The Guru Index›Gurus›Dr. Whitney Bowe
Dr. Whitney Bowe
Dermatologist

Dr. Whitney Bowe.

Creator of the viral Skin Cycling Program, she covers skincare routines, ingredients, trends and cosmetic procedures on her channel. Each explanation is grounded in evidence and pitched so anyone can fit it into their day, whether they want the science or the simple version.

Founder · Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty
11Products
9 yay100% approval rate
0 nayNothing panned yet
0 hot takesRuns with the consensus

What they review most.

Weighed in on
Vitamin C

Every review.

All 11 products Dr. Whitney Bowe has reviewed, grouped by product type. Click a product to see the full guru consensus.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Against the gurus
Cleansers3 reviews
Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
"One of them is the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser. This retails for like just under $20. It's great in the morning when you're just rinsing off the skincare you applied the night before, though it's not really great at removing makeup."
✓Yay
83%Guru Score
Sensibio H2O Micellar Water
Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water
"During the winter months, if you're wearing makeup, especially longwear makeup around the eyes, I do recommend starting with a micellar water like this one by Bioderma. I think it's around $20. It's not really irritating, it's very gentle. I just use this around my eye area if I'm wearing some eyeliner or a long-lasting mascara."
✓Yay
96%Guru Score
Gentle Facial Cleanser
Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser
"The Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser is around $10. It's great in the morning, when you're just sort of rinsing off the skin care that you apply the night before. It's not really great at removing makeup, unfortunately."
✓Yay
92%Guru Score
Serums3 reviews
C E Ferulic
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
"But my patients who have very dry skin, very mature skin, and they're looking for a really clinically effective, the most stable form of ascorbic acid, the best studied ascorbic acid serum out there, and they can tolerate it, this is a winner. It's [...] going to have a little bit of a hot dog smell, and that's because of the ferulic acid, which is kind of a necessary evil because ferulic acid is a key ingredient that really helps to stabilize that very unstable vitamin C called ascorbic acid."
~Mixed
77%Guru Score
Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum
SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum
"It's a lipid loving, very stable form of vitamin C that I find is much better tolerated by my patients who have sensitive skin. Now they don't disclose exactly what percent of the THD they're using in the formulation, it's listed about 11th on the ingredient list, and it is underneath some other ingredients that are typically used at about a 1 to 2% concentration."
✓Yay
86%Guru Score
Vitamin C Serum
Murad Vitamin C Serum
"This Vitamin C Serum has vitamin C but it also has two forms of alpha hydroxy acid so it combines vitamin C with glycolic acid and lactic acid. [...] Just be careful if you're going to be using that one, be careful about using it in the morning because it does make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Even if you're using it in the evening, you still want to be really careful about sun protection every single morning if you decide to use that product."
~Mixed
76%Guru Score
Other2 reviews
Phloretin CF
SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF
"This one actually is better for my patients who have more oily acne prone skin. It just has a lighter feel to it, it doesn't feel as heavy, it doesn't feel as occlusive. It's also using L-ascorbic acid, so if you're sensitive to L-ascorbic acid, again, the serum is not going to be for you. It does come in a dropper now."
✓Yay
89%Guru Score
C-Tetra Advance
Medik8 C-Tetra Advance
"It's one of the least expensive vitamin C serums out there it's only $48 so if you like that sort of oily texture and you want something that's a little bit more in a budget this is a great option"
✓Yay
89%Guru Score
Masks & Peels1 review
Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
"This is obviously my Holy Grail, my go-to. If you have oily skin or acne prone skin, you [...] might be able to use a product with just salicylic acid every single day. One of my favorite products for that is Paula's Choice 2% BHA."
✓Yay
89%Guru Score
Moisturizers1 review
Cicaplast Baume B5
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
"This one's called Cicaplast Baume B5. It's by La Roche-Posay. It's a lighter weight but still semi occlusive barrier layer that is going to go on top of your moisturizer. Spot treat only, but if you have to put it all over, you can, on those special nights you're feeling really really dry. What that's going to do is just add that extra protective layer to really help repair the skin barrier and seal in that moisture all night long."
✓Yay
92%Guru Score
Tools1 review
Silk Pillowcase
Slip Silk Pillowcase
"I like the brand Slip, that's an excellent option. They actually have some really impressive studies showing that it actually helps with the transfer of skincare products, so your skincare products that you use at night are staying on your face and not getting into the pillowcase."
✓Yay
85%Guru Score

This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

Subscribe to the digest

Dr. Whitney Bowe is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, The Guru Index. Every quote on this page comes from her public YouTube videos, linked at the timestamp. Verdicts and approval stats are our editorial read of what she said. "Guru" is a title we award, not a sign of any affiliation.