The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Caffeine is the reason to consider this serum, with Lactic acid behind it.
The case for it
- Caffeine, moderate evidence for antioxidant
- Lactic acid, moderate evidence for hydration
- No fragrance, alcohol, silicones or parabens
Mind this
- Sunscreen the next day, acids leave skin more sun-sensitive
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readThe Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum is a serum built around Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid and Lactic acid. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and normal skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
Skip it if your barrier is already sensitised or compromised: the acids can sting broken or over-exfoliated skin.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
14 of the 25 sit above the 1% line. The other 11, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
What it delivers
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
AHA that provides gentle exfoliation and some humectant effect; generally milder than glycolic but still pH-dependent and potentially irritating.
Stimulant molecule that can mildly reduce puffiness and vascular dark circles by improving microcirculation and exerting antioxidant effects around the eye area.
A water-soluble, sugar-stabilised form of EGCG, the main green tea polyphenol. It is in a formula as antioxidant support, not as the ingredient doing the heavy lifting.
Short chain diol that works as a light humectant, co solvent and preservative booster. It keeps a formula less sticky and microbially stable while hydrating the outer layers.
How to use it
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
Keep it away from
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Other exfoliating acids the same night
Where it acts
The same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
- Lactic acidderived from what it is
- Pentylene Glycolderived from what it is
4 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend. 2 did not, so they are not on the diagram: no source and no honest derivation means no dot.
Against the average serum
It scores lower than the median serum on brightening and anti-aging.
On hydration, barrier repair and oil control it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 15 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 25 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua (Water)Solvent (base)
- CaffeineXanthinemild irritant
- Maltodextrin
- GlycerinHumectant
- PropanediolHumectant
- Epigallocatechin Gallatyl GlucosideAntioxidant
- Gallyl Glucoside
- Hyaluronic AcidHumectant
- Oxidized Glutathione
- Melanin
- Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed ExtractAmino acid (NMF)
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- HydroxyethylcelluloseThickener
- Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6Thickener
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Xanthan gum down, these 11 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- Xanthan gumThickener
- Lactic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Dehydroacetic AcidPreservative
- Trisodium Ethylenediamine DisuccinateChelator (stabiliser)
- Propyl Gallate
- Dimethyl IsosorbideSolvent
- Benzyl AlcoholPreservativemild irritant
- 1,2-HexanediolPreservative booster
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
Worth knowing: Lactic acid sits below that line. It is in there, and the label does not tell you how much. That is not the same as saying it is too little to matter.
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua (Water), Caffeine, Maltodextrin, Glycerin, Propanediol, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Hyaluronic Acid, Oxidized Glutathione, Melanin, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Xanthan gum, Lactic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Propyl Gallate, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Benzyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Compare it with…
All 15 comparisons
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 10
- Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum vs Celimax The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster
Common questions
Is The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, normal skin. The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum is a serum built around Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid and Lactic acid. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and normal skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
How do you use The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum?
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
What are the key ingredients in The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid, Lactic acid, Caffeine, EGCG glucoside, Pentylene Glycol. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum beside a cross-section of skin, with 3 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Glycerin and Lactic acid and Pentylene Glycol in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
The Ordinary prints: 5% caffeine. Read on the brand's own product page, 2026-08-10.
