Common causes
Dark circles have several causes: genetics, thin skin that lets blood vessels show through, pigmentation, shadows from puffiness, and poor sleep, dehydration or allergies. Because the cause varies, no single product works for everyone, and hereditary dark circles often change only a little.
- Genetics: many people have naturally darker skin around the eyes
- Thin skin that lets blood vessels show through, giving a bluish tint
- Pigmentation, usually brownish, made worse by sun exposure
- Puffiness that casts a shadow
- Poor sleep, dehydration and allergies
A quick way to tell the type
To guess the type, gently stretch the skin under the eye. If the darkness fades, it is likely vascular and bluish. If it stays, it is more likely pigmentation and brownish. If it shifts as you tilt your head or the light changes, it is probably a shadow from puffiness.
Gently stretch the skin under the eye. If the darkness fades, it is likely vascular. If it stays, it is more likely pigmentation. If it changes as you tilt your head or light changes, it is probably a shadow from puffiness.
What commonly helps
What commonly helps dark circles: daily broad-spectrum sunscreen including around the eyes, regular sleep, staying hydrated, managing allergies, avoiding eye rubbing, and an eye cream with caffeine, vitamin C or niacinamide used consistently for weeks. Results are gradual and depend on the cause.
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, including around the eyes
- Regular sleep and staying hydrated
- An eye cream with ingredients such as caffeine, vitamin C or niacinamide, used consistently for weeks
- Managing allergies, and avoiding rubbing the eyes
Results are gradual and vary by cause. Hereditary dark circles often improve only a little with skincare.
See a doctor if the darkness appears suddenly, is on one side only, or comes with swelling or pain.
Get a routine for your own skin
Saundarya AI is an AI skin analysis and grooming app that reads a single selfie and returns a personalised report: face shape, skin type, detected skin concerns with the visual evidence behind them, a morning and night skincare routine, product picks at three budgets, and an 8-week improvement plan.
Generic advice is a starting point. A scan reads dark circles and their likely cause on your own face, shows the visual evidence and a confidence score, and builds a morning and night routine around it. The first full analysis is free.
This is general cosmetic guidance, not medical advice. See a dermatologist for skin that is painful, spreading, scarring or not improving after 8-12 weeks.