Improving a Critical Skincare Step

Improving a Critical Skincare Step

WITH PATRICIA FARRIS, MD 

Why are antioxidants such as C E Ferulic the most important first step in a patient’s routine?

The first layer of your morning skincare regimen should always be a topical antioxidant. Topical C E Ferulic has been studied extensively and protects the skin from damaging free radicals generated from UV light. C E Ferulic prevents sunburn cell formation and thymine dimer DNA mutations caused by UV exposure. It also protects collagen from degradation by mitigating formation of matrix metalloproteinases. More recent studies have shown that C E Ferulic also protects the skin from longer wavelengths of light, including visible light (VL).² VL protection has become top of mind with dermatologists. We now understand that VL contributes to photoaging and is a major cause of hyperpigmentation in darker skin types. Studies have also demonstrated that C E Ferulic protects against other environmental aggressors such as pollutants. It reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, and protects extracellular matrix proteins from damage that is caused by exposure to pollutants.

Why was the discovery of C E Ferulic and topical antioxidants so revolutionary through Dr. Sheldon Pinnell’s research and how does its science remain pivotal today?

Dr. Pinnell’s work was pivotal and paved the way for the use of topical antioxidants in clinical practice. His early work explored the role of vitamin C in wound healing. He was the first to discover how to stabilize vitamin C in formulation and in 1992 he patented his findings, calling them the Duke parameters. Next, Dr. Pinnell demonstrated the added benefits of combining antioxidants. He found that topical vitamin C combined with vitamin E and ferulic acid provided eight times the photoprotection.³ He was the first to document the clinical benefits of topical vitamin C for treating photoaged skin. He showed that vitamin C could improve hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, and fine lines and wrinkles. Through his work, Dr. Pinnell proved that topical vitamin C could protect, repair, and rejuvenate the skin. C E Ferulic is backed by 37 publications and 20-plus years of research and remains the gold standard in topical antioxidants. 

For what indications have you successfully used C E Ferulic in your practice, and how have you paired it with in-office treatments?

In my 35 years of clinical practice, I can honestly say that C E Ferulic has probably been my most frequently recommended skincare product. I recommend it for patients with photoaging, those at risk or with a history of skin cancer, and as an essential part of everyone’s morning skincare routine along with a broad spectrum SPF 30 or more. It can also be used across diverse skin types, which is so important. C E Ferulic has been studied as a peri-procedural product and pairs well with in-office procedures like laser, microneedling, microneedling RF, and energy-based devices. 

What excites you about the new double patent-pending technology of C E Ferulic boosted with new ingredients 0.3% carnosine and 1% endophytol?

The basic formula is the same, with 15% L-ascorbic acid, 1% vitamin E and 0.5% ferulic acid. The addition of carnosine and endophytol is meant to complement the longevity benefits of C E Ferulic. Carnosine is a potent antioxidant that upregulates the NrF2 pathway. NrF2 increases endogenous antioxidant production including glutathione and superoxide dismutase. Another interesting benefit of carnosine is that it prevents the loss of proteostasis, a hallmark of aging. Endophytol is a dandelion extract that has potent anti-inflammatory activity and acts through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a protector against pollutants. Studies have shown that this enhanced formulation protects against lipid peroxidation, formation of advanced glycation end products, senescent cell formation, and mitochondrial dysfunction that occur after UV exposure. What is exciting about these studies is that they demonstrate the multi-modal activity of enhanced C E Ferulic on skin.

Why are longevity science and age reversal such important elements to integrate into antioxidant skincare for the future?

There has been a paradigm shift in the role of skincare.  We have now moved beyond anti-aging and aesthetic changes. Of course, we want skincare that makes our patients’ skin look better, but we also want skincare that makes skin act like it did when it was younger. Skincare is now being developed to target upstream cellular and molecular processes that cause skin aging. This pro-aging strategy has become the focus of research and development in skincare. Antioxidants like the enhanced C E Ferulic are formulated to provide these pro-aging benefits.

How exciting is it to have a trusted product continue to evolve and incorporate new science while retaining the science that has made it so successful for more than two decades?

What I have found over the years through my work with many cosmetic companies is that good companies keep doing good things. The 20-plus years of research on C E Ferulic, combined with a 15-year commitment by L’Oreal to study skin longevity, has positioned SkinCeuticals to be a leader in this new era of skincare. This is an exciting time for dermatologists as we begin to understand and incorporate longevity skincare into clinical practice.

1. Data on file, SkinCeuticals.

2. Guiotto A, Ivarsson J, et al. Preventing pigmentary visible light damage in dark skin by topical application of a vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid containing antioxidant mix. Poster presented at: 34th European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress; September 17-20, 2025; Paris, France. Poster P295.

3. Lin FH, Lin JY, et al. Ferulic acid stabilizes a solution of vitamins C and E and doubles its photoprotection of skin. J Invest Dermatol. 2005;125(4):826-32. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-202X.2005.23768.x.