SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic review: why is it famous?

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic has been the beauty world’s most famous vitamin C serum for over two decades now. The formula is covered by an important patent, based on groundbreaking research conducted by SkinCeuticals founder Dr. Sheldon R. Pinnell.

The patent established the C E Ferulic serum as the first product to offer vitamin C in its pure, active form and in a more stable formula.  

The patent covers a few potential vitamin C serum formulas, specifying the ingredients, pH range, and more. The main ingredients in the C E Ferulic patent are vitamin C (in its ascorbic acid form), vitamin E, and ferulic acid. 

The ascorbic acid form of vitamin C is a powerful but unstable antioxidant that brightens the skin, reduces discoloration, and amps up protection against external aggressors that cause premature aging. 

In their research backing the patent, SkinCeuticals also showed combining vitamin C and ferulic acid boosts vitamin C's photoprotective properties, making it a useful addition under sunscreen.

Many vitamin C products don’t contain enough vitamin C or they’re made with lesser derivatives that don’t impact the skin. Exposure to sun, heat, or air can cause vitamin C serums to break down, so they turn dark, develop a smell, and dramatically lose their efficacy.

When SkinCeutical first released C E Ferulic, it was truly revolutionary. Combined with an innovative strategy of distributing primarily through dermatologist clinics, it grew into a national sensation! 

In this SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic review we ask the question, does it still measure up 20 years after its creation? Is this formula truly more stable than other options today? 

Let’s get into it. 

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Ingredients

Before diving into our review, here’s a quick summary of the ingredients behind C E Ferulic: 

• Ascorbic acid is the most potent and well-researched form of vitamin C in skincare. When formulated correctly, it has a skin-brightening effect and the ability to improve the skin’s collagen production. It’s also a powerful antioxidant that can protect the skin from premature aging.

• Alpha-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that helps stabilize and preserve other antioxidants. As an oil-based antioxidant, it’s a great complement to vitamin C. 

• Ferulic acid is an antioxidant and photoprotective phenolic compound. Combining vitamin C and ferulic acid results in a slightly more stable formula, but today there are new ways to achieve even better stability. Ferulic acid can develop a strange smell as it starts to break down and may mask whether the vitamin C is oxidizing. 

The Science 

SkinCeuticals conducted a lot of research that was industry-changing at the time it came out. 

Thanks to the brand, we learned that vitamin C can help give sunscreens a boost, and that it’s even better when combined with other antioxidants like ferulic acid. More recent SkinCeuticals studies show that using the antioxidant formula is particularly beneficial after intense facial treatments like microneedling and laser.

However, newer SkinCeuticals research isn’t released to the public, which makes it harder to verify their claims about how the product targets wrinkles or discoloration. 

The same applies when SkinCeuticals makes claims that its vitamin C remains active even once it has oxidized. While doctors affiliated with SkinCeuticals mention research, the studies are never named, linked to, or cited, so we can’t review the methodologies. 

The Infamous Smell 

One of the biggest drawbacks to SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum is its smell, which is often compared to meat or “hot dog water.” The smell is an unfortunate outcome of ferulic acid—it stinks as it oxidizes, which happens fast (especially when kept in a dropper container that allows air inside). 

In fact, the “hot dog water” smell associated with vitamin C serums is largely caused by ferulic acid. It's a problem, since it can mask the scent of other ingredients spoiling or oxidizing, including the vitamin C itself. 

Is C E Ferulic really that stable? 

Together, the vitamin E and ferulic acid serve to protect the vitamin C in the serum or, at least, that's what SkinCeuticals claim. It’s important to note that while SkinCeuticals’ testing proved an overall stable formula, it didn’t necessarily prove that the vitamin C in it remained active over time. 

The reality is that C E Ferulic’s stability depends on a lot of factors, including how it’s treated during shipping and how you take care of it at home. 

A key criticism of the C E Ferulic serum is that it’s stored in a dropper bottle rather than an airtight container. With every drop dispensed, air gets in and inevitably causes the formula to break down. 

