SkinCeuticals vs The Ordinary — side by side, no bias.
Our pick
C E Ferulic
9.2/10 · SkinCeuticals
| C E Ferulic | Multi-Antioxidant Radiance Serum | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | SkinCeuticals | The Ordinary |
| Category | serum | serum |
| Editor Rating | 9.2/10 ★ | 8.7/10 |
| Category | serum | serum |
| Texture | Thin golden serum | Watery-light gel-serum with a faint amber tint from annatto seed |
| Finish | Absorbed slightly tacky | Dewy, fresh, slightly luminous |
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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 Multi-Antioxidant Radiance Serum is the brand's most polished morning serum — a daily AM brightener built from eight antioxidant technologies that's easier to use than a pure L-ascorbic acid product and arguably more effective for skin that can't tolerate active vitamin C. Ascorbyl Glucoside is the gentler, more stable vitamin C derivative that hydrolyzes into ascorbic acid on the skin. It's joined by ergothioneine (a potent intracellular antioxidant), stabilized EGCG (green tea polyphenol that stays active in formula), tocotrienols (vitamin E's super-form), Korean ginseng for circulation and glow, and tremella mushroom for hydration. The peptide pair — Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2 and Heptapeptide-6 — adds a cell-signaling element rare at this price. The annatto seed extract gives it a faint warm tint that makes skin look immediately more even. Apply morning under sunscreen; the formula is alcohol-free and fragrance-free, so it layers under anything without pilling. At $20, it sits in the sweet spot between drugstore vitamin C derivatives and prestige multi-antioxidant serums that cost five times more. |
