Milk Makeup’s Cooling stick is just one of many in their uber popular line of stick skincare. Ever wonder what makes it so special? The Cooling Stick feels like you just pulled it out of the fridge and is insanely soothing on the skin. It’s heavenly for depuffing and adding hydration but the product offers no long term skincare benefits. Is it worth paying a high-end price for a product that only provides a soothing, topical sensation? Spoiler alert, no.
Our favorite dupe for the Milk Makeup Cooling Stick is the Saem Hydrating Eye Stick! This stick contains mineral water for a soothing, cooling effect and niacinamide to fade dark spots. It’s affordable and the packaging is a cute little polar bear stick. We like this dupe better than the Milk Makeup Cooling Stick because it has the same functions, a cheaper price tag and offers long term skin benefits!
Milk Makeup Cooling Water Stick Ingredients
This gel stick visibly reduces puffiness with caffeine and soothes with seawater for hydrated, refreshed-looking skin.
The standout ingredients responsible for the cooling sensation in the Milk Makeup Cooling stick are:
- Caffeine: Reduces the appearance of puffiness.
- Seawater: Soothes and hydrates.
These 2 ingredients are pretty ordinary and not hard to find in skincare. Caffeine is in a lot of eye products as it helps to depuff. Some substitutes like aloe, peppermint, mineral water and cucumber can provide similar effects to the skin.
Milk Makeup Cooling Water Stick Dupes
A good dupe is one that will provide a cooling sensation on the skin. Let’s face it, the Milk Makeup Cooling stick doesn’t really do much. In this case, most of the dupes are even better than Milk Makeup because they offer long term skin care improvements. Did we mention while being cheaper as well? There’s no need to spend on the Milk Makeup Cooling Stick any more!
The Saem Hydrating Eye Stick
This eye stick helps cool and brighten dark and puffy skin around the eyes.
This eye stick has a cooling sensation with the help of Iceland mineral water. It’s packaging is a little polar bear, stick component and it’s so adorable! The price is just right and this product is such an incredible dupe for the Milk Makeup Cooling Stick. Our scruple with the Milk Makeup Cooling Stick was that it had no long term skincare benefits. This product contains niacinamide to help fade dark circles and improve the under eyes over time!
Pros:
- This is marketed for the under eye area but you can use it all over your face.
- Very affordable and the packaging is a cute little polar bear.
- Contains Niacinamide to help face dark circles.
- Contains mineral water to provide the cooling sensation.
- The ingredient list is great!
- Works like the Milk Makeup stick to depuff the eyes and soothe your skin.
- Some reviewers said this stick is as good as Milk Makeup, if not better.
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with a lot of product but the price is significantly cheaper then Milk Makeup. It’s also hard to go through an entire product like this.
- Reviewers said sometimes the product is stiff.
Where to buy it:
Physician’s Formula Refreshmint Stick
This cooling undereye treatment depuffs, soothes, and refreshes the delicate skin under your eye, and can decrease the look of dark undereye circles.
Depuff the eye area with this cooling stick formulated with peppermint, aloe, glacial water and cucumber. These ingredients provide a minty fresh, soothing cooling sensation to the skin. The product has a nice glide and never leaves a sticky residue behind. The only thing to watch out for is the peppermint, especially on the under eye area. This can cause irritation in a delicate area like the under eyes.
Pros:
- Affordable!
- Cools and depuffs the under eye area. Works all over the face.
- Cruelty-free, hypoallergenic and fragrance-free.
- The ingredients are pretty similar to Milk Makeup.
Cons:
- Beware, peppermint may irritate the skin.
- Packaging is small.
- The product can dry out quickly if you don’t apply both caps.
Where to buy it:
Yes To Cucumbers Cooling Hydrating Primer Stick
This cooling, lightweight “magic stick” helps visibly erase imperfections, helps visibly blur pores, reduces oil and shine, evens out your skin texture and locks in hydration.
A cucumber cooling stick that depuffs the face while blurring pores and imperfections and reducing oil and shine? This product does it all! We like this hydrating stick because it works as a skincare and makeup hybrid. If you’re looking for a cooling product to use before makeup, this is the best option because it blurs the skin and works well under makeup.
