Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

Under-eyes got darker and drier in a month and improved after stopping.

“So I stopped using it to see if it was really the cause... Yup! After one month of not using it, my eyes are less darker and less dry.”

Gave them dark circles that took a couple of days to fade; their only reaction to a The Ordinary product.

“It gave me dark circles that took a couple of days to go away. It's the only Ordinary product that's given me a reaction.”

Right after applying around the eyes it left red, darker raccoon-eye marks that were still there 10 hours later.

“Pretty much immediately after I noticed my eyes get a lot redder and darker.”

Each test caused a painful chalazion within a couple of days.

“I tested the serum a few times over a 6 month period, and both times, it caused a painful chaalazion with a couple days of using it.”

Slight warm tingling for a couple of minutes with no redness or swelling.

“After applying a small amount under my eyes, the skin feels slightly warm/tingly for a couple of minutes, then it goes away. There’s no redness or swelling.”

Under-eyes looked darker while using it.

“I actually felt like my under eye area was darker using this product.”

Liked it, only stopped for a more permanent solution.

“I actually really like this product. I don’t use it anymore, simply bc I found a more permanent solution.”

Dark circles look more pronounced each time they use it.

“almost every time I put it on, my dark circles (to me) appear more pronounced.”

With moisturiser and Vaseline puffiness and dark circles lessened noticeably.

“I've been doing this consistently an the puffiness has gone down noticably an lesser dark circles.”

Used The Ordinary caffeine eye serum for years; the only thing that has helped their dark circles.

“I've used the caffeine eye serum for years. It's the only thing I ever found that helped dark circles.”

Almost a year of use without much effect on bags and dark circles.

“I've used it for almost a year and tried other stuff and it doesn't do a whole lot.”

Caused serious dryness, irritation and splotchy discoloration.

“Do not use this serum. It caused me serious dryness and irritation under my eyes.”

A whole bottle did nothing for their dark circles.

“I used a whole bottle and it did absolutely nothing for my dark circles. But I've heard some people saying it helps with eyebags.”

A year or two in it works a little but the difference isn't much.

“I’ve been using it for like a year or two but I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much. It works a little but for me personally, the difference isn’t that much.”

Made their eyes goopy, so they stopped.

“It was the caffeine eye serum that made my eyes goopy.”

Calming and probably depuffing, but genetic circles didn't change.

“i used it and it felt very calming (in a sense that it was cold and probably did temporarily reduce puffiness) but obviously wouldnt work cause mine are genetic.”

Same reaction persisted with less product, and it did nothing.

“I had the same reaction and it persisted after using less product. Obviously everyone is different but that serum did nothing for me!”

A horrible reaction forced them to stop.

“I also had a horrible reaction from that product! I think it is from overuse as well. I had to discontinue it altogether”

No reaction until one day the under-eye felt tight.

“I haven’t had a reaction at all, but today my under eye area felt a bit tight after application.”

No noticeable difference after two weeks.

“I’ve been using this for about 2 weeks however admittedly missed a couple mornings. I haven’t noticed any difference or results either it”

Several months with no effect.

“I’ve been using it for several months at this point to no effect. It makes 0 difference”

Months of use without visible change.

“I used it for months and didn’t really see any changes”

Made the eye area flaky and spoiled concealer.

“I could not use it in the morning because it made my eye area flaky and my concealer looked awful.”

Great for depuffing and smoothing quickly but does nothing for dark circles.

“It’s great for depuffing and smoothing undereye rapidly, but does nothing for my actual dark circles.”

It irritated their under eyes, making them itch, dry out and peel, so they stopped using it.

“I recently picked up The Ordinary’s Caffeine solution and it irritated my under eyes, making them itch, and dry/peel.”

Isn't doing anything for their sunken dark under-eyes.

“I’m finding that the TO Caffeine solution isn’t doing anything at all to help under my eyes.”

Tingled intensely at first, eased by moisturiser first.

“I thought I was going to get a real chemical burn and wiped it off when I first tried it!”

Eye area tingles for minutes after applying.

“Skin around my eyes seems to tingle for a few minutes when I put this on.”

Still unsure after starting it.

