What is Ferulic Acid?

A plant antioxidant from rice bran and seeds, best known for keeping vitamin C and vitamin E stable in the same bottle, and used as a main ingredient for its own antioxidant support.

What else is Ferulic Acid called?

On a label you may see Ferulic and Trans-ferulic acid.

When should you apply Ferulic Acid?

Morning or evening. Mornings suit it best, and evening works too.

Where do you apply Ferulic Acid?

All over the face. Keep it away from your eyes and lips.

Can you use Ferulic Acid around the eyes?

Yes. Ferulic Acid goes all over the face, the skin around the eyes included — keep it out of your eyes and off your lips.

Does Ferulic Acid make skin more sensitive to the sun?

No. Ferulic Acid is not flagged as increasing sun sensitivity.

Is there a cosmetic limit for Ferulic Acid?

No. No cosmetic regulator in the United States, Canada, the European Union or Great Britain sets a maximum strength for it. That is a limit on the rules, not a signal to use more.

Ferulic Acid — What It Does & How to Use It

What does Ferulic Acid do?#

A plant-derived antioxidant for the morning serum step. In vitamin C serums it has a second job: keeping the vitamin C and vitamin E stable.

Benefits

Provides antioxidant support against everyday environmental stress
Helps vitamin C and vitamin E stay stable when they share a formula
Can help skin look smoother over time
Can help a dull complexion look brighter

How it works

Ferulic acid is an antioxidant found in plant cell walls — rice bran, oats and many seeds are rich in it, and cosmetic ferulic acid can be made from rice bran. As an antioxidant it neutralizes the unstable molecules that everyday environmental stress creates at the skin's surface. Most ferulic acid on shop shelves sits in vitamin C serums in a small amount, where it keeps the vitamin C and vitamin E stable; products that lead with ferulic acid use it as a main ingredient in its own right. Ethyl ferulate, often listed in sunscreens, is a different ingredient.

How to use Ferulic Acid#

Best time
Mornings suit it best, and evening works too.
How often
Every day, from the first day, with no need to build up.
Where it goes
After cleansing, before moisturizer and sunscreen.
Where to apply
Across the whole face. Keep it out of the eyes themselves, as with any leave-on.
Sun
Wear sunscreen daily. Ferulic acid is not one we flag for extra sun care - and sun protection is its own separate step whatever else your routine contains.
Alongside others
It sits naturally beside vitamin C and vitamin E. Where a vitamin C serum already contains it, it is usually there in a small amount to keep the vitamins stable, and the vitamin C is the main ingredient.
As a serum it is not an exfoliant, so it adds no extra exfoliation alongside acids or retinol.
What to expect
Some people feel a brief tingle the first few times, and some ferulic acid serums feel slightly greasy or tacky. Both usually settle, and a lighter moisturizer over the top helps with the feel. If redness or itching doesn't settle, stop using it.
What to look for
Ethyl ferulate, often listed in sunscreens, is a different ingredient, and so is gamma-oryzanol from rice bran. Look for ferulic acid itself on the list.
Storing it
Store it sealed, away from light and heat. If the serum has darkened, it is past its best and time to replace it.

Discontinue use if unexpected discomfort occurs.

The form you will see it in

Ferulic acid serum

Where it goes: Before sunscreen

Using Ferulic Acid with other ingredients

Pairs well with Ferulic Acid

Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid)

Works well together

A classic pairing — ferulic acid helps vitamin C stay stable when they share a formula.

Vitamin E

Works well together

Often formulated with vitamin C as an antioxidant trio, where ferulic acid helps keep both vitamins stable.

What not to use with Ferulic Acid

Nothing flagged. None of the ingredients this wiki covers needs to be kept apart from Ferulic Acid — check the label of anything not covered here.

Who should avoid Ferulic Acid?#

Six situations change whether Ferulic Acid suits your skin right now. Each one is either a reason to skip it, a reason to go slowly, or nothing to watch for.

