La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C Eye Cream Versus The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C Eye Cream Versus The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Madecassoside to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

This calming eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine and Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside to calm redness and soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Dimethicone

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Ascorbic Acid

Mannose

Butylene Glycol

Paraffinum Liquidum

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Cetyl Alcohol

PEG-100 Stearate

Glyceryl Stearate

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Potassium Hydroxide

Paraffin

Sodium Styrene/Ma Copolymer

Microcrystalline Wax

Madecassoside

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethiconol

Disodium EDTA

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Caprylyl Glycol

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Xanthan Gum

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Ascorbic Acid, Mannose, Butylene Glycol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Potassium Hydroxide, Paraffin, Sodium Styrene/Ma Copolymer, Microcrystalline Wax, Madecassoside, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Xanthan Gum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Phenoxyethanol

Caffeine

Maltodextrin

Propanediol

Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside

Gallyl Glucoside

Hyaluronic Acid

Oxidized Glutathione

Melanin

Glycine Soja Seed Extract

Pentylene Glycol

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Lactic Acid

Dehydroacetic Acid

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Propyl Gallate

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Benzyl Alcohol

1,2-Hexanediol

Ethylhexylglycerin

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

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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.

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