SkinCeuticals vs The Ordinary — side by side, no bias.
Our pick
C E Ferulic
9.2/10 · SkinCeuticals
| C E Ferulic | Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | SkinCeuticals | The Ordinary |
| Category | serum | serum |
| Editor Rating | 9.2/10 ★ | 8.5/10 |
| Category | serum | serum |
| Texture | Thin golden serum | Watery serum |
| Finish | Absorbed slightly tacky | De-puffed, awake |
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| Verdict | The benchmark vitamin C serum the entire industry measures itself against. 15% L-ascorbic acid + 1% vitamin E + 0.5% ferulic acid — the Duke University antioxidant patent that spawned a thousand dupes. $182 is painful, but the 20-year clinical dataset on photoaging reversal is unmatched. Every derm office in America has a bottle on the shelf. | The Ordinary's $9 caffeine eye serum — the most-referenced drugstore depuffer on TikTok and the Reddit wiki for under-eye routines. 5% caffeine + EGCG (the polyphenol active in green tea), with hyaluronic acid, oxidized glutathione, and melanin in a vasoconstrictor-leaning watery base. The high caffeine % is the genuine differentiator — most prestige eye serums dose at 0.5-1% caffeine for the same depuffing claim. Dries down with a slight tackiness because of the polyacrylate crosspolymer film, which actually helps deliver the caffeine longer than a plain water vehicle would. |