Maternity & Nursing: No caution
Fragile or Sensitive: No caution
Recent Facial or Laser: No caution
Prone to Redness: No caution
Dry or Itchy Patches: No caution
Recent Shave or Wax: No caution

Cosmetic strength limits for Ferulic Acid where you live#

Region	Most a cosmetic may contain
United States	No explicit cap
The FDA restricts a short list of ingredients and sets no general strength ceiling on the rest. A figure marked "guidance, not law" is the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel's recommendation. 21 CFR part 700, subpart B — Requirements for Specific Cosmetic Products (FDA)
Canada	No explicit cap
One list does the work — Health Canada's Hotlist of prohibited and restricted cosmetic ingredients. Health Canada — Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist
European Union	No explicit cap
The Cosmetics Regulation's annexes, consolidated to 1 May 2026. A figure marked "guidance, not law" comes from the EU's cosmetic safety committee rather than from the annexes. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI
Great Britain	No explicit cap
Great Britain kept the annexes as its own law and updates them only when it chooses; Northern Ireland follows the live EU Regulation, which is why some rows read differently for each. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as it applies in Great Britain · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI
India	No explicit cap
India writes its own standard, aligned to the European rules as they stood in 2012. Mandatory since 9 February 2026. IS 4707 (Part 2):2025 — restricted and prohibited cosmetic ingredients · IS 4707 (Part 3):2025 — preservatives · Cosmetics Rules, 2020, Ninth Schedule
Brazil	No explicit cap
ANVISA rewrote its restricted list in June 2026, and a companion act amended the prohibited list at the same time. RDC 1.029/2026 — restricted ingredients · RDC 529/2021 — prohibited ingredients, as amended by RDC 1.030/2026 · RDC 528/2021 — preservatives
Japan	10%
Japan's cosmetics standard keeps drug ingredients out of cosmetics, so most of its figures sit in the ministry's list of the ones a cosmetic may still contain. Cosmetics Standards (化粧品基準), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare · Cosmetics Standards — the ministry's own English translation · Drug ingredients permitted in cosmetics — 2007 notification
South Korea	No explicit cap
One MFDS regulation carries both the prohibited list and the restricted list, in force 18 March 2026. Sunscreens and a few other categories are cleared product by product instead. Regulation on Safety Standards for Cosmetics (MFDS Notification 2026-19) · Regulation on the Review of Functional Cosmetics (MFDS Notification 2025-88)
Kenya	No explicit cap
Kenya's standard applies the EU annexes as they stand rather than copying them, so its ingredient limits are the EU's — including the 2024 additions. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. KS EAS 377-1, -2 and -3:2022 — cosmetics safety requirements, published by KEBS · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI
Namibia	No explicit cap
Namibia sets no ingredient limits at all. Its cosmetic rule is a single line requiring a product to be free of any harmful ingredient. Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Ordinance 18 of 1979, and the regulations under it
Ukraine	No explicit cap
Ukraine's own transposition of the EU annexes, as they stood before the 2024 additions, fully in force since 3 August 2026. A further revision is due on 1 February 2027. Technical Regulation on cosmetic products — Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 20 January 2021
Georgia	No explicit cap
Georgia has no cosmetics rulebook — its register of technical regulations carries no cosmetics entry — so only the general product-safety duty applies. Register of technical regulations — no cosmetics entry
Australia	No explicit cap
Australia writes no cosmetic ingredient list. A figure here is the point at which a substance becomes a medicine or a scheduled substance carrying Caution labeling, so its numbers sit well above other markets'. Poisons Standard — June 2026 · Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Determination 2018
United Arab Emirates	No explicit cap
The Gulf standard points at the EU annexes as amended, so its ingredient limits are the EU's. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. GSO 1943:2024 — Cosmetic products: safety requirements (Gulf technical regulation) · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI
Kuwait	No explicit cap
The Gulf standard points at the EU annexes as amended, so its ingredient limits are the EU's. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. GSO 1943:2024 — Cosmetic products: safety requirements (Gulf technical regulation) · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI
Hong Kong	No explicit cap
Hong Kong writes no cosmetics rulebook. Its Poisons List (Cap. 138A, Schedule 10) decides which substances may be sold only as medicines, and general safety is judged case by case against whichever overseas standard the enforcer considers reasonable. Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A), Schedule 10 — the poisons list · Pharmacy and Poisons Board — Guidance Notes on classifying pharmaceutical products, April 2026
Singapore	No explicit cap
Singapore writes the ASEAN annexes into its own schedule, and its regulator tells companies to check the current ASEAN release as well — which is why a figure here can read "guidance, not law". Health Products (Cosmetic Products — ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations 2007, Third Schedule · ASEAN Cosmetic Directive annexes — release 2026-1, 22 June 2026
Brunei	No explicit cap
Brunei carries the 2007 ASEAN annexes in its own schedule and has not updated them since, so it reads differently from Singapore on several ingredients. Medicines (Cosmetic Products) Regulations (Cap. 285 Rg 1), Schedule 1 — revised edition 2024
Jordan	No explicit cap
Jordan's cosmetic rules defer to "the approved references" and name none of them, so there is no Jordanian figure to read. The only number in the instrument governs the ingredient list on the pack. JFDA instructions on cosmetics and pharmaceutical cosmetics, 2026
Trinidad & Tobago	No explicit cap
Trinidad and Tobago has had the power to set cosmetic standards since 1960 and has never used it. The regulations made under the Act cover food and drugs, with no cosmetics part; what binds is the Act's general rule against selling a cosmetic that may injure the user. Food and Drugs Act, Chap. 30:01 · Food and Drugs Regulations

