We Tested 26 of the Best Under-Eye Concealers — These 9 Are the Winners (2024)

Estée Lauder’s magic wand of creamy coverup was a star in the GH Beauty Lab's under-eye concealer test, effortlessly evening out skin tone. In Lab evaluations, the formula earned the top score for dispensing, texture and spreading easily on skin, plus high marks for smooth coverage. “It's good for general coverage, too,” makeup artist tester Dana Rae noted. Makeup artist Birgitte Philippides agreed: “A really nice concealer that can be used on everything.”

• Coverage: Medium
• Number of Shades: 22
• Size: 0.25 oz.

A GH Beauty Lab test winner and Lab expert favorite, this softening, blendable Maybelline concealer featuring a handy sponge-tip applicator hides dark shadows, but won't go cakey or fade fast. The drugstore bargain formula scored high for providing dark circle coverage, not caking, being long-lasting and looking natural. Testers also emphasized its smoothness and how moisturizing it was. “It blended so easily into my skin without looking cakey or settling in my fine lines and covered my dark circles,” a tester remarked. “Not drying and hid minor wrinkles well,” another said.

• Coverage: Medium
• Number of Shades: 18
• Size: 0.2 oz.

Disguise even the most stubborn dark circles with this powerful IT Cosmetics concealer, a GH Beauty Lab test winner that lives up to its name. The waterproof formula earned an impressive perfect score for providing full coverage and comes in an extensive shade range. Made with a plethora of skincare ingredients, it's "great for severe undereye discoloration and dark marks,” makeup artist tester Erica Whelan reported.

• Coverage: Full
• Number of Shades: 24
• Size: 0.4 oz.

A GH Beauty Lab test winner, this silky Nars concealer effectively covered not only the under-eye area, but also redness and blemishes without caking in wrinkles. In Lab testing, it received one of the highest marks for not settling into fine lines and all testers found a match within its impressive range of shades. Gentle but mighty, the coverup’s soft wand applicator and even softer texture meant it “didn’t dry out skin,” a tester said. Another noted, “It blended so well that you couldn't tell I was wearing it.”

• Coverage: Medium
• Number of Shades: 30
• Size: 0.05 oz.

Good Housekeeping Seal star L’Oréal Paris’s creamy concealer, infused with softening glycerin, vitamin E and sunflower seed oil, is a cover-up specifically for mature skin. In a study, users found the formula felt moisturizing on skin and 79% of women found it instantly minimized the appearance of dark circles, GH Beauty Lab data analysis confirmed. “Good coverage and good match to my skin tone,” says GH Beauty Lab Executive Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D. “Gives nice soft focus under the eyes.” GH Beauty Lab Chemist Danusia Wnek added: “A natural coverage that brightened my undereye very well, feels lightweight and doesn’t settle into fine lines or dry out skin.”

• Coverage: Medium
• Number of Shades: 16
• Size: 0.23 oz.

No worries about dreaded concealer creasing under the eyes with Lancôme’s formula, a GH Beauty Lab test winner. In Lab evaluations, it rated the least likely to settle into lines, least cakey and was the longest-lasting, plus it ranked highly for dark shadow coverage. “It's lightweight and does conceal various skin concerns, including under eye dark circles,” one tester reported. “It did not cake up or feel heavy in the wrinkles or creases of my skin."

• Coverage: Full
• Number of Shades: 11
• Size: 0.52 oz.

Conceal dark shadows and even tone while keeping dry skin hydrated with this “soft-focus” Rose Inc. coverup, a GH Beauty Award winner. GH Beauty Lab expert evaluations found the formula, made with moisturizing squalane and vitamin E, gives lasting coverage that blends well. “Doesn’t dry out skin” or “settle into lines,” two testers commented.

• Coverage: Medium
• Number of Shades: 20
• Size: 0.36 oz.

Hide everything from dark circles to redness with this GH Beauty Lab test-winning concealer pot from MAC Cosmetics, available in a wide range of shades to match a variety of skin tones. It provided the best coverage of all concealers evaluated, and every tester found the right shade for her skin. Boosted with protective SPF, the cream “spread easily” and “looked natural and felt like I had nothing on,” testers said. “The best concealer I have ever used,” one raved.

• Coverage: Full
• Number of Shades: 23
• Size: 0.35 oz.

Made of naturally-derived mineral pigment in a coconut, castor and jojoba seed oil base, this rich cream coverup from RMS Beauty, a GH Beauty Lab expert favorite, melds into fragile undereye skin to cover and brighten. “I have extremely dry skin and eczema on my under-eye area, and this gives coverage that makes the delicate skin look hydrated, not parched and really doesn’t feel or look like makeup," one GH beauty editor says.

• Coverage: Sheer to medium
• Number of Shades: 16
• Size: 0.2 oz.

Professional makeup artists recommend keeping these key points in mind when searching for an under-eye concealer:

✔️ Go bright: "The under eye area is where you want to attract the most light to your face," Whelan says. "Look for formulas that are brightening, radiant or luminizing to brighten up the under-eye area and disguise dark circles."
✔️ Take care with wrinkles: If you have them, "look for sheer to medium coverage so the concealer doesn't settle into fine lines," she advises.
✔️ Pick liquid or cream: "I prefer a liquid or creamy concealer over a solid stick formula, which can settle into the fine lines on more mature skin," Whelan notes.