Pros:
- Packaging looks just like the Milk Makeup Cooling Stick.
- Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free.
- Works as a skincare and makeup product.
- Blurs the skin and reduces shine.
- Cooling sensation comes from cucumbers and the overall ingredient list is good.
Cons:
- Negative reviews are directed towards the scent. Some say it’s too strong, some say it smells weird.
- This product may be a bit harder to find.
- Feels more refreshing than cooling and storing it in the fridge is recommended.
Where to buy it:
Cold Brew Eye Recovery Stick
This slick balm has clean, worry-free ingredients that help cool, brighten, and reduce the appearance of puffiness around your eyes.
This eye stick helps to cool, brighten and reduce the appearance of a puffy under eye. Peach and Lily is a K-beauty brand and they have the best, skin friendly ingredients! Some of the star ingredients and claims include:
- Cucumber Extract: brings cooling effects and helps skin feel tighter
- Caffeine + Green Tea: helps skin look tighter and reduces the appearance of puffiness
- Niacinamide: helps brighten and even skin tone
- Adenosine: helps improve the appearance of lines and wrinkles
The good news about these ingredients is, they will definitely help to bring long term effects… Something the Milk Makeup cooling stick doesn’t have.
Pros:
- Contains so many good ingredients and offers skincare benefits + long term effects.
- It’s on sale at
Ulta right now! - Vegan, cruelty-free. No parabens or fragrance.
- Shape fits right under your eyes perfectly.
Cons:
- Price is up there but it’s cheaper than Milk Makeup and this is a far better product.
- Some said the stick breaks when you apply it.
- Works better at night then as a makeup primer.
Where to buy it:
Tula Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm
This balm instantly cools, hydrates, and brightens the look of undereye dark circles.
This balm keeps the under eyes bright, refreshed and depuffed. The cooling balm fills in fine lines with the help of caffeine and aloe to create a more youthful under eye. This product is more expensive but it’s raved about and it truly works and delivers! If you’re looking for an effective under eye cooling balm, this is a good one to get. It does exactly what it says!
Pros:
- This gets amazing reviews!
- Tula offers a 30 day return policy so if you’re not in love, you can return the product and get your money back.
- Free of parabens and phthalates.
- Has a really great list of ingredients that includes aloe and caffeine and it’s listed high up in the ingredients.
- Small compact stick fits right under your eyes perfectly.
Cons:
- The price is high and actually costs more than Milk Makeup.
- Some reviewers said it stinks.
Where to buy it:
Wet n Wild Photofocus Hydrating Cooling Balm Stick
This hydrating stick packs an array of added benefits to revive and refresh.
Leave it to Wet n Wild to deliver a drugstore dupe for the Milk Cooling Stick. This balm contains caffeine and cucumber to cool and depuff the under eyes. Were not surprised because most cooling sticks contain both cucumber and caffeine. This size of the product is tiny but the price is unbeatable. Some reviewers use it as a primer all over the face but the one thing all the reviews share, 5 stars because people love this product!
Pros:
- Gets amazing reviews on the performance.
- Fragrance-free.
- So affordable and easy to pick up at the drugstore.
- Works well as a cooling stick and all over face primer.
Cons:
- Packaging is not luxe.
- The long term benefits on this is slim but it’s worth it for the price.
Where to buy it: Wet n Wild
Final Thoughts
There are SO many good dupes for the Milk Makeup Cooling Stick and a lot of them are even better. The Saem Hydrating Eye Stick is our stand out because it offers a cooling sensation. Plus, the added benefit of niacinamide for long term skincare benefits and helping to fade dark circles. The price is so good and we can’t forget the adorable, one-of-a-king packaging. If you’re looking for a cooling stick to wear under your makeup, the Yes To Cucumbers Cooling Stick also fills pores and reduces shine.
Regardless of what you choose, there are really great alternatives to the Milk Cooling Stick that are easily half the price and so much better. This is definitely a scenario when a dupe is superior!