“I recently started using the caffeine one and I am still not sure.”

A couple days after starting daily use they got an eye twitch.

“I started using it daily around a week ago or so, and a couple of days later I started to have an eye twitch.”

A year of consistent use has made a definite difference.

“I’ve been using it consistently for the past year and Ive definitely seen a difference.”

Depuffed a bit but not dark circles after two bottles.

“Personally, I found it helped a bit to depuff my eyes, but it didn't really help with the dark circles.”

Dries oily under-eye skin and results are temporary.

“I use it because I have oily under eye skin and it makes it dry. The results are definitely temporary”

Noticeably less dark and puffy, though drying.

“Yes, a very noticeable difference and fast too. Far less dark and puffy. It is definitely drying under the eyes though.”

No difference so they'll give it away.

“I didn't notice any difference on my undereyes, I think I'll give it away.”

Gets eye twitching unless they keep it only on the dark circles.

“as long as I keep it ONLY on my dark circles and not move the serum up towards my lower lashes or outer corners I don't get the twitching.”

A tiny improvement that was probably placebo.

“I noticed a very very small improvement , but honestly it was probably a placebo effect.. Didn't do much.”

Just alright but one bottle seems to last a lifetime.

“the Caffeine Solution is just alright, imo. One positive is that one bottle seems like it could last a lifetime.”

Works great for fluid-retention puffiness though the effect is temporary.

“Been using it daily for about two months now, works great. As others have said the reduction in puffiness is temporary”

Uses it all over the face at night for glowy morning skin.

“I use it all over the face at night if I want glowy skin in the morning!”

Two months didn't help dark circles much but reduced puffiness.

“I have used the caffeine solution for 2 months consistently and didn’t notice any huge improvement in my dark circles. However, I noticed that it did reduce puffiness”

Got no benefit and prefers a Peter Thomas Roth product.

“I didn’t get any benefit from it. The Peter Thomas Roth product is far better.”

Dried out their under-eye area and made it look older.

“Yes, but it dried out my under eye and made look older”

Broke capillaries and bruised the thin under-eye skin.

“No, it broke the capillaries under my under my eyes and gave me bruises. Not made for thin undereye skin.”

Loves it for puffiness during allergy season.

“I love it in the morning to reduce puffiness, especially during allergy season.”

Cheap and makes them feel awake in the morning but they never expect lasting change.

“I only use it because it’s 6 bucks and does make me feel more awake in the morning, but I never expect it to change my under eye situation for the long run”

Layered under an eye cream it gives quick swelling reduction.

“I feel like i get the best results if i layer it underneath an eye cream, so i can get quick swelling reduction plus longer term benefits from the cream.”

It worked but caused constant eye twitching, so they stopped.

“It definitely worked for me but it also gave me constant eye twitches so I had to stop using it.”

Did nothing and later caused stinging dark patches under their eyes.

“I never felt that it did anything, but at some point my skin got super sensitive to it and I’m not sure why. I developed small dark patches under my eyes that stung so bad.”

Fine but not dramatic; worth a shot for the price.

“I'm using it now and it seems fine, but the results aren't dramatic. I think it's worth a shot; at least it's inexpensive.”

Works well for morning puffiness and they're on their third bottle.

“Yes, works well for my morning puffiness. I'm on my third bottle.”

Works for morning puffiness and allergy puffiness; texture turned a bit thick.

“It worked well for the puffy sleepy look I get first thing in the AM, or when my allergies are really bad.”

Helped a lot and a bottle lasts a long time.

“Oh yes it really did help a lot, I don’t use it anymore as I don’t really have that problem at the moment. Lasts a long time too.”

Not drastic but helps a bit and feels refreshing, so they keep buying.

“Like others have mentioned, I didn’t find the results to be drastic. But it helps a bit and I like the consistency! It feels refreshing when I put it on in the morning so I keep buying it.”

Nothing dramatic but they kept reaching for it.

“I think it did for me. Nothing dramatic, but I kept reaching for it for sure.”

Soothing from the fridge but they're not sure it did much.

“I used to keep mine in the fridge and use in the morning. While it felt soothing to go on, I’m not really sure it did much.”

