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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG versus Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on January 12, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe serums. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, reducing pores and dark spots

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.

Serum Canadian Brand Canada
Serum French Brand France

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

Starts at $9.20
Shop

Buy Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (3)

Notable Ingredients

Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots (2)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Water

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 1.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

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 Caffeine

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 2.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Glycerin

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 4.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 2.

4
What it does: Solvent
Community Rating: Liked

Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use.

It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 5.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 5.

5
What it does: Emulsion Stabilising
Community Rating: Disliked

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 is a texture enhancer and pH adjuster.

It is be used to thicken water-based products and create a gel-texture with a velvet feel.

One manufacturer claims this ingredient to have a pH range of 2-8 and to be biodegradable.

Learn more about Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 15.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 11.

6
What it does: Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 16.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 10.

7
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Loved

Dehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.

Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 18.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 12.

8
What it does: Perfuming, Preservative, Solvent
Community Rating: Very Disliked

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 Alcohol

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 22.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 9.

9
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.

In products that are water-based, this ingredient can help stabilize perfumes and fragrances. It can also help make the texture of products softer and more smooth.

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG contains this as ingredient number 23.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 6.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

50% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
23% are disliked or very disliked
8% have no rating yet
44% are loved or liked
13% have mixed ratings
31% are disliked or very disliked
13% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 26 ingredients

2.5 /5
from 13 ratings
Doesn't Work (3) Drying (1) Great Value (1) Hydrating (1) No Scent (1) Oily (1)
wthtay's avatar

wthtay

1 year ago · Combination Skin
Review

Didn't notice any difference
My bottle lasted for probably 3~4 months I think? And I really didn't notice any difference... It's not hydrating...

Didn't notice any difference
My bottle lasted for probably 3~4 months I think? And I really didn't notice any difference... It's not hydrating enough and it didn't help with puffiness at all.

JuliaTrancoso_671's avatar

JuliaTrancoso_671

2 years ago · Combination Skin
Review

Unfortunately it didn't work for me.
I was very happy with the glow that this product gives the eye area, however, after a few weeks of use it...

Unfortunately it didn't work for me.
I was very happy with the glow that this product gives the eye area, however, after a few weeks of use it dried out my skin a lot.

Typology Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide 16 ingredients

Eye Serum 5% Caffeine + 5% Niacinamide hasn't been rated yet.
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Alternatives

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