Four cheaper alternatives to Skinceuticals Phloretin CF
It’s a given that Skinceuticals is one of the most searched for brands in our SKINSKOOL similarity review platform. And a very popular search is the Skinceuticals Phloretin CF vitamin C serum. The reason is simple – the masses believe it's a product that works but boy is it expensive. So there is clearly a lot of interest in scanning the market for products that might be able to perform just as well or even better than the iconic Skinceuticals Phloretin CF. The best place to find these kind of “just as good” products is our very own comparison platform, SKINSKOOL, sometimes referred to as a Dupe Finder by the hardcore beauty lovers.
What's in Skinceuticals Phloretin CF?
Phloretin CF is a vitamin C serum formulated to address damage by free radicals and is meant to improve the appearance of discoloration and overall skin tone. Everyone seems to have a vitamin C serum in their product line up these days and this is certainly one of the very popular ones. Maybe it's because Phloretin CF has a special sauce. It contains the specific combination of 2% phloretin, 10% absorbic acid and 0.5% ferulic acid. No other brands can formulate with this exact volume combination because it’s patent protected. A patent is a very effective way of signalling to us consumers that hey this product really works and no other brand can make it so you can only get this from us. But just because something is patented doesn’t mean that it is necessarily the most effective combination that could ever exist or that other combinations couldn’t work just as well. The patent itself, on its own, tells you nothing about how the product will work for you. There is just no way to know this. Of course brands don’t usually apply for patents unless they have studies that show a product's efficacy but this still doesn’t say anything about the product’s comparable efficacy as against other similar products. Not to mention, there are countless ways for other brands to work around patented elements of the formulation.
The Phloretin CF ingredient list as provided by the brand is:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Ascorbic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Phloretin, Ferulic Acid
As already noted, Ascorbic Acid, Phloretin and Ferulic Acid are the main claim actives. In our search for a Skinceuticals Phloretin CF dupe, we did a backend search through our SKINSKOOL database to see what other products, if any, even contain these three main ingredients. The results of our backend search are stunning. Did you know that in our entire database of over 33,000 products, there are only 4 other serums that contain a combination of vitamin C, phloretin and ferulic acid?
Newly discovered dupes for Phloretin CF
Let’s take a look at the possible dupes for Skinceuticals Phloretin CF:
- Ausceuticals Vitamin C Serum AU$45 for 30mL
Ingredients: Aqua (Purified Water), L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), DL Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Glycerin, Glutathione, Ferulic Acid, Alpha-D-Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Phloretin, 1,3-Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamomille Recutita (Matricaria) Flower extract, Thioctic Acid (Alpha-Lipoic Acid), Alpha Bisobolol, Lysolecithin (and) Sclerotium gum (and) Xanthan gum (and) Pullulan, Glyceryl Undecylenate (and) Glyceryl Caprylate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Phytate
We don’t know the percentages of Phloretin and Ferulic Acid but the vitamin c is indicated to be 20%. You can’t really judge what percentage of vitamin C is going to work for you the best because it depends on the rest of the formulation. It’s not necessary the more the better which might be one's instinct. But nonetheless this product is a worthy compare in our opinion since it does have the main 3 claim ingredients present in the formula. - Reviv Serums Reviv-C 36% Vitamin C Serum $79 for 60mL
Ingredients: 3-O-Ethyl L-Ascorbic Acid, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol [vegetable origin], Ethoxydiglycol, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Phloretin, Caprylyl Glycol, Vitamin E Acetate, Ferulic Acid, L-Glutathione, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol (Denat.), Glycerin, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Astaxanthin, Tocotrienols, Alpha Lipoic Acid [Thioctic Acid], Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Lycopene, Xanthophyll (Lutein), Beta-Carotene, Superoxide Dismutase
The Reviv-C 36% Vitamin C serum caught our eye and we designate it our "Top Choice" because it actually contains the exact same concentrations of phloretin and ferulic acid as Phloretin CF, 2% and 0.5% respectively. The form of vitamin C used is also slightly different. It’s the derivative of ascorbic acid called ethyl ascorbic acid. This derivative is praised for making ascorbic acid soluble and stable in both oil and water. The Reviv formulation is a bit more complex and contains additional ingredients that seem to be meant to boost efficacy, stability and potency. The claims also match up with both products targeting discoloration, fine lines, and uneven skin tone. We also like that you get double the volume for half the price. Definitely one to check out if you’re in the market for a more affordable alternative. - Skin Actives Vitamin C Serum 20% $25.99 for 30mL
Ingredients: Water, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Ferulic Acid, Alpha-D-Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Phloretin, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)s, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Xanthophyll, R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Juice Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Juice Extract, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid
The Skin Actives Vitamin C Serum is a comparable that also ranks highly in our organic algorithmic search results which you can check out: here. While the exact percentages of Ferulic Acid or Phloretin are not known, we do know that this product contains 20% ascorbic acid, which is the same type of vitamin C as Phloretin CF. This is also one of the most affordable dupe options for Phloretin CF. - Versed Auto-Save Advanced Restoring Serum $21.50 for 30mL
Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Propanediol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ethylhexyl Olivate,Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Diheptyl Succinate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Hydrolyzed Rhodophyceae Extract, Phloretin, Ferulic Acid, Pullulan, Sea Water/Maris Aqua/Eau De Mer, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Behenyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Arachidyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Citrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Panthenol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, T-Butyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxide (Ci 77491,Ci 77499)
The final product in our dupe list that has the Skinceuticals combination of vitamin C, phloretin and ferulic acid is the Versed Auto-Save serum. The type of vitamin c is different derivative that isn’t present in the other ones. Versed uses the vitamin C derivative Tettrahexyl Ascorbate at 3%, phloretin at 0.3% and ferulic acid at 0.5%. While these percentages are a datapoint provided by many brands these days, these numbers don't tell you too much on their own. So the only thing left to do is real life trial.
Don't forget that you can find your own alternative products based on an INCI list over at our SKINSKOOL ingredient-list similarity tracker.