Leaves a crusty film, so they prefer the Inkey List cream.

“It tends to leave a crusty film. I prefer the Inkey List under eye cream.”

Months of daily use produced no reduction in dark circles.

“I used it every single day, religiously for about 3-3.5 months. I saw absolutely no results. No reduction in dark circles and pigmentation.”

Keeps trying it but never notices any difference.

“I feel like every custom routine and box set I get includes it and I never notice any difference.”

Helps them look more awake though nothing spectacular.

“I do. It helps look more awake. But nothing spectacular. I like it though, its like an express morning boost until you have drunk your second coffee.”

Used two bottles on the face as an antioxidant; meh with no problems or improvement.

“Mostly used it as antioxidant. It’s meh. Didn’t bother my skin and I didn’t see any improvements either.”

Brief slight sting then no irritation.

“very slight sting when you apply the solution, although it only lasts a couple of seconds for me. afterwards, i don't feel any irritation”

Didn't seem to do anything but caused no reactions.

“I stopped using it a long time ago because it didn’t seem to be doing anything for me, but I didn’t have any adverse reactions, either.”

Buys it again after pregnancy sleeplessness because it works on dark circles.

“i stopped using it before, too, but because it started working on my dark circles, making me realize that I like them after all because they look like eyeshadow/"no makeup" makeup. 😂 but giving birth/sleepless nights”

Very drying so they put moisturiser over it once dry.

“It is a very drying product. I usually put moisturizer over it once it's dry.”

Got the same dryness and went back to an eye cream.

“I find this happens to me as well. To be honest I stopped using it and just went back to an eye cream.”

Dryness in winter and no results, so they stopped.

“Happened to me too during the winter time and I found that it didn’t give me any results so I stopped using it”

Dried out the eye area increasingly, though it did seem to help puffiness.

“It definitely dried out my eyes and it worsened over time.”

Too drying for daily use; only for a sleep-deprived quick fix.

“It's too drying and irritating for daily use. I only ever use it if I'm sleep deprived and I need a quick fix.”

Used it regularly without redness or stinging.

“I used to use this product regularly and never felt any redness or stinging”

Eyes got puffier and lines more apparent with daily use.

“My eyes have been super puffy and my lines more apparent after starting to use this regularly”

Stung, temporarily reduced puffiness, then lids became itchy and red.

“It does sting at first, but temporarily reduces puffiness. However this morning my lids are itchy and red.”

Excellent: it changed their genetic dark circles.

“The Ordinarys caffeine solution is EXCELLENT. I got fucked w my dark circle genetics and the product literally changed that.”

Slightly darker circles fade but puffiness remains, and it is a little drying.

“I find it makes my circles slightly less dark the next morning, but the puffiness is still there.”

A whole bottle gave no benefit, so no repurchase.

“I went though a whole bottle and saw no benefit in the short- or long-term. Won’t repurchase.”

Fourth bottle with no significant results and no plan to repurchase.

“Currently using my 4th bottle. Don't see any significant results. Won't repurchase after this. I give up.”

Plumped and smoothed the eye area with slightly brighter dark circles.

“I liked it. It plumped my eye area up and it wasn’t so bumpy looking. The texture also seemed smoother. The dark circles were a little brighter.”

Used it and saw not an iota of difference.

“I would not recommend at all. I used it and it made not on iota of difference.”

Used four bottles with no beneficial improvement.

“I also used this product. I’ve used 4 bottles but there’s no beneficial improvement on my eye contour yet.”

Really dried out and wrinkled their under-eyes, so they found it useless.

“it really, really dried out my under eyes and made them look wrinkly”

Two uses gave red bumps, wrinkles and thinner-looking skin.

“after 2 uses I have 3 red bumps under my eye, I have visible WRINKLES under my eyes and my skin around my eyes looks really thin and you can see more of my veins”

Short-term depuffing gives a dry effect, so they add hydration.

“i've been using the TO caffeine and tbh the short term effect of caffeine constricting the area to reduce puffiness gives the effect of dryness: fine lines and less oil.”

Skin looked brighter with use and circles looked darker after stopping.

“I then didn’t use it for nearly a month for some reason, and my circles definitely looked darker.”

