Free · runs on your device
Dark circles test
Pigment, vascular, or shadow — the fix depends entirely on which type you have. Upload a photo and get the color signature of your under-eyes measured against your cheek, on your device.
CostFree
TimeUnder 1 min
SignupNone
DataStays on device
478-point landmark map
Step 1 of 2 · your photo
Add a photo to measure
Face the camera straight on, hair off the face, even light, no tilt.
How it works
Add your photo
Camera or upload — either works.
Mapped in your browser
478 landmarks, entirely on your device.
Your measured result
Numbers and lines drawn on your photo.
On-device · never uploaded
478 landmarks
Free · no signup
The science
Why dark circle type decides the treatment
01
Dark circles have three distinct causes that look similar in the mirror but respond to completely different things. Pigmented circles are excess melanin in the eyelid skin — common in deeper skin tones and often genetic. Vascular circles are blood vessels showing through the very thin under-eye skin, reading blue, purple, or red. Structural circles are not discoloration at all: they are a shadow cast by the tear trough, and they change with lighting angle.
02
This tool measures the difference in Lab color space between your under-eye area and your upper cheek. A drop in lightness with a strong shift toward brown-yellow (b*) points to pigment; a shift toward red-blue (a*) with modest darkening points to vascular; darkening with little color shift points to shadow. The classic at-home check agrees with this: stretch the skin gently — pigment moves with it, vascular stays put, and shadow disappears when you tilt your face up toward light.
03
The match-up matters because the fixes barely overlap. Pigment responds to vitamin C, azelaic acid, retinoids, and rigorous SPF. Vascular circles respond to caffeine cosmetically and to sleep, allergies, and genetics fundamentally. Shadow responds only to volume — concealer tricks or in-clinic filler — and no cream will change bone structure.
Treating each type: what works, honestly
Pigmented circles (brown, flat, often genetic and commoner in deeper skin tones): daily SPF is half the treatment because UV re-darkens periorbital melanin continuously; on top, azelaic acid, vitamin C, and gentle retinoids fade it over months. Rubbing — allergies, eye-rubbing habits — drives pigment too, so treating itchy eyes treats the circles. Vascular circles (blue-purple, worse when tired or congested): caffeine creams constrict vessels for a few hours, cold compresses ditto, sleep and allergy management move the baseline, and that is genuinely the list — the thin under-eye skin showing vessels beneath is anatomy.
Structural shadow (a tear-trough hollow casting darkness): no cream can fill a valley, which is why "nothing works on my dark circles" almost always means shadow-type. Light-reflecting concealer is the cosmetic fix; tear-trough filler is the structural one — effective when done by an experienced injector, with real risks in inexperienced hands, and the area most prone to filler complications on the face. Most people are mixed-type: the tool’s ΔL/Δa/Δb readout tells you which components you are actually fighting.
FAQ
Common questions
How do I know if my dark circles are pigmentation or shadow?+
Tilt your chin up while facing a light source. Shadow-type circles fade or vanish because the light fills the tear trough; pigment and vascular circles stay the same. This tool measures the color signature instead, which works from a single front-lit photo.
Can dark circles be cured?+
Depends on type. Pigmented circles genuinely lighten over months with retinoids, azelaic acid, and SPF. Vascular ones improve with sleep and allergy control but rarely disappear. Structural shadow is anatomy — treatable with filler, not skincare.
Does lack of sleep really cause dark circles?+
It worsens the vascular type: tired skin is paler and vessels dilate, so the blue shows more. But if your circles persist after good sleep, they are likely pigment or structure, and sleep advice is not the answer.
Which vitamin deficiency causes dark circles?+
The popular answers (iron, B12) contribute only via anemia-driven pallor making vascular circles more visible — a real but indirect effect. If circles came with fatigue and pallor, bloodwork is reasonable; otherwise the type-based treatments above are the lever.
Do eye creams actually work on dark circles?+
Matched to type, modestly: caffeine on vascular, retinoid/vitamin-C formulas on pigment over months. Mismatched to type, not at all — and no cream affects structural shadow, which is the most common "nothing works" scenario.
Why are my dark circles worse some mornings?+
Fluid and vessels: lying flat overnight pools fluid (puffiness that shadows the trough) and alcohol, salt, and poor sleep dilate vessels. Morning-variable circles are vascular/fluid; constant ones lean pigment or structure.
Keep going
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