Vitamin C is a finicky ingredient—notoriously difficult to use in formulations because of stability issues. This concept of stability is important because when vitamin C’s stability falters, so does its efficacy, said dermatologist Mina Amin.
That’s where the SkinCeuticals serum stands out: The brand holds a patent on its C E Ferulic stabilization method, Amin explained, allowing the serum to maintain its efficacy for longer. The C E Ferulic composition also enhances the serum’s solubility in the skin, senior staff writer Rory Evans said. “Vitamin C is a real diva ingredient. It really wants these specific conditions in order to absorb and do its thing in your skin,” she explained.
“You’ll notice that no matter the brand, the bottles almost always max out at 1 ounce, because you should be using it—and using it quickly. As it ages, and gets exposed to light and air, it becomes less effective,” Rory added.
Cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline, who has no affiliations with SkinCeuticals, noted that the research involved in the making of skin-care products can trickle into their hefty price tags.
Koestline also emphasized that formulating a serum with such a high concentration of L-ascorbic acid (the purest form of vitamin C) requires a certain finesse for the product to remain stable and efficacious—you can’t simply use the same ingredients at a lower price and call a serum a dupe.
She compared it to salsa (stick with us here):”The tomatoes are maybe the same, the onions are maybe the same, but the salsa is very different when you go to a Michelin-star restaurant just because of how it’s put together.”
You’re paying for more than just ingredients. You’re also paying for a textural experience, as well as for the talents of the chef (the late Sheldon Pinell, who launched SkinCeuticals from his lab at Duke University Medical School and has been called the father of topical antioxidants). But that experience is personal, and for some of our testers, SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic didn’t quite justify its sky-high price.
While some appreciated this serum’s rich viscosity, others found it was too oily for their liking. Just as one person might swear by the smoky depth of a Michelin-starred salsa, another might prefer the fresh bite of the one from their neighborhood taco stand. Texture, like taste, is a matter of preference.
