The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

Editor's Take

At this price, 5% caffeine and EGCG at meaningful levels make most eye serums look padded; this one keeps its money on puffiness and antioxidant support.

Four-pillar formula scores

• Performance: 8.5 / 10
• Innovative Ingredients: 7.2 / 10
• Clean Standards: 8.4 / 10
• Formula Sustainability: 9.0 / 10

The Verdict

The 5% caffeine concentration gives this a credible shot at temporarily reducing puffiness, while EGCG and the broader antioxidant blend support stressed under-eye skin. Dimethyl Isosorbide aids delivery, and the stable lightweight gel carries the active load without silicone filler. Phenoxyethanol and the persistent synthetic gel polymer are modest trade-offs in an otherwise clean, highly sustainable formula. One of the sharper budget eye serums, especially for morning puffiness rather than every kind of dark circle.

Is The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG clean?

DARE scores The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG by The Ordinary 8.4 / 10 on Clean Standards, the human-health pillar of the Formulation Architecture Model™. That reading comes from the published INCI list read as a system — preservative, fragrance and surfactant choices in context — not from flagging single ingredients in isolation.

What are the key ingredients in The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG?

The formula leads with Aqua, Caffeine, Maltodextrin, Glycerin, Propanediol, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside. DARE reads the full INCI list below in order, so position and pairing shape how each ingredient contributes under Performance and Innovative Ingredients.

How does DARE score The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG?

Under the Formulation Architecture Model™, The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG by The Ordinary scores Performance 8.5 / 10, Clean Standards 8.4 / 10, Innovative Ingredients 7.2 / 10, and Formula Sustainability 9.0 / 10. Each pillar is scored from the finished formula rather than from isolated ingredient flags.

Read the Formulation Architecture Model™ →

DARE vs single-ingredient apps like Yuka →

Full 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