The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG: a Guru Score of 73%

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Under-eye puffiness7 experts

“I love their caffeine 5% de-puffing eye serum.”

April Basi, watch at 4:31

Redness3 experts

“If you do have minor redness, if you do have that puffiness, this works so well to calm that down.”

Cassandra Bankson, watch at 9:28

Dark spots and post-acne marks1 expert

“Caffeine can also help calm down redness, and it has glutathione in it too, which may help with hyperpigmentation.”

Dr Dray, watch at 2:57

Rosacea1 expert

“I actually feel that this is really helpful for rosacea prone skin.”

Cassandra Bankson, watch at 13:17

Irritated or reactive skin1 expert

“Personally I've used it, I stand by it, it's very good, it does kind of improve overall skin tone perhaps by minimizing inflammation and irritation.”

Dr Dray, watch at 6:01

Dull skin1 expert

“This really is just a serum to help awaken under your eyes, making you look less tired, less puffy, less dull around the eyes.”

James Welsh, watch at 16:54

Fine lines and wrinkles1 expert

“I use it on my smile lines, I get really puffy in my cheeks, I use this all over my face and it is absolutely brilliant.”

Cassandra Bankson, watch at 7:40

Dark circles1 expert

“The ordinary Caffeine Solution has caffeine, which is an antioxidant that may help minimize free radicals from environmental stressors, and it may also help minimize redness and temporarily improve the look of dark under eye circles.”

Dr Dray, watch at 6:01

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Pampered Wolf

237k subs

~Nay

"The Ordinary Caffeine Solution [...] can help to reduce the appearance of dark circles if it works for you, but it definitely doesn't work for me. I get real irritation with caffeine, so that's one that I'm definitely going to give a miss."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Mixed

"It has a milky texture, no scent, and feels nice and not greasy, though my face felt a little tacky. This product wasn't screaming my name and it didn't overly impress me, but my skin isn't really puffy so it wasn't made for my skin type. If you have puffiness and aren't sensitive to caffeine, there's nothing wrong with it, and people with more puffiness might have a better [...] experience with it than I did."

All 4 takes from No BS Beauty

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"You might be better off going with something like The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG, although that can be kind of on the drying side too."

All About Eye Bags & Undereye Puffiness - Causes & How to Treat Them

"This is a liquidy serum. You can just pat under your eyes. You can use it morning or evening. [...] It gives pretty quick results. The caffeine controls the microcirculation of the blood vessels in your eyes. Caffeine is also a great antioxidant. So, this one will help give you fast results. If you just want to use in the morning, that's probably just fine, too. It [...] contains caffeine, hyaluronic acid, and EGCG, and the caffeine is the main active in this one."

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"Their caffeine serum, [...] I didn't love it because I found caffeine to be kind of drying on my skin, so all their EGCG serum, this stuff to me felt a little too hydrating or slippery and it took a long time to absorb, so I didn't absolutely love that one."

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"It has a milky texture, no scent, and feels nice and not greasy, though my face felt a little tacky. This product wasn't screaming my name and it didn't overly impress me, but my skin isn't really puffy so it wasn't made for my skin type. If you have puffiness and aren't sensitive to caffeine, there's nothing wrong with it, and people with more puffiness might have a better [...] experience with it than I did."

Mad About Skin

734k subs

~Nay

"It was always too strong for me and I know a lot of other people feel the same. It's also oil based, meaning it's greasy and doesn't layer well with other products. Between the [...] two caffeine products from The Ordinary I would choose the 3% every single time, [...] higher percentage doesn't always mean higher performance, and this one delivered less for me than the 3% ever managed to."

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All 6 takes from Mad About Skin

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"The Ordinary already had a 5% caffeine eye serum and that I never got on with. It was very oily, it was greasy, and it dried the under eye if you used it too frequently. This got around with all of those issues. It's in an emulsion so it's rich and creamy, doesn't have the oiliness, and because it's in a lower strength, you can use it every day without stripping and drying the skin the way that 5% caffeine just seemed to always negatively impact my skin."

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"That one I always find quite drying. If I used it on consecutive days, my under eye would be quite dry. It'd look quite crepey. Caffeine can be drying if you use the wrong form. Form that they've used in here actually doesn't do that. So, it won't dry or dehydrate the skin. This is a big win for me because the only reason that I wasn't using the ordinary caffeine eye serum over my whole face was because it would leave me feeling stripped, dry, and tight, which I just didn't want."

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"Caffeine is great. The Ordinary do great caffeine serum that works really well under the eye. Love it."

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"I used to use the ordinary caffeine serum which worked really really well too but I found it dried out my under eye because of the formulation. This gives you that dose of caffeine without the associated dryness. So it's a great alternative for that for anyone that found that the ordinary one just left them a bit crepey and a bit dry under the eye. What I do is I use this twice a day, [...] morning and evening for the very best results."

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"For deep under-eye puffiness get The Ordinary Caffeine Solution, the best depuffer around. Put a little under the eye and it is really effective, and it is only about 9 pounds so you get an amazing eye treatment without breaking the bank."

