SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF for mature skin
Phloretin
Ascorbic Acid
Ferulic AcidAverage
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for mature skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with mature skin: fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness. 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 moderate benefits for your normal skin, as ascorbic acid and ferulic acid provide antioxidant protection and help with fine lines and wrinkles. These ingredients are well-suited for normal skin, offering good antioxidant activity.
- The formula is generally safe for your normal skin, with no harsh ingredients that would cause irritation.
- While it offers good antioxidant protection and brightening, it does not provide the most potent treatment for wrinkles and fine lines.
How to apply
- Use this serum in your PM routine. Start by applying it 3 times a week, and work up to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply this serum after your toner and before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- You can apply the serum on dry skin for the best results against fine lines.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the sensitive eye area.
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 mature skin?
SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF works moderately well for mature skin, as its ingredients provide good antioxidant protection and help with fine lines and wrinkles. While it is generally safe and helps brighten the skin, it does not provide the most potent anti-aging treatment. Products that fit mature skin better need high-quality anti-aging ingredients, potent antioxidants, hydrating components, and skin-repairing elements that improve skin elasticity and moisture retention.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for mature skin?
Phloretin, ascorbic acid, and ferulic acid make this serum a good fit for mature skin by providing antioxidant protection and helping with fine lines and wrinkles. To give this skin a better fit, a product needs high-quality anti-aging ingredients, potent antioxidants, hydrating components, skin-repairing ingredients, peptides, and moisture-retaining agents.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008
What does Phloretin do for mature skin?
Phloretin helps protect your skin from sun damage that leads to early aging. It may also calm irritation and keep your skin cells healthy under UV exposure.
What does Vitamin C do for mature skin?
Vitamin C helps mature skin by smoothing out wrinkles, brightening dark spots, and boosting firmness. It works by encouraging collagen production to keep skin looking youthful and radiant.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
Where does it go in a skincare routine for mature skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine, applied after cleansing and toning and before your moisturizer. While it offers moderate antioxidant protection and brightening for mature skin, this skin type ultimately needs more potent ingredients and treatments for wrinkles and fine lines.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum in your morning routine and retinol at night, keeping them separate to avoid irritation. This product needs powerful collagen-boosting ingredients and deeper firming treatments to properly care for mature skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008
How often should I use it?
Apply this treatment in the evening, starting once a week and carefully using it more often if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results.
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for mature skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for mature skin, as it has a generally safe formula without harsh ingredients that cause irritation.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
What the research says
A 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, 2020A 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, 2008Phloretin 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 mature skin better
Caviar oil enhanced adipocyte differentiation in vitro, reduced MMP expression while increasing collagen and elastin formation ex vivo, and improved skin moisture, elasticity, and density in 102 participants over four weeks of Cavi Balm usage compared to baseline.
In Vivo, 2023Chronomodulated daytime application of baicalin and nighttime application of palmitoyl tripeptide-1 synergistically improved skin luminance by 16.29%, nasolabial fold depth by -36.35%, and firmness by 24.35% in 30 female participants.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Topical 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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
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.