 2004;26(3-4):105-11. PMID: 15648443.