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"It was always too strong for me and I know a lot of other people feel the same. It's also oil based, meaning it's greasy and doesn't layer well with other products. Between the [...] two caffeine products from The Ordinary I would choose the 3% every single time, [...] higher percentage doesn't always mean higher performance, and this one delivered less for me than the 3% ever managed to."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

~Yay

"Another one is from The Ordinary. It's got caffeine and green tea extract. Again, helps to temporarily depuff and improve the vascular component of dark circles."

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

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"This is the caffeine solution 5% that retails for about nine bucks. It contains caffeine along with EGCG, which is basically polyphenol derivatives that we commonly see in green tea that have antioxidant anti-inflammatory properties and also contain some caffeine properties as well. The two together work really well."

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"Another one is from The Ordinary. It's got caffeine and green tea extract. Again, helps to temporarily depuff and improve the vascular component of dark circles."

Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert

55k subs

~Yay

"For eye bags, I love the Ordinary caffeine solution. It's great, it literally has 5% caffeine and it shrinks your eye bags pretty quickly. Really great."

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"If it is bags under the eyes, a caffeine solution like The Ordinary is great."

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"When you want to use a cream and eye bags are your problem, look for something with caffeine in it. [...] The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% is great for this because you can [...] roll it out to help move that lymphatic fluid, and [...] you're aiming towards the top of your ears because you've got channels there that help drain it."

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"One of my favorite is The Ordinary [...] Caffeine Solution 5%. This is great for eye bags, so if you're dealing with eye bags, the puffiness, caffeine solution and a roller [...] will help to depuff the under eye and also lymphatic drain."

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"This one is my favorite by The Ordinary. This is a caffeine solution that helps with the eye bags because it constricts the blood vessels and so it shrinks those eye bags."

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"For eye bags, I love the Ordinary caffeine solution. It's great, it literally has 5% caffeine and it shrinks your eye bags pretty quickly. Really great."

Dr. Sam Ellis

902k subs

~Yay

"I actually really like the Ordinary under eye solution that has 5% caffeine. It's a super runny fluid. So, what I love about that is you could use it on its own, or if you have an eye cream that you already love or are incorporating to help with other under eye issues, you could layer them."

All 2 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis

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"I actually really like the Ordinary under eye solution that has 5% caffeine. It's a super runny fluid. So, what I love about that is you could use it on its own, or if you have an eye cream that you already love or are incorporating to help with other under eye issues, you could layer them."

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"There's not a ton of great data to support it, but caffeine can increase blood flow, that's why you often see it incorporated in things like eye creams, but I think the improvement is pretty modest if any at all. That being said, if you want to try some caffeine in your skincare routine and you don't want to break the bank, The Ordinary has a nice little 5% caffeine serum that you can try out."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

~Yay

"Some of the products I love are The Ordinary Caffeine at 5%. Caffeine is one of those mitochondrial activators that helps address hair thinning by increasing ATP and supporting the growth phase of hair follicles, leading to stronger hair strands and reducing shedding."

Hyram

4.33M subs

~Mixed

"Did I notice that it helped with some of my under eye puffiness, which is something I definitely struggle with as well? Yes, I didn't really notice any major differences besides that. However, I do think the ingredient list is really good. There's a lot of goodies in this formula that are great for helping with the health and the strength of the under eye area."

Nipun Kapur

413k subs

~Yay

"I would use the Caffeine Solution by The Ordinary. First apply caffeine solution. Let it sit on your skin. Let it absorb. When it dries your skin feels a bit tight in the under eye area. After that apply your retinol based eye cream."

Translated from the guru's original language.

All 3 takes from Nipun Kapur

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"The ordinary caffeine serum"

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"The Caffeine Solution by The Ordinary which is priced around 700 on Nykaa"

Translated from the guru's original language.

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"I would use the Caffeine Solution by The Ordinary. First apply caffeine solution. Let it sit on your skin. Let it absorb. When it dries your skin feels a bit tight in the under eye area. After that apply your retinol based eye cream."

Translated from the guru's original language.

The Style and Beauty Doctor

222k subs

~Yay

"They have their Caffeine Solution 5% plus EGCG that's also going to be 5%. People like that to help with the under eye puffiness and maybe to help with dark circles. Now bear in mind eye creams, eye treatments, eye serums, they're not going to be miracle workers. They can help lessen the appearance, but sometimes people put too much cadence on these eye creams and eye treatments when sometimes you got to see a pro."

Dr. Somji Skin

361k subs

~Yay

"Because it's a water-based product, you can either use this after your hyaluronic acid or you can actually use it just before your azelaic acid in nighttime, so you can either use it a.m. or p.m. and if it works really well for you, you can basically do both a.m. and p.m. and it's a great upgrade and a top tip that you can use for your rosacea."

All 2 takes from Dr. Somji Skin

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"Because it's a water-based product, you can either use this after your hyaluronic acid or you can actually use it just before your azelaic acid in nighttime, so you can either use it a.m. or p.m. and if it works really well for you, you can basically do both a.m. and p.m. and it's a great upgrade and a top tip that you can use for your rosacea."

