Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid versus Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% .
Last updated on April 09, 2024. Published on June 10, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both fungal acne (malassezia) safe and reef safe serums. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, scar healing, dark spots and better texture
Free From
They both do not contain any common allergens, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Price
Ingredient Info
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid 12 ingredients
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% 12 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Vegan
This product is vegan 🎉
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid 12 ingredients
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% 12 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid 12 ingredients
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% 12 ingredients
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterSkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 1.
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 2.
Ethoxydiglycol is a synthetic solvent.
Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.
Ethoxydiglycol also helps deliver other key ingredients into the skin.
Learn more about EthoxydiglycolSkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 2.
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 6.
Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.
Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.
Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin. It improves dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because it blocks the process of skin darkening when exposed to UV.
Remember: Vitamin C should not replace sunscreen!
Your skin uses vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen is one key component in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. Vitamin C also plays a role in regulating collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines.
Ascorbic acid shows potent antioxidant activity. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. These antioxidants also protect skin against UV damage.
The best formulations include Vitamin E and/or ferulic acid. These two ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in the benefits of ascorbic acid. This is because ascorbic acid becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. In fact, you can tell your ascorbic acid has oxidized when it turns an orange-yellow color.
Ascorbic acid is generally compatible with other ingredients. However, using ascorbic acid with other active ingredients might cause irritation. Two ingredients: copper ions and benzoyl peroxide, will inactivate ascorbic acid completely.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.
Learn more about Ascorbic AcidSkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 3.
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 3.
Propylene Glycol is an odorless, colorless liquid. As a humectant, it helps skin retain moisture. It also aids in delivering active ingredients.
Another role of this ingredient is preventing a product from melting or freezing. Propylene glycol also adds antimicrobrial properties to a product, elongating product lifespan.
This ingredient is considered an organic alcohol and commonly added into both cosmetics and foods.
Those with sensitive skin or conditions may deliver a rash when using this ingredient.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolSkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 5.
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 1.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 7.
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 7.
Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.
Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.
Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 12.
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 9.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid 12 ingredients
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% 12 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid 12 ingredients
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% 12 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid 12 ingredients
kylepapp
Actual studies backing up the absorption of the ascorbic acid, thus the collegan building qualities and brightening effects are there.
indindi
the most cruel thing that anyone has done to me was give me a free sample of this product while its retail price is half of the cost of my weekly...
the most cruel thing that anyone has done to me was give me a free sample of this product while its retail price is half of the cost of my weekly mortgage repayment 🫥
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% 12 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Obagi Professional-C Serum 20%.
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