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Drunk Elephant · Skin · Serums

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Vitamin-C Day Serum

A 15% vitamin C serum, by the maker's figure, with ferulic acid, in a vitamin powder you mix in yourself so it stays fresh. Clever, sticky, and it smells like it.

28 mlSerumAscorbic acid (vitamin C)Ferulic acidPumpkin ferment extractFragrance-free
$79 MSRPAmazon price not shown
Check price on Amazon →

Amazon link · we earn a commission if you buy · $79 MSRP · Amazon price not shown · verified Nov 1, 2026. More stores appear here as each affiliate program approves the site.

Buy it if

  • You have had vitamin C go orange on you
  • You want vitamin C with ferulic acid and no fragrance
  • You do not mind mixing a product

Walk past if

  • You want value; $79 MSRP buys 28 ml
  • You mind a smell; owners compare it to meat
  • You break out easily; owners report some of their worst skin on it

What's in it

The ingredients that do the work, from the maker’s label.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)Ferulic acidPumpkin ferment extract

Sulfate-free →Fragrance-free →

Not in it: fragrance, essential oils, drying alcohol, sulfates. Nothing on our flag list.

Full ingredient list, from the maker

Water/Aqua/Eau, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ascorbic Acid, Laureth-23, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice Extract, Ferulic Acid, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Propanediol, Gluconolactone, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole, Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin

Known issue

Owners complain of a meaty smell and sticky finish, and a steady number report breakouts and irritation after weeks of use.Sephora and MakeupAlley reviews

What owners say

Filled by the research pass: two or three owner reports from named venues, each linked, each with the date it was read.

If it's not right

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%$6 MSRPTen percent niacinamide with zinc PCA in a water-based serum. Cheap enough to try, and sticky enough that owners complain about what it does under the next layer.CeraVe Moisturizing CreamNo maker list price for this sizeThree ceramides, cholesterol, hyaluronic acid and petrolatum in a thick cream for face and body. The plain standard for dry skin, developed with dermatologists according to the maker.

Sources

  1. Maker page: ingredient list, 28 ml list price, 15% vitamin C statement.
  2. Sephora reviews, about 2,300: breakouts and irritation after weeks of use, a bad or meaty smell, and a sticky feel.
  3. MakeupAlley reviews under the older C-Firma Day Serum name, about 3.1 of 5 from 107: smell, stickiness, oxidation in older bottles and burning for some. (read from a search excerpt)

Ingredient lists from the maker's label, not our measurements.