Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was an extremely satisfied customer of the Cosmetic Skin Solutions vitamin C serum for years, and then it's availability disappeared altogether during a portion of 2018. I suspect it was because they infringed on the Skinceuticals patent, forcing them to roll out this new product that has dried my skin the first three times I've used it since arrival. After doing extensive research on vitamin C serum a number of years back upon the advice of two separate plastic surgeons, the studies showed that the winning combination was 15% vitamin C, 1% vitamin E, and 0.5% Ferulic Acid. As I recall, Skinceuticals didn't conduct the study, but they were able to receive the patent on the formula combination of those three ingredients. Because of the exorbitant cost of their product, I began searching for other companies that utilized this same combination of 15% vitamin C, 1% vitamin E, and 0.5% Ferulic Acid, which is why I settled on the cosmetic skin solutions product at a fraction of the cost. When their vitamin C product disappeared from Amazon and their own website for a portion of 2018, I sensed that something was up. When I received the email that it was back in stock on Amazon, I rushed over to purchase it, only to realize that even the packaging was different. The active ingredients listed on the box describes 15% vitamin C, and it lists vitamin E, but not the percentages used that the study found to be most effective. No mention whatsoever of Ferulic Acid, but instead, it lists Asiatic acid, Glutathlone, and hyaluronic acid instead. I will not be purchasing this product in the future, simply because the studies show it's the exact combination of ingredients that showed the greatest results when using vitamin C serum, which is why skinceuticals is able to charge those ridiculous rates. I did notice another company was selling the same combination of ingredients at a fraction of the cost, which I'll likely purchase until they are forced to pull their product for a patent infringement charge. This new product rolled out by Cosmetic Skin Solutions may not have the same effect on others as it has on me, but I personally prefer to rely on peer reviewed studies, as opposed to anecdotal feedback by select customers, on ANY product I use if studies have indeed been conducted.