Ingredient Library
Ferulic Acid
4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid
Ferulic acid is a plant antioxidant that boosts and stabilizes vitamins C and E, strengthening daily defense against environmental stress. It suits dull and aging skin.
A natural history
Ferulic acid is a small antioxidant molecule that plants build into the walls of their own cells, part of the chemical armor a plant uses to defend itself against sun and stress. It is everywhere in the plant world, concentrated in the bran of cereal grains like rice and oats and in seeds, and it takes its name from Ferula, the giant fennel from which it was first drawn.
Skincare borrows that built in defender for a clever reason. In a landmark study at Duke University, adding ferulic acid to a serum of vitamins C and E made the vitamins more stable and roughly doubled the formula's measured protection against ultraviolet stress. That discovery turned a humble plant acid into the quiet partner behind the modern antioxidant serum.
What it does for your skin
Ferulic acid is valued less as a soloist than as a stabilizer. In the Duke study, adding it to a topical vitamin C and E solution improved the vitamins' stability and about doubled their measured photoprotection in skin.[1] A follow up study on human skin found the ferulic stabilized antioxidant solution provided meaningful defense against ultraviolet stress by every measure used.[2] In a formula it helps an antioxidant blend stay potent and supports skin's defense against the look of environmental stress.
References
[1] Lin FH, et al. Ferulic acid stabilizes a solution of vitamins C and E and doubles its photoprotection of skin. J Invest Dermatol. 2005;125(4):826-832. doi:10.1111/j.0022-202X.2005.23768.x
[2] Murray JC, et al. A topical antioxidant solution containing vitamins C and E stabilized by ferulic acid provides protection for human skin against damage caused by ultraviolet irradiation. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;59(3):418-425. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2008.05.004
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a plant antioxidant that stabilizes and boosts vitamins C and E, helping an antioxidant serum defend the look of skin against environmental stress.
It occurs naturally in plant cell walls, concentrated in the bran of grains like rice and oats.