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Silymarin CF.

SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF

About this product

A vitamin C serum with silymarin (milk thistle extract), ferulic acid, and salicylic acid, formulated for oily and acne-prone skin.

Best for

Oily skinAcne-prone skin

The Guru Index verdict

81%

Approved

Approved · 81%
3Reviewers
3Approved
0Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Experts praise this serum for those with oily or acne-prone skin, crediting the milk thistle extract and vitamin C to help regulate sebum and reduce the inflammation that feeds breakouts, while also brightening dark spots. The salicylic acid adds gentle exfoliation to keep pores clear. The main trade-off is price, though the gurus note SkinCeuticals backs its formulas with published studies. Those considering it may want to patch-test first and use sunscreen daily, as vitamin C serums can increase sun sensitivity.
Synthesized from 3 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Vitamin CSalicylic acid (BHA)Fragrance-free

Full ingredients

Aqua/​Water/​Eau, Alcohol Denat, Ascorbic Acid (15%), Propylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Laureth-23, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract (0.5%), Sodium Citrate, Salicylic Acid (0.5%), Ferulic Acid (0.5%)

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Approved
"SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF has been a standout. It's nice for those with acne prone skin, oilier skin types. It has the milk thistle extract, silymarin antioxidant that works well with your vitamin C and vitamin E in that serum to work on regulating sebum. You don't want to have more sebum to add to the acne causing bacteria. It will help regulate that while brightening your skin."
All 5 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai
Best Skincare Essentials of the Year
"SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF has been a standout. It's nice for those with acne prone skin, oilier skin types. It has the milk thistle extract, silymarin antioxidant that works well with your vitamin C and vitamin E in that serum to work on regulating sebum. You don't want to have more sebum to add to the acne causing bacteria. It will help regulate that while brightening your skin."
Stop Overcomplicating Your Routine — Do This for Glowing Skin
"If you have oilier skin, I really like SkinCeuticals CF, which is a powerful antioxidant that comes from milk thistle and you have the vitamin C and ferulic acid with that. Better for regulating the sebum. It's very good for those with acne prone skin."
Best Anti-Aging Products of 2025
"If you have oilier skin types, I like this Silymarin CF antioxidant. Helps brighten the skin, reduce the dark spots on my face. I recently have been dealing with a new sun freckle that showed up on my nose and I've been using the Silymarin and alternating every other day with other vitamin C serums. It is quite powerful in lightening those dark spots. I prefer vitamin C serums every day before your sunscreen."
Best Vitamin C Serums of 2025- Dermatologist’s Top Picks
"If you want to have oilier skin types, I would have to say their Silymarin CF is the way to go. You still have the 15% L-ascorbic acid, you have ferulic acid, but you also have silymarin which is from milk thistle. And this is a powerful antioxidant which is specifically great for those who are acne prone or with oilier skin types because it reduces lipid peroxidation. When you have the oxidation of your skin oils, your sebum, it actually will be detrimental to your skin when it comes to inflammation, acne causing bacteria feeding off of the sebum and causing more inflammation. And when you have inflammation, it's going to lead to more dark spots and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, especially in my patients who are skin of color. I'm not going to say that this treats acne, but it's good for those who are acne prone because I've had patients come in saying that they're using vitamin C to help battle their acne. If you are dealing with acne or you tend to break out with inflammatory acne, you can consider certain products like SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF, but it is a higher price point. I do like that SkinCeuticals has great studies backing up their products. They put in a lot of money to have these trials and get concrete evidence to back it up."
Dermatologist Explains: Anti-Aging Skincare Routine By Age
"SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF is great for those with acne prone skin. If you have the money, go for 15% ascorbic acid in SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, Florutin CF, and their Silymarin CF. You're paying for the reputation, the studies backing it up, the science behind SkinCeuticals products. It's been out for a long time and a lot of dermatologists stand by it."
Approved
"SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF is specifically designed for oily acne prone skin. It has vitamin C with silymarin, which is the milk thistle extract to reduce the oiliness and prevent oxidation of the sebum, which is a key factor in breakouts. It also has a little bit of salicylic acid to help exfoliate and keep pores clean. The key ingredients are 15% eloscorbic acid, the silymarin, and the salicylic acid. It's a little bit on the pricey side, but SkinCeuticals does their studies, so totally worth the splurge."
Approved
"I like the Silymarin CF by SkinCeuticals because it has salicylic acid in it which is oil loving so it's going to help regulate that for you."
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