Eye area care: how much eye cream and how to apply it
6 min read Skincare Updated 1 November 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
To care for the eye area, use a rice-grain-sized amount of cream per eye and pat it in with your ring finger along the bone beneath the eye, from the inner corner outwards. Starting today, stop rubbing the skin around your eyes when you take off make-up and apply cream. If the amount is right, the skin under your eyes won't feel tight in the morning and the cream won't run into your eyes.
Your normal face cream is usually enough for this. A dedicated eye cream is worth it if the skin under your eyes still feels tight, or if it burns under your face cream.
Why the skin around your eyes needs its own rules
The skin on your eyelids and under your eyes is thinner than on your cheeks and has fewer oil glands. That is why it dries out more quickly and shows fine lines earlier. It moves with every blink and every smile, many thousands of times a day. And it sits right next to the eye: whatever you apply there can travel into the eye with tears or warmth, and burn.
That gives you three rules. Small amounts, so nothing runs into your eyes. Patting instead of rubbing, because the thin skin is dragged along by every movement. And fragrance-free products, because the eye area reacts to irritants sooner than the rest of your face.
Eye care step by step
Step 1 — Remove make-up without rubbing. Soak a cotton pad in eye make-up remover, rest it on your closed eye for ten seconds, then draw it downwards. Repeat with a fresh pad until no more colour comes off. Lift any residue along the lash line with a cotton bud. How to go on and cleanse your whole face afterwards is covered in the guide to cleansing your face properly.
Step 2 — Pat in the eye cream. Take a rice-grain-sized amount per eye onto your ring finger, which presses the least. Place three or four dots along the bone beneath the eye and pat them in from the inner corner outwards. What is left on your fingertip is enough for the outer corners of your eyes.
Step 3 — Face cream up to the bone. Your normal moisturiser can go right up to the bone beneath the eye. Leave out the area between the bone and the lashes, and the mobile lid, unless the label explicitly allows it.
Step 4 — Protect in the morning. Sunscreen goes under your eyes too, up to just below the lash line. If it burns there, try a mineral product or a stick made for the eye area. Sunglasses add protection and save you from squinting in bright light.
Do I need an eye cream?
| Your situation | Face cream is enough | An eye cream is worth it |
|---|---|---|
| The skin under your eyes feels comfortable with your face cream | yes | no |
| The skin under your eyes feels tight despite your face cream | no | yes, a richer texture |
| Your face cream burns around your eyes | no | yes, a fragrance-free one tested for the eye area |
| Concealer settles into fine lines | often yes, with a two-minute wait before it goes on | if your skin still looks dry |
| You simply want one step fewer | yes | no |
Dark circles, puffiness, fine lines: what skincare can do
Puffy eyelids in the morning are common. Overnight, fluid collects in the loose tissue around the eyes, and once you are up it spreads out again. A cool, damp flannel for two minutes feels pleasant, and an extra pillow under your head and less salt in the evening can help.
Dark circles under the eyes often have to do with the thin skin, which lets blood vessels show through with a bluish tint, and they are frequently something you are born with. Short nights make them more noticeable. No cream makes them disappear; a concealer half a shade lighter than your skin covers them. How to apply it so it sits well even on dry skin is covered in the guide to make-up on dry skin.
Fine lines are less visible on well-moisturised skin than on dry skin. A cream makes the skin look more supple, but it cannot smooth away lines or prevent them.
Home remedies and myths, checked
| Home remedy or claim | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cucumber slices on your eyes | cools, nothing more | the coolness feels pleasant, and a damp cloth from the fridge does the same |
| Tea bags on your eyelids | only cooled tea with no added colouring | with an allergy to the daisy family, chamomile can itself cause irritation |
| Haemorrhoid cream for puffiness | better not | it is made for a different part of the body and can get into your eye |
| A spoon from the fridge | cools briefly | for one minute at most, and not from the freezer |
| Coffee grounds as an eye scrub | harmful | the grains rub the thin skin raw |
| A thick layer of petroleum jelly under your eyes every evening | can suit very dry skin | only a thin layer, kept away from the lash line, or it travels into your eye |
Eye make-up and eye care
Let the eye cream sink in for two minutes before concealer or eyeshadow goes on top. On a layer that is still damp, colour settles into the lines and slips. The order of skincare and make-up as a whole is set out in the right order for skincare and make-up.
If you wear contact lenses, put them in before your eye care and take them out before you remove your make-up. Replace your mascara roughly every three months, because the brush carries germs into the tube every time you dip it. After an eye infection, buy a new mascara.
When to see a doctor
Slight puffiness in the morning and dark circles after a short night are no cause for concern. See a dermatologist if your eyelids turn red, flake and itch, especially after a new product. Eyelid eczema or a contact allergy can be behind this, including to substances that were never near your eyes, such as nail varnish, because your fingers carry them there. See an eye doctor the same day if an eye hurts, your vision blurs or an eyelid suddenly swells badly. If your whole face swells or you have trouble breathing, call 112 or your local emergency number.
If you use MONAT skincare
In Germany, MONAT sells the Eye Smooth™ Nourishing Eye Cream. It goes on after cleanser and serum and before your face cream: a grain of rice per eye, patted along the bone with your ring finger. Alongside it, the cleanser and cream you already use are fine, for example from Be Gentle™ or Be Balanced™. Where Eye Smooth™ sits among MONAT's other facial products is shown in the MONAT skincare overview. If the skin on your cheeks is burning at the moment too, don't add a new eye cream; scale back your routine first and strengthen your skin barrier.
How to tell your eye care suits you
If it suits you, after a week the skin under your eyes no longer feels tight in the morning, and the cream doesn't burn when you apply it. After four weeks, take a look once you have applied concealer: if it still settles into fine lines after a few hours, the skin underneath was too dry or the layer too thick. If the cream runs into your eyes in the evening, use less next time and keep further away from the lash line.
Quick questions
At what age do I need an eye cream?
There is no particular age. What matters is whether the skin under your eyes feels tight with your face cream. If it doesn't, you don't need one.
Morning or evening?
Either works. In the evening the texture can be richer; in the morning use less so that concealer stays put on top.
Can eye cream go on the mobile lid?
Only if the label explicitly allows it. Otherwise, stick to the bone beneath the eye and the crease above the lid.
Why does my cream burn around my eyes?
Usually it has travelled into the eye with warmth, or it contains fragrance. Use less, keep your distance from the lash line and, if the burning continues, switch to a fragrance-free product.
The free skin analysis asks whether your eye area feels tight or looks tired, alongside your other skin concerns.