Do Men Need Eye Cream? An Honest Answer
Short version: need is a strong word. Nobody needs eye cream. But if you are going to use one product beyond wash and moisturise, the skin around your eyes is where it earns its keep, because it is the thinnest skin on your face and the first place a late night, a long flight or a big week shows.
Why the eye area is different
The skin around the eyes is thinner than the rest of your face, has fewer oil glands, and moves thousands of times a day when you blink, squint and look at a screen. It dries out faster and it shows tiredness faster. Your forehead can get away with neglect. Your eyes cannot.
What an eye cream actually does
Hydrates and softens that thin skin. That is it. It is not magic, and anyone telling you an eye cream will erase anything is selling something. Hydrated skin around the eyes looks fresher and less tired than dehydrated skin, and that difference is visible in the mirror and on a video call.
Can I just use moisturiser?
You can. A dedicated eye cream is lighter and made for skin that does not want anything heavy sitting on it, and it comes in a size that means you use the right amount. If you only ever buy the three morning products, use a tiny amount of moisturiser around the eyes and you will be fine. When you are ready for the night routine, step 5 is the eye cream.
How to use it without looking like you are doing skincare
- After washing at night (step 4), put a grain of rice sized amount on your ring finger. It is your weakest finger, so you cannot press too hard.
- Pat, do not rub, around the eye socket bone. Under the eye and out to the side. Not on the eyelid.
- Ten seconds. Follow with night oil (step 6).
Works in the morning too, before moisturiser, if you have a day where you would rather not look like last night.
The Boddy Laundry version
No.5 Eye Cream is step 5 of the night routine. Light, fast absorbing, no added fragrance, made in the UK. £17 on its own or in the PM Routine Set (£50) with the night cleanser and night oil, or in the Full Routine Set (£49.99, was £89) with all six.
So, do men need eye cream?
If you sleep eight hours, drink water and never look at a screen, no. For everyone else, it is the ten seconds a night with the best return in the whole routine.
Related: the night routine for men.