The Ordinary Caffeine Solution: The Best Solution for Dark Circles and Puffy Eyes? | Product Review

Testing The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG to see if it is as effective as Tik Tokers and social media has made the eye serum out to be. 

The Ordinary is known for its customizable yet affordable skincare line. As much as I love their branding and heard about the company on social media, I did not buy into the hype. A few months ago, I purchased the Niacinamide Serum. I just recently started using it again because I want to add a sense of routine to my life via skincare, but have honestly not seen any difference. The lack of change might be because I didn’t have many of the problems that Niacinamide is designed to solve. 

    An issue I do deal with is dark circles. They’re pretty noticeable all year round because of my terrible sleep schedule but have gotten worse recently because it’s winter. In winter, days are shorter, and with the cold weather, I don’t even consider going outside for leisure. As a result, I’m paler meaning my dark circles stand out even more. 

I know other brands like  Youth to the People use caffeine in their serums but products like these retail upwards of $30. As someone that barely manages to put on a face moisturizer and SPF every single day, I don’t want to spend that much money without knowing it will provide the results I want or that I will even use it consistently. 

Luckily, a close friend of mine shared that her sister shared the same struggles and experienced great changes using the caffeine serum which is only $6.70

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

The application instructions are simple. Take a few drops and massage them into your eyes, day and night. For the past 14 days, I stuck to this routine. Also, I did not introduce any new products during this time period, so am %100 sure that if there are any significant changes it will be a result of The Ordinary Caffeine Solution. I did try to sleep earlier as well, but not even that helped my dark circles. 

Based on my last sentence you might be able to tell that I was not pleased with the results, better said, lack of results, but I still believe this product might be useful for others. 

IS THE CAFFEINE SOLUTION RIGHT FOR YOU?

Although I didn’t see any changes to the pigmentation of my dark circles, I do think I felt some tightening of the skin under my eye. This product is also meant to help with puffiness and fine lines. Because of this promise and the positive experience my friend’s sister (who suffers from puffy eyes and dark circles) had, I recommend you try the product. Everyone’s skin is different and the beauty of The Ordinary is that you can combine specific skincare ingredients to make the best routine for you. Honestly, because the product is so affordable, I still recommend trying the serum mainly because I think another factor that contributes to my dark circles is my lack of vitamins, which a topical product cannot fix.

BEST FEATURES OF THE THE ORDINARY CAFFEINE SOLUTION

SMALL + SIMPLE PACKAGING 

The Caffeine collusion comes in a standard glass bottle with a dropper. The dropper makes it easy to control the amount you use every time you apply the product. Also, the product comes in one size 30ml/1 oz which is perfect for traveling. Fun Fact: Unlike most, The Ordinary products, this product comes in brown UV protective packaging instead of frosted glass

NO SMELL 

Because this is a caffeine solution and the serum is a golden color, I assumed the product would have a slight coffee smell. The good news it doesn’t! However, this might be bad news if you’re a fan of coffee-scented products.

LIGHTWEIGHT AND REFRESHING PRODUCT 

A lot of strong eye products have a very rich formula. Sometimes this product is so rich in good ingredients that it’s actually harmful and creates undereye milia. Although the Caffeine solution is a potent serum, it absorbs somewhat quickly. When the product absorbs into the skin, it has a slight tightening effect but it’s not uncomfortable. Over the past 14 days, I have not developed any milia or felt discomfort after using this product. Of course, you should still do a patch test on your arm before testing this product out for yourself. 

RESULTS 

Below are my day one vs day 14 pictures. There’s a slight difference in lighting but regardless you can tell there was little to no difference in the pigmentation of my dark circles. 

Because of the lack of results, I’m still on the hunt for a solution. If you struggled with dark circles and found a product that works for you, please do share!! 

WHERE TO BUY ($6.70 at all locations - but Ulta has promos more often)

The Ordinary 

Ulta (Best option for people based in the US)

Sephora