Review: Skinceuticals' CE Ferulic or Phloretin CF

Greetings, my friends!

I originally wrote this post back in 2012 after I searched other reviews for the similarities and differences between Skinceuticals' Phloretin CF and CE Ferulic. There were a ton of postings online (and still are) about CE Ferulic and how fantastic it is, but Phloretin CF (being the newer product) has fewer post while costing the same. So which one do you choose? That is what I hope to address in this post in my updated review of these products.

Bottom Line - both products are incredible! If you have wrinkles - CE Ferulic is the way to go. But if you have combination or oily skin and are focused on evening your skintone and/or correcting hyperpigmentation - then you'll want Phloretin CF. I prefer Phloretin CF over CE Ferulic (which I'll explain why below), but my hubby-to-be prefers CE Ferulic (which I'll also explain below). 

Skinceuticals:

Skinceuticals is a US skincare company that was created by Alden Pinnell and Russell Moon in 1997. Their products are the result of decades of skin cancer research, and their research and development teams are made up of doctors or researchers. As such, their products are scientifically proven to improve skin health. It’s also important to note that their products are backed by science from the first stage through the final formulations, and that all of their products go through an extensive medical-grade clinical testing before they are released to the public.

Skinceuticals CE Ferulic:

I first tried CE Ferulic in August 2012 after hearing how wonderful this product was for years. I received a 7ml sample from a local retailer which lasted about 6 weeks at 4 or 5 drops each morning. 

When I finished the sample I looked in the mirror and thought my skin was okay, but noticed that it was oilier. What I didn't realize was that I had become accustomed to the changes to my skin during those 6 weeks and didn't realize how much it had improved my skin (evened skin and created a healthy glow). Then as now, I wasn't old enough to really have wrinkles to attest to whether or not the product worked on them, but I was shocked to find that CE Ferulic had really changed my (already healthy) skin into something much more beautiful. Having said that - although I loved the results, I really hated that my skin was oilier and decided not to buy the full size version. 

However, my soon-to-be hubby decided he wanted to start taking care of his skin last year. He also has oily skin, but he has wrinkles. So I designed a skincare ritual for him which included a 7ml sample of the CE Ferulic from a local retailer, and he (like me 5 years before) tested the product for 6 weeks. I then asked him not to buy the full size version once he finished to see whether he noticed his skin's improvement - and he did. Now he's a convert. It helped treat the evenness of his skin, smoothed his skin, and targeted his wrinkles. He saw someone he hadn't seen for years about 5 weeks into this ritual, and they said he looked like he was 13. 

Before I move on to my review of Phloretin CF, I wanted to note that CE Ferulic is the only one between the two that has alpha tocopherol (1%), which is vitamin E that neutralizes free radicals and aids the skins' healing process. 

Skinceuticals Phloretin CF:

Back in 2012, I started researching on the Skinceuticals website for other products that fell within their "prevent" line which were similar to CE Ferulic - and that was when I stumbled on one of their newer products - Phloretin CF. I wanted the same type of results that I saw from CE Ferulic minus the extra oil on my skin. Phloretin CF is actually designed for people with normal, combination, or oily skin. 

Once I receive a sample from a local retailer, I was surprised at how quickly I started noticing improvements to my skin. After the first week of using the Phloretin CF in the morning, my skin felt super soft and velvety. After 3 weeks, I started noticing that my skin tone was evening out again (I sometimes have a little red around my nose and dark circles under my eyes) and the nice healthy glow I noticed when I used the CE Ferulic had returned to my skin. By the end of my 6 week sample, the hyperpigmentation from recent pimples had vanished! 

Since then this is my go-to holy grail product. Just as I noted in the CE Ferulic section, I wanted to tell you about Phloretin CF and what it's meant to do. It aids in collagen synthesis and produces younger looking skin, evens skin tone, and reduces the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Phloretin CF has phloretin (2%) in it's product (obviously), but phloretin is an incredible ingredient since it neutralizes free radicals, accelerates cell turnover, and reduces the production of unwanted pigment. Also, both products contain L-ascorbic acid (Phloretin CF has 10% and CE Ferulic has 15%) and 0.5% ferulic acid. And both provide a SPF 8 which can't be rubbed off for 72-hours after it absorbed into your skin. 

Stats:

Both of these products are pricey and have increased in price (by $13) in the past 6 years. Both CE Ferulic and Phloretin CF are $165 each for 30ml (or $5.50 per ml), but they last about 5-to-6 months. You can buy them on Skinceuticals website (www.skinceuticals.com), but also Skinstore.com and Dermstore.com. I tend to gravitate towards Skinstore and Dermstore only because I like their freebies a little more, and a couple times a year Skinceuticals' products go on sale for 10-to-20% off.

I do not recommend buying high-end beauty products from Amazon or eBay - particularly when it comes to Skinceuticals. While I love Amazon and eBay and most sellers are legitimate with quality products - beauty products tend to be highly susceptible to fraud. If you're going to spend your hard earned money, make sure you're buying what you think you're buying. I've read horror postings for years about how people think they are buying CE Ferulic or Phloretin CF for a great price, and it turns out they buy an expired version of the product or diluted apple cider vinegar concotion. Bottom line - go to their website and make sure that where you are buying your product is actually authorized (https://www.skinceuticals.com/authorize.html) to sell it and enjoy the rewards of using Skinceuticals CE Ferulic or Phloretin CF. 

That's it. Let me know if you have any questions.

I hope this helps. :)

JessiPedia