Caffeine 3% + Escin 1% Face Serum

The Ordinary

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Ordinary Caffeine 3% + Escin 1% Face Serum is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 26 ingredients (22 low-risk) rates it Excellent (95/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Serums, Essence, Ampoules
Ingredients
26
Low-risk
22
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
Origin
Canada

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 2/8
Good for dry skin
Ethyl Macadamiate Glycerin
Caution for dry skin
Maltodextrin Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate Sorbitan Olivate Xanthan Gum Glycerin Salicylic Acid Sodium Hydroxide Isoceteth-20
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Salicylic Acid
Sensitive Skin 1/7
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Sodium Citrate Caffeine Glycerin Salicylic Acid Citric Acid Phenoxyethanol Malic Acid

Ingredients list

26 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (4)
All26 Skin Conditioning18 Fragrance7 Emulsion Stabilising6 Hair Conditioning5 Solvent4 Masking4 Buffering Agent4 Ph Adjuster4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
Ethyl Macadamiate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
1
B
Ethylhexyl Olivate
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Caffeine
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Masking)
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Maltodextrin
(Absorbent, Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Binding)
1
Escin
(Tonic)
1
Bacillus Ferment
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
B
Cetearyl Olivate
(Hair Conditioning)
1
A
Sorbitan Olivate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
B
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Cleansingagent, Emulsifying)
3
B
Isoceteth-20
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Hydroxyethylcellulose
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Sodium Citrate
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Chelating, Masking)
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
3
4
B
Malic Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
1
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
(Chelating Agent)
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
4
B
Salicylic Acid
(Antiacne Agent, Antidandruff Agent, Corn/Callus/Wart Remover, Denaturant, Exfoliant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Keratolytic, Masking, Preservative)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
2
A
Chlorphenesin
(Cosmetic Biocide, Antimicrobial, Preservative)

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Ethyl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Maltodextrin
Skin Conditioning
Bacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains paraben
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
May not suit dry skin
May not suit sensitive skin

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Ethyl Macadamiate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningEmollient
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioning
Caffeine
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 FragranceSkin conditioningMasking
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
Maltodextrin
Absorbent, Binding agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A AbsorbentBinding agentEmulsion stabilisingFilm formingHair conditioningSkin conditioningSuspending agent - nonsurfactantBinding
Escin
Tonic
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Tonic
Bacillus Ferment
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin conditioning, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningSolvent
Cetearyl Olivate
Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSurfactant - cleansingagentEmulsifying
Isoceteth-20
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant
Xanthan Gum
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingSkin conditioningSurfactant -emulsifying agentViscosity increasing agentBindingGel formingViscosity controlling
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingFilm formingViscosity increasing agentBindingStabilisingViscosity controlling
Sodium Citrate
Ph adjuster, Buffering agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Ph adjusterBuffering agentChelatingMasking
+ 6 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Salicylic Acid
Antiacne agent, Antidandruff agent
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Antiacne agentAntidandruff agentCorn/callus/wart removerDenaturantExfoliantFragranceHair conditioningSkin conditioningKeratolyticMaskingPreservative Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Where it fits: Apply after toner and before moisturiser — thinnest to thickest.
  • 2 Evening, start slow: Best in the PM a few times a week to begin with; avoid layering with other strong actives the same night.
  • 3 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Officially notified as a cosmetic in Malaysia (NPRA). Government registration record.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Use with caution
BHA (salicylic) (Salicylic Acid)

Low-strength topical salicylic acid (BHA) is generally considered fine. Caution is usually reserved for high-strength leave-on products and salicylic peels.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

BHA (salicylic) 0.5–2%

Salicylic acid is OTC-capped at 2%; 0.5–2% is the usual leave-on range. Much below that it acts more as a soothing agent than an exfoliant.

Salicylic Acid

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Malic Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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