That famous $185 serum? The patent expired.
For twenty years one company had the legal right to sell that formula, and priced it accordingly. That right ran out on March 24, 2025. Our L-ascorbic acid based vitamin C serum is $55.
Brandefy's Clinical Vit C + E + Ferulic Defend Serum
- 15% L-ascorbic acid, vitamin E and ferulic acid
- Same chemists/manufacturers that make other high-end clinical skincare
- No retail markup, sold direct
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Testimonials from customers who switched
Great Stuff
“I am a 30 year old mom of 2 and usually use the best vitamin C on the market and they are very expensive. I love this stuff and will purchase again. It is very similar and my skin looks great.”
Great quality
“This is the first time I tried this product and so far I have found it to be a great product. It is very comparable to the expensive product I have used for years. I will definitely continue to use this product and recommend to my friends.”
Love this product!
“Thank you for making this product! had purchased the SkinCeuticals product a couple of times but I couldn’t justify the cost. This product feels similar to the original and works well on my skin. Just purchased my 2nd bottle.”
Received a coupon toward a future order in exchange for this review.
of surveyed customers said their skin looked more radiant after using the Defend Serum — 41 of 48.
Brandefy customer survey, October 2023. n = 48; 41 of 48 respondents answered yes, and all 48 answered the question. Panel members received an incentive to respond. Self-reported appearance, not a clinical measurement.
Brandefy Clinical Vit C + E + Ferulic Defend Serum, before and after. Individual result; see note below.†
What’s in our Vitamin C bottle
Three actives, each doing a specific job. 15% L-ascorbic acid — pure vitamin C, the form skin can actually use — to help support a brighter, more even-looking tone. Vitamin E alongside it. And 0.5% ferulic acid, which holds the other two stable long enough to do their work.
The $185 original has the same three, both at 15% L-ascorbic acid. Beyond that they are two different formulations, made by two different sets of chemists.
Think of us as high-end dupes.
Brandefy works with the chemists, manufacturers and dermatologists who make other high-end clinical skincare.
Everything wrapped around a $185 bottle — the counter, the retailer’s margin, the campaign — is priced into it.
How is it only $55?
A serum on a department store shelf has to pay for the shelf. It pays the retailer, the counter staff, the sampling program and the campaign that got you to walk over. By the time it reaches you, everyone who touched it has been paid out of the price.
Ours goes from the lab to a box to you. That is not a smaller margin on the same product — it is a shorter list of people getting paid.
What actually expired
US Patent 7,179,841 B2 was filed on January 11, 2005 and issued on February 20, 2007. It described a single-phase solution: L-ascorbic acid, a cinnamic acid derivative — ferulic acid is one — a solvent system and water, held at a pH of no more than about 3.5, with vitamin E optional. That is the architecture that keeps pure vitamin C stable long enough to be worth putting on your face.
The named inventors are Jan E. Zielinski and Sheldon R. Pinnell, a Duke dermatologist who spent much of his career on this exact problem and solved it. The patent itself was assigned to L’Oréal USA Creative, Inc., and sits today with L’Oréal USA S.D. Inc.
A patent is a trade: twenty years of exclusivity, and then the knowledge belongs to everybody. The twenty years are up. It expired on March 24, 2025, and since that date any company may legally make what it describes.
Clinical Vit C + E + Ferulic Defend Serum
- 30 ml / 1 fl oz
- 15% L-ascorbic acid · vitamin E · 0.5% ferulic acid
- Custom formulated in the United States
- Ships in the US, PO boxes included
The vitamin C isn’t the only one
Three more we make the same way.
Tri Lipid Replenish Treatment
A highly effective concentration of 1.5% ceramides, 4.0% pomegranate sterols & 1.8% fatty acids.
No Needles Renew Serum
Built on the same three actives: 4% niacinamide, five molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, and a peptide complex.
WaterCream Refresh Moisturizer
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) helps soften the look of visible pores and fine lines.
Questions
What’s the same, and what isn’t?
Same three actives, both at 15% L-ascorbic acid — vitamin E and ferulic acid are the other two. Beyond that they are two different formulations by two different sets of chemists.
Is this legal?
Yes, and it is the ordinary end of the process. A patent grants twenty years of exclusivity in exchange for publishing how the thing works. When the twenty years end, the description is public property. That happened on March 24, 2025.
Why is it so much less?
Because nothing between the lab and your door is taking a cut, and because the formula is no longer exclusive to anyone. Neither of those is a saving on the chemistry.
How long before I see anything?
Topical vitamin C generally takes around eight weeks to make a visible difference to tone and elasticity. Use it in the morning, before sunscreen, every day.
†Before and after photographs are submitted by individual customers. Results are that individual’s experience and are not typical. Outcomes vary with skin type, routine, consistency of use and sun exposure; no particular result is promised or implied.
US Patent 7,179,841 B2, “Stabilized ascorbic acid compositions and methods therefor” — filed January 11, 2005; issued February 20, 2007; originally assigned to L’Oréal USA Creative, Inc. and currently held by L’Oréal USA S.D. Inc.; expired March 24, 2025. Searchable at patents.google.com.
Competitor prices verified 4 August 2026: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic $185 and Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 $155 at authorized retailers; DRMTLGY Needle-less Serum $69 and Tatcha The Water Cream $74 at those brands’ own stores. Prices are set by those brands and are subject to change.
SkinCeuticals, C E Ferulic, Triple Lipid Restore, DRMTLGY, Needle-less, Tatcha and The Water Cream are trademarks of their respective owners, which are not affiliated with Brandefy and do not endorse it. Comparisons refer to active ingredients and price only. Individual results vary.