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"The Caffeine Solution 5% plus EGCG, which is normally used for pigmentation and puffiness around the eyes, can be used in these little cheek areas where you get redness and it's quite a good tip to use. You can either use this, because it's a water-based product, [...] after your hyaluronic acid or [...] just before your azelaic acid in your nighttime routine. You can either use it AM or PM, and if it works really well for you, you can basically do both AM and PM."

April Basi

72k subs

~Yay

"I love their caffeine 5% de-puffing eye serum. Caffeine is a wonderful ingredient because it helps stimulate blood flow in the under eyes, since blood flow starts to reduce as we get older, so caffeine in there really helps speed things up, helps your skin cells proliferate faster, and helps bring collagen faster to the surface of the skin to keep that area tight."

Sincerely Miss Ash

196k subs

~Nay

"They've always had their caffeine solution and that one is designed for de-puffing. I found that that formulation was very drying and I also didn't feel like it depuffed whatsoever."

Kelly Driscoll

91k subs

~Yay

"I picked up this because I remember the caffeine is supposed to be good for puffy eyes, so I started using this and it worked. [...] I haven't had puffy eyes the entire time I've been using it until now, and so it really did take down the puff. [...] There's like ever so slight redness just beneath the surface, and it really helps to make my eyes look less allergic. They still feel allergic, they're still gloopy, but they don't look it, and this has been really really helpful."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Yay

"This is one of my favorites from the ordinary, their caffeine solution plus EGCG. The EGCG comes from green tea and can help minimize the burden of damage that occurs upon exposure to environmental stressors, namely UV, and the caffeine is also an antioxidant which will help with oxidative stress that leads to premature skin aging."

All 4 takes from Dr Dray

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"This is one of my favorites from the ordinary, their caffeine solution plus EGCG. The EGCG comes from green tea and can help minimize the burden of damage that occurs upon exposure to environmental stressors, namely UV, and the caffeine is also an antioxidant which will help with oxidative stress that leads to premature skin aging."

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"The ordinary Caffeine Solution has caffeine, which is an antioxidant that may help minimize free radicals from environmental stressors, and it may also help minimize redness and temporarily improve the look of dark under eye circles. It also has EGCG, [...] a green tea antioxidant. [...] Personally I've used it, I stand by it, it's very good, it does kind of improve overall skin tone perhaps by minimizing inflammation and irritation. It's also very hydrating, easy to use, and it doesn't peel."

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"This is a great product to put on in the morning prior to sunscreen, because it has caffeine and EGCG, which are antioxidants that may help reduce oxidative stress from environmental stressors [...] like pollution, which is [...] associated with accelerated [...] skin aging. Caffeine can also help calm down redness, and it has glutathione in it too, which may help with hyperpigmentation."

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"I do believe the ordinary has a good caffeine serum, which would be a more affordable alternative if you want a caffeine product for puffiness and dark circles, even though it's not a drugstore brand."

James Welsh

1.58M subs

~Yay

"This is a good example of a good ingredient to use under eyes that you would pay more for, but this is The Ordinary so we are talking 6.40 maximum for this. This really is just a serum to help awaken under your eyes, making you look less tired, less puffy, less dull around the eyes. It sinks in super super quick and it's something you use morning and night. At night I would pair this up with Vaseline to create that nice occlusive layer around the eyes."

All 2 takes from James Welsh

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"I use Caffeine Solution from The Ordinary. It's really crusty. I'm running out of this."

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"This is a good example of a good ingredient to use under eyes that you would pay more for, but this is The Ordinary so we are talking 6.40 maximum for this. This really is just a serum to help awaken under your eyes, making you look less tired, less puffy, less dull around the eyes. It sinks in super super quick and it's something you use morning and night. At night I would pair this up with Vaseline to create that nice occlusive layer around the eyes."

Doctorly

3.59M subs

~Yay

"This is one of the rare scenarios where I would recommend The Ordinary's caffeine and green tea serum. This is something I would often recommend for people underneath the eyes for depuffing, but it could also be used as an overall facial serum for someone who is feeling tired in the morning. It's a very simple complementary product from The Ordinary, and I love the price point."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Alpha hydroxy acids

Alpha hydroxy acids loosen the bonds holding dead cells at the surface. The evidence supports smoother texture and more even tone over time, and they can leave skin more sensitive to sun.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG?

A lightweight water-based eye serum containing 5% caffeine and EGCG (green tea extract) designed to reduce the appearance of under-eye puffiness and dark circles.

Is The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG worth it?

The gurus are split. 13 of the 18 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 3 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 73%.

What is The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG's Guru Score?

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG holds a Guru Score of 73%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 18 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

What is The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG is good for under-eye puffiness (7 experts), redness (3 experts), dark spots and post-acne marks (1 expert), rosacea (1 expert), irritated or reactive skin (1 expert) and dull skin (1 expert).

Is The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG good for under-eye puffiness?

7 experts who reviewed The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG say it is. April Basi put it this way: “I love their caffeine 5% de-puffing eye serum.”