Eye Serum Vs Eye Cream: What’s the Difference & Which Is Better?

Struggling with dark circles, puffiness, or wrinkles under you eyes? Learn the difference between eye serum vs eye cream so you can brighten & tighten your under eye area in no time!

If you stroll down any beauty aisle, you'll likely find all sorts of skin care eye products. So much so that it can be overwhelming to know which one is right for you.

Two common skin care eye care products are eye serums and eye creams.

While both sound the same and, for the most part, help to correct similar skin concerns, it's important to understand that both are different products!

So, if you're struggling with terrible under eye bags, wrinkles, or even puffiness under your eyes, which one should you use!? Will they give virtually the same results?

Read on to learn more about the difference between an eye serum vs eye cream so you can correct your under eye concerns in no time at all.

Main Difference Between Eye Cream and Eye Serum

The most obvious difference between eye serum vs eye cream is TEXTURE.

Eye creams have a much thicker consistency than serums which are much more thinner. 

The texture of the products plays into inevitably what each product is made to do.

Eye creams, because they are thicker and tend to have more oil, are primarily used to hydrate and moisturize the under eye area and work more on the surface of the skin.

Meanwhile, eye serums tend to have less oil and more active ingredients which typically help improve specific skin concerns like signs of aging and work more deeply into the skin.

Therefore, overall an eye cream tends to have a thicker consistency used to primarily moisturize and nourish the under eye area. 

However, an eye serum tends to be more thinner and contains more active ingredients to target and improve specific skin concerns from dark circles, to fine lines, and more!

What is an Eye Serum?

Eye serums are lightweight skincare products that are filled with active ingredients to help address a variety of skin concerns.

Depending on the specific type of skin concern you are looking to treat will impact the type of eye serum you get.

There are eye serums that help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, minimizes puffiness, and reduce dark circles under your eyes. All of which are very common under eye skin concerns.

Because eye serums are highly concentrated products, when the product is absorbed deep into the skin, it provides very effective results to brighten, smooth, and tighten your under eye area.

Best Eye Serum For Dark Circles

The Murad Vita-C Eyes Dark Circle Corrector is a brightening, anti-aging treatment designed to not only reduce stubborn dark under eye circles, but also reduce puffiness and wrinkles too!

Best Eye Serum For Wrinkles

The Vichy Mineral 89 Eye Serum is a lightweight eye cream perfect for effortlessly hydrating the under eye area and smoothing fine lines and wrinkles with continued use. Plus, this eye serum also works wonders to brighten under eye bags.

Best Eye Serum For Puffiness

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG serum helps reduce puffiness and the appearance of eye contour pigmentation for clear and brighter under eyes. 

What is an Eye Cream?

An eye cream is essentially a moisturizer designed to nourish and hydrate the delicate skin in the under eye area.

Unlike eye serums which are thinner in consistency and contain more active ingredients, eye creams are thicker in consistency and tend to work more on the skin's surface.

An eye cream, besides just nourishing + hydrating the skin, also works to target signs of aging like wrinkles and reduce puffiness and dark circles to brighten up your complexion.

Best Eye Cream For Dark Circles

The Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Eye Cream is a super hydrating eye cream that is lightweight and perfect for brightening and nourishing the under eye area. Not only does this eye cream work to reduce dark circles, but it also works wonders to smoothen and soften the skin.

Best Eye Cream For Wrinkles

Showing signs of fine lines and wrinkle? The RoC Retinol Correxion Under Eye Cream is great for helping to smooth and firm the skin to look younger. And, it also works to reduce signs of puffiness and dark circles.

Best Eye Cream For Puffiness

The TULA skin care rose glow & get it cooling and brightening eye balm is another versatile eye cream to brighten and tighten the under eye area. With thousands of 5-star reviews on Amazon, if you're  looking to hydrate and reduce puffiness, be sure to check out this eye cream.

How to Use Eye Serum and Eye Cream

So, you've got your perfect eye serum + eye cream products, now onto the good stuff: application!

Applying eye serum and eye cream is fairly straightforward.

Before applying, you'll want to keep in mind that the under eye area is extremely delicate and sensitive.

It's a good idea to do a small patch test somewhere else on your skin to see how your skin reacts to the product before applying it straight to your under eye area!

The last thing you want is your skin to react to the product and become irritated and inflamed, especially in your under eye area.

So, remember to do a patch test somewhere other than your under eye area if you are trying a new product for the first time in the unlikely event you have a bad reaction to the product.

Once that's out of the way, you'll want to do your normal skin care steps as usual.

This includes cleansing your skin and removing any of your makeup. And, using any toner and facial serums.

Then, you'll want to apply your eye serum FIRST followed by your eye cream. 

For both your eye serum and your eye cream, you'll want to take a small amount of product and lightly tap the product onto your under eye area.

Then, slowly pat and work the product into your skin, and work any excess product around your eyelid area.

You'll want to avoid vigorously rubbing your products as this can be rough on your under eye area.

Plus, it goes without saying, but avoid getting either product into your eyes!

Can You Use Eye Serum and Eye Cream Together

Yes! You can use both an eye serum and an eye cream together in your skin care routine.

This is especially beneficial if you have a drier skin type to add extra hydration and nourishment to your under eyes.

However, if you decide to use both an eye serum and eye cream, be sure to use them in the correct order.

You should always apply your eye serum first, followed by your eye cream in your skin care routine.

Otherwise, applying your eye cream first will make it more difficult for your eye serum to absorb through the thicker barrier of your eye cream and work its magic deep into your skin.

Should You Use Eye Cream Or Eye Serum First?

In general when it comes to your skin care routine, you should always apply thinner consistency products first, followed by then more thicker products.

Therefore if you decide to use both an eye cream and eye serum, you should always use your eye serum first, followed by your eye cream.

This way the thinner eye serum will be able to easily absorb into the skin. And, the active ingredients within the serum can effectively target and address your various skin concerns.

Thus, applying an eye serum first allows the skin to deeply absorb the serum to effectively improve your skin concerns.

Then, an eye cream helps hydrate and nourish the skin after your eye serum.

Which One Should You Use: Eye Serum Vs Eye Cream

All in all, both eye serums and eye creams can both do wonders to hydrate, brighten, and nourish your under eye area to look and feel its best. 

Neither an eye serum or eye cream is better or worse than another. It all depends what your specific skin concerns are.

Eye serums have more active ingredients which tend to deeply penetrate the skin and improve various skin concerns, whereas an eye cream which works more on the skin's surface to hydrate the skin.

So, if you have a specific skin concerns you are looking to improve, like puffiness, dark circles, or wrinkles, an eye serum may be a better fit for you.

However, if you have drier skin and are looking to hydrate and nourish the skin, consider using an eye cream.

You can also layer an eye cream on top of a eye serum to maximize your results at achieving a smoother and brighter under eye area.

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