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If you’re even remotely interested in skincare, then the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum will ring a bell. After all, incorporating an antioxidant-rich vitamin C serum in your daily routine is essential to fighting off visible signs of aging while also protecting the skin from—and reversing—pollution damage, free radicals and the sun’s harmful rays.

Vitamin C is lauded for its unrivaled power to visibly fade dark spots, soften the appearance of fine lines, combat dullness, and improve overall elasticity (read: firmness). Unfortunately, it’s an active ingredient that’s pretty challenging to stabilize, making skincare products made with it among the pricier ones on the market.

While there’s a slew of popular (and effective) vitamin C skincare products available in an array of different price points and formulations, the coveted C E Ferulic Serum by SkinCeuticals is one of the most raved about and best-selling options you’ll find today. It’s also one of the most expensive. While paying the price for good skin is considered a worthy investment for some, we did some research to track down actual dupes for this coveted serum that have similar formulations of active ingredients but cost a fraction of the price.

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic

One of the reasons that the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum is so hard to mimic is its unique and patented blend of active ingredients (15 percent L-ascorbic acid, 1 percent vitamin E, and 0.5 percent ferulic acid) in each bottle. This is important because if the formulation isn’t properly balanced, not only might it be less effective, but because vitamin C has a pretty short shelf life, it can go “bad” as early as one to two months after opening the bottle. To prevent this from happening, SkinCeuticals has formulated and packaged the serum to remain stable and effective for up to six months after opening the bottle. (Light exposure can essentially destroy vitamin C’s potency, by the way.)

If you Google this ever-popular serum, you’ll find plenty of reviews from beauty editors, dermatologists and loyal users of the product touting its skin-transforming benefits and promising that it’s worth the steep price tag. However, if you can’t fathom tossing out nearly $200 on a serum, you don’t have to. We gathered eight solid options that reviewers swear deliver comparable results without the price tag.

RELATED: I Found a $17 Vitamin C Serum That Fades My Dark Spots Like No Other

• Timeless Skin Care

  

  This serum contains a powerful 10 percent formulation of vitamin C and ferulic acid to help even out and brighten your complexion at a fraction of the cost of the SkinCeuticals version.

• Timeless Skin Care

  

  Like the SkinCeuticals serum, this $20 dupe is formulated with 20 percent vitamin C in the form of L-ascorbic acid, one percent vitamin E and 0.5 percent ferulic acid. Pick up this one if you need a stronger formulation, but the previous Timeless product is great for beginners/introducing vitamin C into your skincare routine. It also contains hydration-boosting hyaluronic acid for added anti-aging power. This serum’s blend of active ingredients is a near dupe to the original, as it sits at the top of SKINSKOOL’s list of alternatives.

• Peter Thomas Roth

  

  The trio of powerhouse ingredients, 20 percent vitamin C, three percent vitamin E, and two percent ferulic acid, combine in this rich and moisturizing serum. The opaque jar with a pump dispenser is designed to keep light, air and bacteria from mixing with the delicate vitamins and actives in the formula so that it stays potent (as the name suggests) and stable for longer—meaning the last drop will be just as strong as the first.

• Urban Skin Rx

  

  Coming in at a super affordable $24, Urban Skin Rx’s Even Tone Super Glow Serum blends 10 percent ascorbic acid, 2 percent kojic acid, niacinamide, and ferulic acid. Its ingredient list slightly differs from the SkinCeuticals best-seller, but it still yields similar results. The serum’s aim is to brighten dark spots and reduce the look of sun damage and visible signs of aging. According to SKINSKOOL, it’s pretty darn close to its SkinCeuticals counterpart.

• Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty

  

  On top of vitamin C, vitamin E, and ferulic acid, this serum from Dr. Lara Devgan contains vitamin B and hyaluronic acid to smooth and hydrate skin. Above all, it helps fade dark spots, increase skin elasticity, and minimize the appearance of wrinkles. That sounds like a product description for SkinCeuticals’ C E Ferulic, am I right? SKINSKOOL sure thinks so.

• Mad Hippie

  

  In addition to vitamin C, Mad Hippie’s serum contains vitamin E, ferulic acid, konjac root and hyaluronic acid. One reviewer who has tried both serums wrote, “The Mad Hippie formula works just as well, feels better going on because it has more slip and has produced the results that I expected of it. My skin’s overall texture has improved, brown spots have faded and my complexion is brighter. As a skincare junky who has tried just about everything, I highly recommend it!”

• Paula's Choice

  

  Like the SkinCeuticals serum, this $55 vitamin C product contains nearly the same blend of the holy trinity of actives. It contains 15 percent stabilized vitamin C with a pH of 3.0 and a blend of peptides. Another bonus of this product is that you can either wear it alone or mix it in with your favorite moisturizer or primer without it pilling under your foundation. All of this checks out since the serum is included in SKINSKOOL’s list of SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic alternatives.

• Drunk Elephant

  

  While the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum is another cult favorite when it comes to skincare—and certainly not the most wallet-friendly option on the list—it’s still almost 50 percent cheaper than the SkinCeuticals serum. This serum also is formulated with its own patented blend of antioxidants, including 15 percent of vitamin C, as well as vitamin E and ferulic acids (these percentage levels aren’t listed), plus pumpkin ferment extract and pomegranate enzyme, which help to accelerate the turnover of dead skin cells.

  It has a 3.3 pH level, making it less irritating on sensitive skin, and claims to last up to 72 hours—even when the product’s been rubbed off. Endless reviewers of this serum claim that it reduces the appearance of their pores, restores luminosity to their skin and is less sticky (and therefore under-makeup-friendly) than other vitamin C serums on the market.

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