The Top 6 Kiehl’s Eye Creams

Most women who have lived in New York have made a pilgrimage to the original Kiehl’s store, on the corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street in the East Village. The skincare company started as an apothecary there in 1851, and built its brand on products such as Original Musk Oil, Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner as well as Ultra Facial Moisturizers. Kiehl’s is known for the pared down design of its ingredients which have a simple, clinical design that highlight the ingredients, and formulas that are based around botanicals. 

Today Kiehl’s has expanded across the globe and is now owned by L’Oréal, and some of its most popular products include its eye creams. In this review, we are going to cover the top 6 best selling Kiehl’s eye creams, one of which includes Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream. We’ll discuss the differences between these eye creams, the key ingredients used to formulate them, Kiehl’s eye cream reviews from real customers, and more.

What Are The Top 6 Kiehl’s Eye Creams?

Kiehl’s sells a wide variety of eye creams and serums designed to target everything from puffiness to fine lines and dry skin. Kiehl’s also sells eye creams specifically for men. Here’s a product breakdown:

1. Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream

Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream is a pale green hydrating cream that is said to reduce puffiness and brighten under the eyes after just one use. It is claimed to immediately improve the look and feel of under eye texture and dry fine lines through all day hydration. Key ingredients in the Avocado Eye Cream include avocado oil and shea butter. The brand claims that beta carotene is a key ingredient in this formula, however, beta carotene is at the very end of the ingredient list, meaning it is used in a very low concentration.

2. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye

Designed to be applied at night, the Midnight Recovery Eye cream is meant to help reduce dark circles and puffiness around the eye. Key ingredients include sunflower seed oil, jojoba seed oil, apricot kernel oil, and squalane. Unfortunately, this Kiehl’s eye cream does contain a decent amount of denatured alcohol. We understand why this was included in the formula — denatured alcohol gives products a quick-drying finish, immediately degreases the skin, and imparts a weightless feel. However, long term use of products with high concentrations of denatured alcohol can lead to skin dryness, irritation, and even disruption of the skin barrier. 

3. Kiehl’s Youth Dose Eye Treatment

This Kiehl’s eye treatment is said to help reduce the appearance of under eye lines and dark circles over time. The formula consists of several different types of silicones, humectants, and vitamin C. 

4. Kiehl’s Eye Fuel

Designed for men, Kiehl’s Eye Fuel contains caffeine and niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3) to help reduce dark circles and eye puffiness. The formula also contains quite a few silicones, which help to give this product a silky, smooth skin feel.

5. Kiehl’s Age Defender Eye Repair

Another Kiehl’s eye cream for men is the Age Defender Eye Repair. This anti-aging eye cream is meant to lift, firm, and reduce the appearance of dark circles thanks to rye seed extract and blurring minerals. Unfortunately, this is another Kiehl’s eye cream with a high concentration of denatured alcohol. 

6. Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Eye-Opening Serum

This Kiehl’s eye serum gives the eye area a boost with hyaluronic acid and botanical extracts, as well as illuminating minerals. While this sounds good in theory, this is another Kiehl’s formulation that contains a very high concentration of denatured alcohol (it is the fourth highest concentration ingredient in the formula). 

Related: Best Eye Creams

What Are The Key Ingredients in Kiehl’s Eye Creams?

While all Kiehl’s eye creams contain different key ingredients, there are a few of the same ingredients used throughout the collection of eye creams, such as shea butter, avocado oil, and caffeine. Let’s take a closer look at these key ingredients and how they may benefit your skin. 

Shea butter is used in several Kiehl’s eye creams, such as the Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream and Midnight Recovery Eye. The rich supply of triglycerides and fatty acids in shea butter help to replenish the skin’s natural barrier function. Shea butter functions as an emollient that works to soften and soothe the skin. Since shea butter melts at body temperature, it is able to coat the skin and form an occlusive film. This film helps to prevent evaporation of the skin’s natural moisture and increases skin hydration by causing buildup of water in the stratum corneum (the uppermost layer of skin). Ultimately, this helps the delicate skin around the eyes to feel soft and smooth. 