Where a figure appears, that is the maximum strength allowed or advised for ferulic acid in that market — some are set in cosmetics regulation, others are the ceiling a cosmetic safety panel recommends. Where no figure appears, the market either sets no cosmetic maximum or handles this ingredient outside its cosmetic rules. These are limits, not targets — the right strength for a formula is the formulator's decision.

Open a market to see the rulebook its figure comes from. Those notes describe each market's own rules as we read them, current to August 24, 2026; the linked documents are the authority, and nothing here is legal advice.

Sample products with Ferulic Acid#

A few well-known products, not a full list — product names are each brand's own. We don't sell them — the shop prices them in US dollars and ships from Hong Kong, so delivery and duties come on top. It may not ship everywhere.

We may earn a small commission when you buy through these links.

Serums · 1

The OrdinaryResveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% - 30ml$15.59Also on YesStyle

Already have one? Check how it fits your skin with Pick.

Common questions about Ferulic Acid#

What is Ferulic Acid?: A plant antioxidant from rice bran and seeds, best known for keeping vitamin C and vitamin E stable in the same bottle, and used as a main ingredient for its own antioxidant support.
What else is Ferulic Acid called?: On a label you may see Ferulic and Trans-ferulic acid.
When should you apply Ferulic Acid?: Morning or evening. Mornings suit it best, and evening works too.
How often can you use Ferulic Acid?: Daily.
Where do you apply Ferulic Acid?: All over the face. Keep it away from your eyes and lips.
Can you use Ferulic Acid around the eyes?: Yes. Ferulic Acid goes all over the face, the skin around the eyes included — keep it out of your eyes and off your lips.
Does Ferulic Acid make skin more sensitive to the sun?: No. Ferulic Acid is not flagged as increasing sun sensitivity.
What should you not use with Ferulic Acid?: Nothing flagged. None of the ingredients this wiki covers needs to be kept apart from Ferulic Acid — check the label of anything not covered here.
Is there a cosmetic limit for Ferulic Acid?: No. No cosmetic regulator in the United States, Canada, the European Union or Great Britain sets a maximum strength for it. That is a limit on the rules, not a signal to use more.

Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid)Vitamin E Vitamin C Derivatives Resveratrol

How we check this#

Everything on this page traces to the sources listed below — regulators' own publications and published studies. Where the evidence does not answer a question, it is left unanswered.

Some sources below are medical studies. This ingredient has been studied in conditions a doctor treats, and the record cited here includes findings that did not favor it. We use those studies for their safety and handling detail only. A cosmetic product is not a medicine and is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any condition.

Some sources below are the official product information for prescription medicines, cited for how they interact with this ingredient. We use them for their safety and handling detail only. A cosmetic product is not one of those medicines and is not intended to treat any condition.

Our review is AI-assisted and is not a named expert's opinion. Last reviewed September 23, 2026.

Think something here is out of date or wrong? Email us at wiki@skinintelligence.ai with your reasoning and where you read it. We read what people send, and we update the page when the sources support it.

Regulators and official bodies · 15

Studies and references · 57