No difference after 1.5 months and their under-eyes feel dry and tight.

“But I dont really see a difference. My under-eye feels kinda dry and tight after using it and throughout the day.”

Sometimes quick improvement of under-eye darkness, texture hard to apply.

“on several occasions I have actually noticed pretty quick immediate improvement of under eye darkness after application. Sometimes, not always.”

Did nothing for their dark circles since they have no puffiness.

“Didn't do jack shit for my dark circles because I don't have issues with puffiness.”

Worked miracles under the eyes, hydrating and firming.

“I use it under my eyes and it’s worked miracles for me. I feel like it hydrates and firms the skin.”

Loves it for under-eye lines and dark circles.

“I love it for my under eye lines and dark circles.”

Made their eyes feel unbearably dry.

“I hated it and won’t be using it because of the fact that it made my eyes feel unbearably dry.”

Not sure it does anything and saw more from Drunk Elephant.

“I'm not sure it does anything for me. I saw more results with drunk elephant”

Dries their winter under-eyes, fixed with extra moisturiser and Vaseline.

“I have skin that is slightly dry in the winter and it dries the skin out under my eyes.”

Not hydrating but slightly tightens skin on dry sensitive skin.

“I haven’t found it particularly hydrating, but it does slightly tighten my skin.”

Saw no short or long term effect.

“I didn’t like it. I felt it didn’t have short or long term effects I could see.”

Good for puffiness, very drying and no help for dark circles.

“It works well for puffiness but is extremely drying. Make sure you use a super hydrating eye cream on top. I used it for months and found it did nothing for dark circles”

Works pretty well on morning under-eye puffiness.

“I use it on mornings when I wake up with puffiness under my eyes, and it works pretty well to reduce it.”

Woke up with dry red patches and worse fine lines.

“After applying small pea sized amounts of it under my eyes one night, I woke up with dry, red patches under my eyes, and my fine lines worse than I had ever seen them.”

Removes their puffy eye bags in a few minutes.

“It takes away my puffy eye bags in a few minutes.”

Holy grail for morning puffiness.

“HG for me, I wake up with puffy eyes every morning bc I have to sleep absolutely flat for my neck.”

Works for allergy and cold puffiness with temporary improvement almost immediately.

“The Ordinary caffeine works for me. I get a lot of puffiness from allergies and the cold. I notice temporary improvement almost immediately.”

Immediate smoother under-eye bags, though short-lived.

“I’m currently using it and there’s an immediate difference for under eye bags. The eye area becomes more smooth.”

Works almost instantly on morning puffiness, reducing bag size and colour.

“I use it because mostly I have puffy eyes in the morning and it works almost instantly, reduces the color and the size of bags under my eyes”

Got eye twitching from irritation with this serum.

“I get eye twitching if a product irritates my eyes too much. I had the same issue with TO caffeine.”

Improved their eyelids but their eye started twitching.

“I definitely saw improvement in my eyelids, but at the same time my left eye started twitching quite often.”

Skin tightens right after applying, as the drying reviews said.

“Immediately after applying it I can feel my skin tighten so the reviews are, unfortunately, accurate.”

Does absolutely nothing for their eyes at all.

“I have this product and honestly it does nothing for my eyes!!!”

Helps a lot with puffiness and makes them look awake.

“I do! It helps a lot with puffiness. I notice a difference in how awake I look in the morning”

Reduced dark circles while used but caused red, stinging skin and tiny breakouts nearby.

“it did reduce my dark circles for the period I was using it, I began to get red, stinging skin on the neighbouring skin”

Not moisturising so they layer eye cream on top.

“I found that it's not really an eye cream replacement in that it doesn't really moisturise. I still layer eye cream on top, otherwise the skin around my eyes gets dry too.”

A week in they got papery dry skin and milia under the eyes.

“I incorporated TO caffeine solution a week ago and didn't notice any difference initially. A week later I noticed papery dry skin, bumps and milia under my eyes and eye lids.”

Helped puffiness most and maybe dark circles, used AM and PM.

“I think it has helped me the most with puffiness when used AM and PM and maybe reduced the look of my dark circles”

Helped significantly but wasn't hydrating.

