I first learned about SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum at one of their training sessions when I was just an esthetic student. I was fascinated by the studies they showed using pig skin (eek!) that was treated with the serum and without. The skin with the serum showed signs of sunburn after much longer exposure to UV light than the skin without it. That sold me. Then, a few summers later, after using the serum regularly and noticing a brighter, fresher complexion on my face, I decided to do a test.
I was in the mountains near Tahoe on Echo Lake. We had to take a boat ride to the lake store and I thought it was time to test ye ole C E Ferulic. I put it on my face, arms, neck & shoulders with NO SUNSCREEN ON TOP. However, when I climbed onto the boat and leaned forward, my shirt rode up a bit to expose my lower back (which I didn’t notice until later that night).
Just over an hour later, we returned to the cabin and I assessed the damage. My face, arms & neck were ever so slightly pink (which faded by morning), my shoulders were a bit pinker (which faded by the following evening) and I felt triumphant! What wonderful findings, I thought.
And then, “gee, my lower back feels kind of tight…and hot… and, oh, warm to the touch.”

Turns out, it was RED. It was burnt so bad that about a week and a half later, it peeled like crazy and that only happens to me when I get a really bad sunburn (or so I remember from my youth).
I don’t love that I got such a bad burn but I do love that this serum, all by itself, protected my skin from the sun significantly without any help from titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or octinoxate.

Here’s how I use it:
– Wash face.
– Apply toner (optional).
– Hold dropper over forehead and drip two drops on either side and one on the nose.
– Carefully and quickly return dropper to bottle.
– Quickly massage three drops into skin on face and down neck.
– Wash hands. (if you don’t, after a time, your fingers may become stained from the vitamin C)

The upside:
Efficacy (ie. the MOST important part)
– This serum is meant to protect your skin from UV rays so it doesn’t get sun damage which is the #1 way to fight the aging of the skin. My skin looks more evenly toned and the above story should tell you how well it protects against the rays of the sun.

The not-so-upsides:
– The vitamin E can be a little too oily for my combination skin, especially when it’s warm.
– The smell. I’ve heard bologna, cat food, and just nasty. I suppose I’ve gotten used to it but I’ve seen it be a deal breaker for some clients. Definitely try it before you buy it – or get it from a place you can return it.
– The price. At close to $150 (after tax in CA) it’s definitely an investment. But, it’s worth every penny, especially if you’re compliant with the usage guidelines. If you only use it once a day and only 3 drops at a time, you can get 6 months from a bottle.

This product is a winner for all skin types except for very oily and very oily acneic. If you’re dry and acneic, the vitamin E will be healing for your skin but it will be too much oil for oily skin.
SkinCeuticals makes a very similar serum called Serum 20 that is meant for oily skin and this is the one for you.