SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF for sensitive skin
Phloretin
Ascorbic Acid
Ferulic AcidAverage
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers excellent antioxidant protection for your normal skin due to ascorbic acid and ferulic acid, which shield from environmental stressors and support collagen synthesis.
- While beneficial for general skin health, these ingredients do not directly address your primary concerns of redness and irritation.
- The formulation is safe for your sensitive skin, as it lacks any harsh or prohibited ingredients that could cause irritation.
How to apply
- Use your serum in the PM routine, starting 3 times a week before building up to daily use if your skin is happy.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏱ for it to soak in.
- Since your skin is sensitive and easily irritated, apply the serum on completely dry skin to help keep it calm.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid getting the serum too close to your eyes .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 3.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly regarded for brightening the complexion, evening skin tone, and reducing discoloration such as dark spots and melasma, particularly benefiting those with normal, oily, combination, or acne-prone skin. Many users report achieving smoother, more radiant skin and a decrease in fine lines. However, a significant number of reviews mention the high cost, a strong scent, and occasional issues with stickiness or packaging.
Highlights
Brightens skin Mostly Mentioned
- “I really love this product, as my skin is brighter.”
- “It has evened out my skin tone and helped the overall look of my skin!”
- “Noticeably smoother, more even toned skin.”
- “I immediately notice how much brighter and more even my skin looks when I add it back in.”
Fades discoloration Often Mentioned
- “Really fades brown spots, perfect for men and a little goes a long way!”
- “I have really bad melasma and this had helped to keep it under control.”
- “It also worked synergistically with azelaic acid to fade my dark spots.”
- “I have seen an amazing improvement in discoloration and uneven skin tone.”
Lightweight texture Often Mentioned
- “It is a light weight, fast absorbing serum.”
- “It feels lightweight and absorbs quickly.”
- “Absorbs well and doesn't leave a greasy finish.”
- “The formula glides onto skin easily and penetrates quickly.”
High price point Often Mentioned
- “It's not bad by any means but it's also kinda meh at a high price point.”
- “It's ridiculously expensive, but it lasts a long time.”
- “Expensive but worth the buy.”
Good for oily skin Sometimes Noted
- “If you have oily skin, this is a great vitamin C to try.”
- “Fantastic and effective vitamin c serum for acne prone skin.”
- “I like the Phloretin better because it keeps my skin from getting too oily.”
- “Great for sensitive or acne prone skin.”
Unpleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “The scent is strong and smells like alcohol mixed with something burnt.”
- “This product smells strongly like alcohol which is quite unpleasant.”
- “Has strong fragrance... not my HG.”
- “The scent reminds me of burnt sugar and wood burning.”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Spills fast and I cannot control the nozzle.”
- “Sometimes it makes my skin so sticky after massage.”
- “The liquid dropper is my least favorite part.”
- “Spreading in palms is essential before applying with fingers.”
Sources: lovi.care, skinceuticals.com, dermstore.com, lovelyskin.com, bluemercury.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF work for sensitive skin?
This serum is a safe and average fit for sensitive skin because it lacks harsh ingredients, though it does not directly target redness and irritation. Treatments that fit this skin better need ingredients like niacinamide and snail secretion filtrate to calm redness while protecting the skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for sensitive skin?
Ascorbic acid and ferulic acid make this serum a good fit by offering strong antioxidant protection, though a treatment for sensitive skin also needs ingredients that directly soothe redness and irritation, like niacinamide.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008
What does Phloretin do for sensitive skin?
Phloretin helps protect sensitive skin from the redness and sun damage caused by ultraviolet rays. It is often combined with other antioxidants like vitamin C to calm skin and defend against daily environmental stress.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2014
What does Vitamin C do for sensitive skin?
Vitamin C helps brighten skin, smooth out fine lines, and fade dark spots. Clinical studies show it is generally safe and well-tolerated when improving overall skin quality.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine, as treatments with active ingredients are placed in the PM for simplicity and extra safety around sun exposure. It is safe for your sensitive skin because it lacks harsh or prohibited ingredients, though a product of this type for sensitive skin ideally needs soothing ingredients that directly address redness and irritation.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
This treatment is safe for your sensitive skin because it lacks harsh ingredients, but it does not directly target redness and irritation. To fit this skin better, a product of this type needs calming and soothing ingredients that directly target redness and irritation.
How often should I use it?
You can use this treatment in the evening once a week to start, as the formula is safe for sensitive skin but does not directly target redness and irritation. Sensitive skin needs treatments with soothing and calming ingredients like centella asiatica, niacinamide, or ceramides to help ease redness and comfort the skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008Facial Plastic Surgery, 2014
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on sensitive skin, as it lacks harsh or prohibited ingredients that commonly cause irritation. However, because it does not directly target redness, sensitive skin types dealing with these concerns may benefit more from products featuring calming agents and soothing plant extracts.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
What the research says
A topical antioxidant solution of 15% L-ascorbic acid, 1% alpha-tocopherol, and 0.5% ferulic acid provides significant photoprotection against solar-simulated UV radiation in human skin compared to its vehicle.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008Pretreatment with a topical antioxidant mixture of vitamin C, ferulic acid, and phloretin attenuated ultraviolet-induced sunburn cell formation, thymine dimer formation, matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression, p53 protein expression, and the suppression of CD1a-expressing Langerhans cells in human skin compared to vehicle control.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Phloretin inhibits the growth of acne-related bacteria, attenuates P. acnes-induced inflammatory mediators in vitro, and significantly reduces comedo counts, sebum output, and porphyrin levels in subjects with whiteheads compared to before treatment.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2016Phloretin 3',3-disulfonate attenuated UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation, glutathione depletion, apoptosis, and inflammatory mediator release in skin cells by enhancing nucleotide excision repair gene expression.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2014Compound 11c showed potent inhibitory activity against tyrosinase at nanomolar concentrations and reduced melanin content in a UV-induced skin pigmentation guinea pig model.
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2023Topical application of 5% vitamin C cream significantly improved global clinical scores, increased skin microrelief density, and induced elastic tissue repair in photoaged skin compared to excipient control in healthy female volunteers.
Experimental Dermatology, 2003Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Topical application of VC-IP cream twice daily for 8 weeks reduces periorbital wrinkles in female subjects compared to a placebo cream.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Treatment with 14% ferulic acid and 12% l-ascorbic acid significantly reduced pigmentation and erythema while improving hydration and elasticity in 20 women with photoaged skin, with neither acid proving definitively more effective overall though ascorbic acid showed slightly greater skin lightening.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Combining fractional microneedle radiofrequency with a topical antioxidant serum significantly reduced wrinkle severity by 29.9% versus 18.0%, increased elasticity by 12.9% versus 2.3%, and improved aesthetic outcomes in 31 participants compared to radiofrequency and placebo.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2025Topical ferulic acid-containing formulations effectively reduce skin erythema, hyperpigmentation, and signs of aging in adults compared to baseline or alternative conditions.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2025
Why other serums fit sensitive skin better
Topical application of TAT-SOD significantly suppresses UVB-induced erythema formation, blood flow rise, and apoptotic sunburn cell formation in human volunteers compared to a vehicle control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2016
Ingredients
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat, Ascorbic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Phloretin, Ferulic Acid
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.