If I could recommend one thing to add to your skincare routine I think it would be vitamin C. One of the most popular ones that I see floating around the internet is the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Acid serum, so I thought I’d give it a try and give my thoughts.
I know what you’re thinking because it’s the same thing I was thinking. This shit is expensive. $166 for a 1oz. bottle seems insane, especially when you’re going to be using it daily and it’s only going to last… a couple months maybe. I was very lucky to be gifted a gift card to Dermstore, which is how I purchased this because I don’t know if I would’ve made the splurge to be honest.

A couple weeks before I ordered one of my coworkers tried it out and told me it’s a game changer, so I had to check it out. I used almost my entire gift card for this one serum, but no regrets.
Let me just be REAL honest here though. I ordered from Dermstore with a gift card. I got my gift card on 2/13/20, ordered on 3/9/20 and the order didn’t go through, but I was charged. Everything was finally fixed and I reordered on 3/12/20, order was cancelled again on the 16th, and money was not returned to gift card. This wasn’t fixed until 3/26/20 where customer service had to order for me because all this WFH stuff they couldn’t refund me because of security issues. I got an email on 3/27/20 that it was cancelled again, reached out and they said ignore the email. Finally received the product on 3/30/20. It took almost a month to make this order. I know this isn’t everyone’s experience, and Kara from Dermstore was the MVP really helping ya girl out, but damn. I still have like $20 left on my gift card and I need to prep myself for another order with them. I figured I’d share my experience anyways, not making a dig at Dermstore – the order went through, I got my product, so it’s all good.
What Does It Do?
So, according to their website the serum is a mix of: 15% pure vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), 1% vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), and 0.5% ferulic acid.
It’s supposed to help with complexion and brightness, fine lines, UVA/UVB and free radical protection for dry, normal, or sensitive skin. I read some comments on their site and it looks like it’s not really for oily or acne prone skin, so can’t speak to that.
Vitamin C protects against free radicals and brightens skin, vitamin E hydrates and protects against free radicals, and ferulic acid stabilizes the two.

How Do You Use It?
Skinceuticals recommends 4-5 drops in the morning. I do it after cleanser, toner, essence, and before moisturizer and SPF.
Two Week Thoughts:
- I know this is really expensive. Honestly, thinking about spending this much every couple of months stresses me out. It’s a large reoccurring payment. This is literally $10 cheaper than my CAR PAYMENT when I was paying off my car. Think about that for a second. I will say though, that the fact that it protects against UVA/UVB, ozone, and engine exhaust is a unique perk of the product.
- It smells like hot dog water in the WORST WAY. HOT. DOG. WATER. This stuff smells so, so nasty. It honestly ruins the skincare experience in the morning, but the smell doesn’t really linger especially if you use SPF. When I forget SPF I can smell it a little, when I use SPF it’s for sure gone. Funny thing is that I think the products that work the best usually don’t smell that great (but it means no added fragrance as well, which is a win)!
- I can definitely see my pores tightening. I don’t have major problems with my skin; I have slight uneven texture and tone, fine lines around my eyes, deeper wrinkles on my forehead, large pores and blackheads around my nose and chin, and hormonal acne. I can 100% see a difference in the size of my pores.
- No stinging or discomfort on skin for me. Not sure if people with sensitive skin have to say about this, but I’ve had no issues with it.
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