5 October 2017

THE ORDINARY CAFFEINE SOLUTION 5% +EGCG {REVIEW}


DECIEM | The Abnormal Beauty Company, even though it's a strange name is surprisingly 
a very apt name, 
as they create, manufacture and retail their own somewhat obscure, 
yet serious and highly effective, no frills, skin care ranges all at stripped down prices.

Started in 2013 the Canadian company DECIEM is the name of the beauty umbrella and 
their teams of scientists have created several brands under this umbrella including NIOD, 
The Ordinary, Hylamide and The Chemistry Brand to name but a few.

This unconventional approach to beauty is not the industry norm and DECIEM have taken 
those stereotypical norms and literally tipped them on their heads and 
by all accounts very successfully. 
Available in many countries around the world, their own shops are small and basic, 
but functional in their shop fitting, so don't expect any fancy shop and manoeuvring space is 
tight, as I found out on a busy Saturday morning in their Spitalfields store on my recent 
trip to the UK.

I must admit the product offerings from these ranges seem a little daunting and somewhat confusing, 
as all of the packaging is very basic, somewhat similar and not overly informative, 
so my advice is to do some research before a visit and do ask a consultant for information 
and advice on both the brands and products they have to offer.
Alternatively  do your research before ordering online.




I came away with 4 skincare products from The Ordinary as this brand has had the most 
positive media coverage and it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for 
and it didn't break the bank either, 
as my total bill for 4 products came to around £27, and for those of us 
buying in South African rands it's an absolute skincare pleasure.

I know, it all sounds too good to be true, 4 serious skin serums at positively cheap prices, 
so how did they perform?
I'm still busy with 3 of the products and I will bring you my thoughts, as I either finish 
them or have used sufficiently to form an opinion, but first up is...





Caffeine Solution 5% +EGCG

What springs to mind immediately when I see the word Caffeine, other than it being 
a stimulant found in tea and coffee, is "Cellulite" and "Puffiness", as it's an
ingredient often used by many skincare brands in face and body products 
to improve the appearance of cellulite and de-puff the eye area..

However The Ordinary have including rather a high percentage in this eye serum
 to help reduces appearance of eye contour pigmentation and puffiness, 
as it constricts the blood vessels to reduce discolouration and swelling.
I had to do some research on (EGCG) Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, 
as I hadn't heard or seen the inclusion of this in any other products, but apparently
 its highly purified and derived from green tea leaves and has strong 
anti-inflammatory properties.

The Ordinary claim that this combination of Caffeine and EGCG can help reduce
 looks of puffiness and of dark circles in the eye contour. 
The Ordinary do also emphasis that there are several different reasons for the 
skin around the eye area to be dark and puffy and that this product will not help.

So lets see what The Ordinary say...

"Hollowness in the eye contour as a result of structure of sub-dermal tissues like fat
 and bone can result in visible shadows under the eyes. 
This shadow, which is not to be mistaken for dark circles, cannot be addressed with topical skincare including this formula"
"Fat deposits under the eye contour can create permanent puffiness in this area.This type of deposit cannot be improved with topical skincare,including this formula" 
Dark circles and puffiness around the eyes is a common complaint with most women 
and indeed many men, too much looking at a screen and lack of sleep are just
 a couple of contributing factors and this type of product is popular
with so many of us regardless of age.




I have been using this light textured, non sticky solution for around eight weeks
now.Applying both morning and evening under my normal moisturising eye treatment 
(this serum contains no super moisturising elements to speak of, so I certainly wouldn't advise that you ditch your eye cream, but rather use in conjunction with)

Initially I was super impressed as to how quickly I noticed the darkness disappear, especially under the eye area from midway outwards, but I can't say that I've noticed 
the same change to the darkness in the inner corner of the eye area, 
which sometimes can look quite dark.

With regards to reducing puffiness - yes it has helped, but I wouldn't say that I suffer too badly directly under the eye area, but I always seemed to either retain fluid or store fat and appear puffy above the line of the cheek bone and this is where I have noticed the biggest improvement and it just happens to be in the area where they say it won't help.

The serum is easy to use and has become a daily fixture in my skincare regime and 
I now wouldn't like to be without it and judging by how little you need and use, 
the 30mls will last for ages. 
Also please note this serum is supplied in UV-protective packaging as EGCG is sensitive
 to light, so for us living in South Africa store I would also store in a dark place.

I personally think this product could be somewhat of a hit or miss with some users 
and I think it all depends on the cause of the pigmentation or darkness, 
but for the price I don't think you can afford not to give this product a try. 


Caffeine Solution 5% +EGCG
30mls

R235
( Available in SA online from SAMIKA )

£5

$
10.70



The Ordinary Skincare is cruelty-free and does not contain parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, benzalkonium chloride, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury and oxybenzone.



N.B.
Estée Lauder Companies Inc have bought a share in DECIEM, as recently as June this year, so I think this move by ELC speaks volumes about this company, the team of scientists and the products they have formulated and taken to market, all very successfully.

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