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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid versus The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% .

Last updated on April 09, 2024. Published on April 11, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for brightening skin, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, 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.

Serum American Brand United States
Facial Treatment Canadian Brand Canada

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Price

Shop

Buy C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid

Starts at $182.00
Shop

Buy Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Starts at $6.00

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
ph level
2.75
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing
Skin Texture
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Irritating
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

Niacinamide

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening

Concerns

Irritating
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Water

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 1.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

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 Ethoxydiglycol

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid contains this as ingredient number 2.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% contains this as ingredient number 9.

3
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

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.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% contains this as ingredient number 10.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

58% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
33% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
27% are loved or liked
18% have mixed ratings
45% are disliked or very disliked
9% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid 12 ingredients

4.9 /5
from 10 reviews
kylepapp's Avatar'
Jun 8, 2023

Actual studies backing up the absorption of the ascorbic acid, thus the collegan building qualities and brightening effects are there.

Actual studies backing up the absorption of the ascorbic acid, thus the collegan building qualities and brightening effects are there.

indindi's Avatar'
Aug 2, 2023

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 🫥

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 🫥

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 11 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 121 reviews
Clover's Avatar'
Nov 14, 2023

Gotta give credit where credit is due
WOW… lot of people ganging up on this incredibly affordable/popular serum. I understand the criticisms, but personally I don’t believe the intensity is warranted. For so many people this was the...

Gotta give credit where credit is due
WOW… lot of people ganging up on this incredibly affordable/popular serum. I understand the criticisms, but personally I don’t believe the intensity is warranted. For so many people this was the start of their skincare journey; it certainly was mine! And because I had never used ingredients like niacinamide or zinc on my face before, of course I noticed an incredible improvement in regards to my acne and skin tone evenness. This is a good serum to start with. No, you don’t need 10% strength (2%-5% works well) and for some that 10% can be irritating. However most people can handle 10% just fine so it’s not something many need worry about. The formulation isn’t elegant and sometimes it gets frothy or pills when you try to rub this in— BUT this is $6! You can’t really beat The Ordinary’s prices, and for some people $6 is all they can afford to spend on skincare so this is a good affordable option.
If you already have effective products with niacinamide in your routine, you do not need to add this in because it won’t really do anything for you. But if you’re just washing your face with something like dish soap then of course this will make an incredible difference. You’ll probably move on from it eventually, but it’s an effective place to start. Wishing everyone the best on their skincare journey. <3

Like review
14 likes
AshN.'s Avatar'
Mar 19, 2024

(Tried Jan 2021) This was actually the product that made me realize that my skin does not mix with Niacinamide (especially at high concentrations because I can usually tolerate it at %4/less or when it isn't a primary ingredient). I...

(Tried Jan 2021) This was actually the product that made me realize that my skin does not mix with Niacinamide (especially at high concentrations because I can usually tolerate it at %4/less or when it isn't a primary ingredient). I tested it on my wrist and a small patch on my cheek to check, and I had hives in both areas. I wouldn't want to give this a poor rating solely on the account of my allergic reaction as I'm sure it works for many others.

Great Value
Broke Me Out
Irritating
No Scent
Butter's Avatar'
Dec 3, 2023

This irritated my skin really badly stinging, redness, burning, etc this is probably due to the unnecessarily high concentration of niacinamide. Many studies show you only really need between 2-5% of niacinamide to be effective...

This irritated my skin really badly stinging, redness, burning, etc this is probably due to the unnecessarily high concentration of niacinamide. Many studies show you only really need between 2-5% of niacinamide to be effective definitely not worth the risk if you have sensitive skin there's much better alternatives out there. It's good value for money but I still wouldn't recommend it.

Great Value
Irritating
Sticky
No Scent

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® With 15% L-Ascorbic Acid.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 9 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%.

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