On social media, we’ve seen influencers use discolored C E Ferulic serums, suggesting that there are indeed many people out there using oxidized formulas.

How you store your skincare can impact its shelf-life, and forgetting to seal the bottle for just a few hours could cause you to lose a good chunk of ascorbic acid. 

That’s why, no matter what vitamin C serum you use, it’s important to learn to recognize signs of oxidization. 

One great way to tell if vitamin C has oxidized is when it develops a slightly metallic scent. Unfortunately, in CE Ferulic, the scent is masked up by the stinky ferulic acid. This means that you can't tell when the vitamin C in your CE Ferulic has oxidized by smell alone. 

Another way to tell if your vitamin C has oxidized is through color. A non-oxidized vitamin C serum should always be very clear in color. 

However, according to SkinCeuticals, color isn’t necessarily a determinant of oxidized vitamin C—however, we don’t see how this could be true, and even SkinCeuticals is opaque when trying to explain how it could. 

Example of oxidized C E Ferulic

The only reason why vitamin C turns darker is that it oxidizes, which causes it to break down and results in some dark-colored compounds. Some of those compounds are known irritants, especially dehydroascorbic acid. In other words, as the color changes, vitamin C formulas get more and more irritating, due to the unintended and somewhat unpredictable byproduct chemicals.  

Is SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic worth it?

SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic currently retails for $182.00 for just 30 mL of product.

Considering the formula can change color over time, there's real potential for oxidization and reduced efficacy. We think this makes the cost hard to justify.

SkinCeuticals is an expensive brand not just because of the research it conducted, but also because of its business model. It was originally sold exclusively through doctors' offices and aesthetic clinics. Such clinics are low-traffic settings compared to drugstores and even high-end stores like Sephora. By necessity, the products sold through them need a very high markup to be profitable.  

It’s important to add that the concept of clinical or medical skincare isn’t regulated, and the term doesn’t mean much in practice. 

So for you as a skincare lover, the real question should be—do this product’s effects merit such a high price point? 

While SkinCeuticals promises significant results and a more stable formula, it’s important to note that it hasn’t been tested head-to-head against other vitamin C products. 

After conducting similar stability testing, for instance, we can say with certainty that our Vitamin C Superserum stands up to the same kind of scrutiny as C E Ferulic without the need for ferulic acid. 

Additionally, we think SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic is more prone to oxidization than the company suggests. This also depends on how the bottle is kept during transportation and storage. 

What to look for in a SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic dupe  

Considering just how expensive SkinCeuticals is, there’s nothing wrong with looking for a C E Ferulic dupe or alternative. Here’s what we recommend you look for in a vitamin C serum that works.  

• Ascorbic acid: This is the pure, true form of vitamin C that doesn’t need to undergo any conversions to impact the skin. It has the most research backing its ability to reduce signs of photoaging, fade dark spots, and to protect the skin.  The C E Ferulic formula contains 15% ascorbic acid, which is on the high side and may increase the risk of irritation. 10% is more than sufficient when a formula is stable. 

• UV and oxygen-proof packaging: The most important factor in whether your ascorbic acid will remain active is its packaging. Vitamin C in a dropper bottle will be exposed to too much air, resulting in faster degradation. 

• Water-based: While water-based formulas are harder to preserve, this is key for enjoying the most absorption from your vitamin C serum. For this reason, we don’t recommend vitamin C suspensions or silicone-based formulas. 

• Ideal pH: The ideal pH for ascorbic acid absorption is 3.5 or lower, although keep in mind that going too low can increase your risk of irritation. 

• Ferulic acid is optional: You don’t need stinky ferulic acid in your vitamin C serum. A vitamin C serum can be effective while smelling pleasant (and still being fragrance free), as long as its bottle is truly oxygen and UV-proof. You can still enjoy vitamin C’s brightening, anti-aging, and protective effects without ferulic acid.