Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum versus The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG .
Last updated on May 14, 2024. Published on May 05, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both fungal acne (malassezia) safe and reef safe serums. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain hyaluronic acid
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin and brightening skin
Free From
They both do not contain any oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain harsh alcohols, common allergens and fragrances
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Price
Ingredient Info
Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum 14 ingredients
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 25 ingredients
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Vegan
This product is vegan 🎉
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum 14 ingredients
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 25 ingredients
Benefits
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum 14 ingredients
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 25 ingredients
Water • Caffeine • Maltodextrin • Glycerin • Propanediol • Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside • Gallyl Glucoside • Hyaluronic Acid • Oxidized Glutathione • Melanin • Glycine Soja 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
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterDropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 1.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinDropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 4.
Caffeine is most associated with coffee, tea, and cacao. In skincare, it helps with calming inflammation and anti-aging.
Caffeine is an antioxidants, which help with the signs of aging. This is because antioxidants help fight skin-damaging free radical molecules.
While caffeine is used to treat cellulite and and dark circles, further studies are needed to prove this. It has been believed to help with these skin conditions due to its ability to dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow.
Some studies are looking into caffeine's ability to protect against UV rays.
Learn more about CaffeineDropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 2.
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinDropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum contains this as ingredient number 10.
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 3.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.
Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum contains this as ingredient number 11.
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 23.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholDropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum contains this as ingredient number 14.
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 21.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum 14 ingredients
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 25 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum 14 ingredients
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 25 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Dropology Caffeine + Ginseng 5% Serum.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 47 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG.
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