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Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid: How to Use These Powerful Anti-Ageing Skincare Ingredients Together

Article Overview

Many visible premature ageing concerns stem from – or are exacerbated by – UV damage. Excessive or prolonged UV exposure triggers oxidative stress in the body: an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants that leads to cellular damage.
One of the most effective strategies to protect your skin against oxidative stress is to incorporate vitamin C and ferulic acid into your skincare routine. Together, these two powerful antioxidants target visible signs of ageing – working together to help unlock smoother, brighter, more even-looking skin.
Below, find out how to use vitamin C and ferulic acid as part of your daily skincare practice.

What does vitamin C do for skin?

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that neutralises free radicals, brightens and evens skin tone, reduces the appearance of and stimulates collagen synthesis. The body doesn’t produce vitamin C on its own, so it has to be applied topically – usually in serum form – to diminish visible signs of ageing. Vitamin C is known for its ability to protect the skin against environmental stressors, so it is most effective when applied in the morning.

What does ferulic acid do for skin?

Like vitamin C, ferulic acid is an antioxidant that counteracts skin-damaging free radicals. Ferulic acid is found in the cell walls of seeds, leaves, and roots of various fruits, vegetables, cereals, and grains1, but for topical use, it is most commonly formulated in serums. Ferulic acid is often combined with other antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E to enhance their protective properties.

¹https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11438535/

Is it safe to use vitamin C with ferulic acid?

Yes, it is safe to use vitamin C with ferulic acid; these ingredients are actually quite complementary. Vitamin C can be quite unstable in nature, particularly in its pure form, L-ascorbic acid. This means it can break down easily when exposed to light, heat, and oxygen². However, ferulic acid helps stabilise L-ascorbic acid, which means you can still experience its powerful benefits without the risk of degrading its efficacy.

²https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8773188/

What are the benefits of using vitamin C and ferulic acid together?

Vitamin C and ferulic acid are a highly synergistic pair. As two antioxidants, they work together to target visible and textural ageing concerns.

Below are four key benefits of combining these powerhouse ingredients.
• Enhanced photoprotection: UV damage is one of the biggest accelerators of premature ageing, but vitamin C and ferulic acid help counteract oxidative stress in the skin caused by environmental aggressors like UV rays.
• Reduces hyperpigmentation: On its own, vitamin C inhibits melanin production, which is what causes hyperpigmentation – like dark spots and post-blemish marks. Since ferulic acid acts as a stabiliser for vitamin C, it helps improve the efficacy of the ingredient to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation.
• Smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles: Oxidative stress is known to cause cellular damage and visibly age the skin. However, vitamin C and ferulic acid neutralise free radicals that cause oxidative stress, while vitamin C also stimulates collagen production. This helps smooth and minimise the visible depth of fine lines and wrinkles and prevent crepey skin.
• Brightens and evens skin tone: By hindering melanin production and reducing skin discolouration, this antioxidant combination is particularly effective at brightening dull skin and evening out skin tone.

How to use vitamin C and ferulic acid: SkinCeuticals' hero formulas

SkinCeuticals’s innovative serum formulas are infused with pure vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) along with ferulic acid to stabilise the ingredient and enhance its potency.
Read on to find out how to use our vitamin C and ferulic acid skincare formulas to deliver brightening, smoothing, and protective benefits to skin.

C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum

Powered by 15% pure vitamin C, 1% vitamin E, and 0.5% ferulic acid, Our C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum offers advanced antioxidant protection against environmental damage caused by free radicals.

Perfect for those with dry, combination, normal, or sensitive skin, this vitamin C and ferulic acid serum is formulated to visibly improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone, while boosting the skin’s overall radiance and resilience.

Apply four to five drops of the C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum onto your dry face, neck, and chest in the morning after cleansing and toning. If you’re new to vitamin C serums, we recommend staggering your application to every other morning as your skin gradually builds tolerance to the ingredient.

Phloretin CF Vitamin C Gel Serum

A lightweight serum that harnesses unique antioxidant protection, Phloretin CF Vitamin C Gel Serum protects skin from photodamage to visibly improve tone and texture.

Where the C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum is well-suited to skin types prone to dryness and sensitivity, this gel formula has been developed for oily, normal, or combination skin. It is also suitable for use post-shaving – making it an ideal option for men’s skin.

After cleansing and toning, apply two to three pumps onto your dry face, neck, and chest, gently smoothing the product in outward motions.

Phloretin CF Vitamin C Serum

Formulated specifically for oily, combination, normal, and blemish-prone skin, Phloretin CF Vitamin C Serum is a high-performance vitamin C serum that corrects discolouration, hyperpigmentation, and visible signs of photo-ageing.

Combining 2% phloretin, 10% pure vitamin C, and 0.5% ferulic acid in a harmonious antioxidant blend, this daily serum helps support smoother, brighter, more even-looking skin.

Like our other vitamin C and ferulic acid serums, this formula should be applied in the morning to clean, dry skin. Use four to five pumps along the face, neck, and chest.

Antioxidant AOX Vitamin C Eye Gel

Dynamic wrinkles tend to appear around the outer eye corners (as well as the forehead and around the mouth) before other areas of the face. Dark undereye circles are also increasingly common with age as the skin thins and collagen levels drop. However, a vitamin C and ferulic acid-infused eye treatment can support the delicate eye area.

The Antioxidant AOX Vitamin C Eye Gel is a unique serum-in-a-gel eye treatment designed to reduce dark under-eye circles and protect ageing skin from free radical-induced damage.

In the morning, apply a half pump per eye using the tip of your finger. Gently pat the gel into the skin under your eyes, outer eye corners, and along the brow bone. Avoid the inner tear ducts and the eyelid.

Now that you have secured your vitamin C and ferulic acid serum, complete your anti-ageing skincare routine with our guide on the best moisturisers for ageing skin .