Can Vitamin E alleviate dark circles?

Vascular dark circles are characterised by the presence of a concentric circle under the eyes with a bluish or purplish hue, linked to a failure of the blood and lymphatic micro-circulation around the eye contour. The causes of this type of dark circles can be internal and external: lack of sleep, genetic reason, skin ageing.

The brown circles (or pigmented circles) appear as halos present under the eyes of a brown colour, resulting from a hyperpigmentation issue in the area(accumulation of melanin pigments in the superficial layers of the epidermis). They primarily affect individuals with medium to dark skin tones.

The hollow dark circles are V-shaped hollows under the eyes, which can appear black depending on the light. They are caused by a loss of fat between the skin of the lower eyelid and the orbital bone towards the cheekbones, resulting in a loss of volume. The factors are ageing, heredity or even significant weight loss.

Although vitamin E has many benefits for the skin, there is virtually no scientific study that proves its effectiveness in reducing dark circles.

Only a 2004 study concluded that a gel containing 2% phytonadione, 0.1% retinol, and 0.1% vitamins C and E was effective in reducing dark circles and wrinkles on the lower eyelids in adults. However, the amount of vitamin E in this gel was too low and, more importantly, this compound was combined with other active ingredients, making it difficult to discern the effectiveness of vitamin E in reducing dark circles in subjects compared to the other ingredients in the gel.

• MITSUISHI T. & al. The effects of topical application of phytonadione, retinol and vitamins C and E on infraorbital dark circles and wrinkles of the lower eyelids. JCD (2004).