“It seemed to help mine significantly, but wasn’t very hydrating, oddly enough.”

Helps puffiness but not dark circles.

“It really helps my puffiness from sleep/crying, but doesn’t do much for my dark circles.”

Unsure it works; most change using it morning and night.

“Sometimes I think it’s working, and sometimes I can’t tell. I notice the most change when I use it am AND pm.”

Hereditary dark circles don't respond.

“Mine are hereditary unfortunately so the solution doesn’t rly do anything for me.”

On the fence after a few weeks of use for dark circles.

“Added the caffeine solution a few weeks ago and I'm on the fence about it. I have dark circles, either from genetic or tear trough issues.”

Almost instantly lightened their dark circles.

“I tapped it on my eyes and screamed because it almost instantly made them lighter.”

Dark circles returned when they ran out, proving it helped.

“I didn’t realize how much the caffeine solutions helped my dark circles until I ran out of it in the beginning of the month and they’re back. Even my mom noticed.”

Great and cheap for swollen eyes.

“Caffeine Solution 5% is also a great and not pricy product for swollen eyes.”

Twice daily it makes their dark circles look brighter and less puffy.

“I have big under eye circles and I love the caffeine solution, use it twice a day— it makes them look noticeably brighter and less puffy.”

No difference after months and slight dryness.

“I don't see any difference in my undereye circles at all, even when I used it consistently for about 2 months, and it actually slightly dries out my undereye area.”

No colour change but less puffy; pills under makeup.

“I’ve been using this ~2 wks, and it hasn’t done anything for the color under my eyes. I have noticed that they seem less puffy”

Months of use with no improvement.

“I tried it for months and didn’t see any even temporary improvement in my eye puffiness in the morning. Will not repurchase.”

Liked it initially but it doesn't mix well with their new eye cream.

“I liked the caffeine solution in the beginning but it doesn't mix well with my new morning eye cream”

After a week they couldn't put anything on the eye area without burning.

“I had to stop using it because after a week or so of use I couldn't put anything on my eye area without it burning.”

One tiny drop patted in for a few minutes never balled up.

“I always gently pat that amount into my eye area then let it sit for 2-5 min, and never experienced any balling up, as opposed to other TO products.”

Loves it but it pills under makeup into tiny balls around the eyes.

“I love this product however it “pills up” under my makeup and it’s in tiny balls around my eyes when I wake up”

Uses it diluted in other serums all over the face with no problems.

“I don’t have have problem with it so far, seems to be working well for my skin.”

Works for puffiness without stinging.

“It works for my puffiness and doesn't sting for me.”

A month of use with no change, so no repurchase.

“It doesn't sting when I use it, but I have been using it for over a month and don't see any changes. I won't be purchasing it again.”

Lightens circles temporarily so they need less concealer.

“I use it only when my circles are quite bad. It lightens them temporarily so I need less concealer that morning.”

Stopped because of stinging near the eyes.

“i stopped using it because of the stinging. i think its too risky to keep using around the eye area if it is causing burning/stinging imho.”

A week in they started experiencing dryness.

“It has been a little over a week and I have started experiencing some dryness.”

Six weeks of religious use with no change.

“I noticed absolutely no change after using it religiously for 6 weeks.”

Severe lifelong dark circles are still visible but significantly improved.

“Although they are definitely still visible, this product has significantly improved them”

Has used it since July with similar dark-circle improvement.

“I have been using the TO Caffeine Solution since July with similar results to yours.”

Sits fine under makeup once it has time to sink in.

“I use the product and it sits fine under makeup for me, as long as I give it time to sink in.”

A quick fix that halves puffiness, hit or miss overnight, and flaky under makeup.

“Used it after a night of crying and it eliminated the puffiness by half”

Hit or miss; used only on especially puffy mornings.

“I also found that the caffeine solution was a little bit hit or miss.”

Saw no improvement from the original formula and it was a bit drying.

“I tried the original formula, knowing my skin likes Epigallocatechin Gallate in other products, and hey, it's cheap so why not? I didn't see any improvement in my undereye area, if anything it was a bit drying.”