You look tired. We can fix that. Philosophy’s Dr Florante Ricarte shares his best tips to look refreshed, fast

“There are so many different causes behind dark circles and they show up in such unique ways for each of us. Some of us are more prone to hyperpigmentation (where our skin produces excess melanin) and this leads to discoloration in the eye area especially if there are triggers like allergies that cause you to rub your eyes often.

For others, it could be vascular or brought about by weak microcirculation. If we’re lacking in sleep, it affects our microcirculation and you tend to see a pooling of fluid beneath the skin, resulting in puffiness under the eyes. Additionally, as we age, we experience a decline in collagen and this is most evident in the thinnest part of our skin, which is in the eye area. This is why we start to experience sagging and tear troughs as we get older.

The fine lines and wrinkles that we see are also accentuated when we experience dryness of the skin. When skin isn’t hydrated, it is losing water at a very rapid rate. These factors combined can lead to the formation of dark circles.

What should we look out for when choosing skincare for the area around our eyes?

When it comes to eye products and formulas, there needs to be a great balance of consistency: it can’t be so thin that it migrates and it can’t be too thick that you’re pulling at the skin to spread it out. I also prefer cream formulas as it allows you to boost the circulation (under the eyes) as you massage the product into your skin.

I would also look for ingredients like caffeine to help with puffiness and vitamin C that boosts the skin’s collagen and tackles an overproduction of melanin.

Besides the ingredients, it is also important to consider how these are delivered into the skin. For instance, when we incorporate vitamin C (that tends to be unstable) in our products, we would stabilise it. We don’t think of these modalities as just ingredients but as a delivery mechanism or system that works with the skin.

As a rule of thumb, I would recommend everyone to do a patch test with the introduction of any new skincare product because you never know what you are sensitive or allergic to.”

Dr Florante Ricarte is the scientific communications director from skincare brand Philosophy.