“Carolyn,

Thank you for your support and kind words concerning the website. While it is true topical antioxidants containing l-ascorbic acid are less stable then other forms of Vitamin C, they take months to oxidize in the bottle even after the bottle has been opened, so you are not wasting your money. However do not leave the bottles open and do not leave them in direct sunlight.

And yes, the sunscreen product should always be put on first, but sunscreen and antioxidant serum are really never used together because sunscreen is always used during the day and antioxidant serums work best when used at night. Remember what we said about protecting your antioxidant bottle from sunlight; you also don’t want the antioxidant product on your skin to be in direct sunlight because the sunlight will damage it. You want to put your antioxidant on at bedtime when there is no sunlight so that it can absorb into the skin and do its protection inside the skin during the day .

Lastly, retinoid products are themselves very fragile and often destroyed by glycolic acid, so you are correct that you should not be using your glycolic acid and retinoid product at the same time.

Have a good weekend,
Neal”

So, what do you think? I emailed him back and said according to the Skinceuticals website, for CE Ferulic & Phloretin CF use, it says: “Once in the morning after cleansing, apply 4-5 drops to a dry face, neck and chest. Follow with SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel and a SkinCeuticals moisturizer and sunscreen.” This is contradictory to his advice. I also asked him if I was on a PM regimen of Retin-A & hydroquinone, then where would the topical antioxidant fit into the PM regimen. I haven’t heard back from him on these issues.

I’m just trying to get all these products and their proper usage (order and time of application) down so that I can experience the most effectiveness.

Thanks again for your time and attention to these issues.

Carolyn

Although those are definitely good points, I like to refer to the published studies on Cellex-C and combinations of C&E identical to CE Ferulic, which demonstrate that the combination has all of the benefits described in the blog post above. However, I certainly understand why some people are against vitamin C in serum, as it can pro-oxidize; yet, I choose to use it, keeping it tightly sealed, stored in a cool and dark place, and using it only when it is clear/pale yellow, never if it is dark yellow or light orange.

Hope that this helps – I’ll let you know if a more definitive answer emerges.

I have been reading your blog a lot about the antioxidants by Skinceuticals (Phloretin CF, CE Ferulic) and how beneficial they are to your skincare routine. However, I have also read on another website (derm.net.au)that no Vit. C antioxidant is effective because of oxidation. This is what Peter (a regular on the forum) said when asked about CE Ferulic:

“The main concerns with this sort of product are:
* what does applying oxidized Vitamin to the skin do (some is always oxidized)?
* how do you know you aren’t doing harm you can’t see in the first 4-6-12+ months of use?
* what is the ideal dose when daily requirements of protection vary, excess antioxidants can be pro-oxidant and the product contents are going to be variable and not regulated anyway?
The Skinceuticals CE Ferulic you mention is funded by L’Oreal.
Personally I am not comfortable with people using products like CE Ferulic unless their skin is objectively assessed 2-3 times a year.
Due to a lack of knowledge and resources a lot of people’s skins have been hurt by injudicious enthusiastic “cosmeceutical” use.
You are probably better off leaving your skin care as-is unless you can obtain bonafide care and assessment.”

Reading different opinions can be so confusing. What to do?

Thanks for your input.

Carolyn

Bottom line: phloretin may be the antioxidant du jour, but not in this product. Please keep in mind that despite the published research for phloretin and Skinceuticals claims, it is not the best antioxidant to “attack damage on every level” there are lots of brilliant antioxidants in skin care products, there isn’t a miracle or magic bullet out there.”

Also if the company has stopped selling to big internet sites that means the only way one of those sites is selling it is by getting it from another source. You figure it out.

Anyway, you don’t have to use both serums to get good antioxidants. Just pick one or I guess you could alternate days. I like them both, but probably won’t buy both at the same time.

Sara — I’ve also been very curious about how Skinmedix is able to sell Phloretin after SkinCeuticals supposedly chose not to renew any of its contracts with online dealers (which I think was a terrible mistake). I hope Skinmedix continues to carry SkinCeuticals — I don’t think I’d use this line anymore if I couldn’t buy it at a discount.