As you can guess from the name, avocado oil is one of the key ingredients in the Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream. Avocado oil is valued for its regenerative and moisturizing properties. It contains a high amount of monounsaturated fats, which help to replenish the skin’s barrier function. A strong, intact skin barrier prevents water loss and keeps harmful environmental irritants out of the skin. The result is smooth, moisturized, healthy skin.  Avocado oil is also rich in vitamin E, a lipid soluble antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damage and strengthens the skin barrier. Lastly, avocado oil has the ability to enhance the absorption of carotenoids and other nutrients. 

The final key ingredient you’ll find in Kiehl’s eye creams, such as Kiehl’s Eye Fuel, is caffeine. Caffeine is a great ingredient to include in eye care products because it can help to reduce puffiness and dark circles since it causes vasoconstriction (constriction of the blood vessels) and stimulates blood flow when applied to the skin. Vasoconstriction can tighten and firm the skin due to the removal of excess fluids and possible stimulation of the lymphatic drainage system. This function also aids in reducing the amount of blood that accumulates under the eyes (a major factor that contributes to dark circles). Therefore, the Kiehl’s eye creams that contain caffeine may be able to help reduce puffiness and dark circles. 

How Much Do Kiehl’s Eye Creams Cost?

Most Kiehl’s eye creams are priced between $30 and $50, which is in line with other prestige products sold in department stores. The Creamy Avocado Eye Cream is $48, while the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye is $37. Youth Dose Eye Treatment is $39 while Age Defender Eye Repair for men is $30. The Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate retails for $44.

Where Are Kiehl’s Eye Creams Sold?

Kiehl’s eye creams and other Kiehl’s skin care products are sold on the brand’s website, as well as third party online retailers, such as Amazon, eBay, Ulta, Sephora, and more. Kiehl’s also has over 2,000 retail locations in 61 countries. You can use the store locator on the brand’s website to find a location near you. You can also purchase Kiehl’s skin care products from department stores including Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Barneys, Macy’s and Nordstrom.

Is Kiehl’s Cruelty Free?

Kiehl’s is not cruelty free. Kiehl’s is owned by L’Oréal, a company that tests on animals. L’Oréal does not conduct animal testing on their products or ingredients, nor ask others to test on our behalf, except when required by law. Since L’Oréal products are sold in China, they must test their products on animals by law. The good news is that L’Oreal has invested more than $1 billion over the last 25 years to develop innovative, alternative methods to animal testing, particularly in the area of reconstructed tissue development. L’Oreal and Kiehl’s are committed to a future without tests on animals. 

Kiehl’s Eye Creams Reviews

When trying to decide if a product works, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone’s skin may react differently to the same product. One person’s miracle cream may cause a breakout in someone else, so a little trial and error is always needed when finding the right products for yourself. Kiehl’s eye creams certainly have a devoted following and have won industry recognition. In 2018, GQ magazine gave Kiehl’s Eye Fuel a Grooming Award. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye won a Best of Beauty award from Allure in 2013, and the magazine included Kiehl’s Youth Dose Eye Treatment in its roundup of “The 32 Best Eye Creams for Dark Circles and Puffiness” in 2019. Prevention magazine included the Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer in its 2019 list of “10 Best Eye Creams for Wrinkles, According to Dermatologists.”

In addition to industry awards, it’s also helpful to dive into customer reviews. The Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado has nearly 800 reviews on Sephora, and over 30,000 “loves.” Customers give it 4.2 out of 5 stars, 

The Midnight Recovery Eye has around 280 reviews on Sephora, with 20,000 loves and a 3.8 star rating. 

Other Kiehl’s eye creams don’t have as many reviews on Sephora. The Eye Fuel has only 11 reviews and gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.