Derma E is a skincare brand that claims to sell "clinically proven" products, and Vitamin C Intense Night Cream is their most popular product. This cream is a moisturizer used to "hydrate and brighten your complexion."

But does Derma E's cream contain research-backed ingredients for skin moisturization? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And is this product better or worse than popular moisturizers like CeraVe Moisturizing Cream? 

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream to give our take on whether or not it's effectively formulated.

We'll also share our concerns about one of the brand's clinical claims, and compare Derma E's cream to other popular moisturizers to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Contains research-backed active ingredients
• Contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream
  

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream are shown below:

This formulation contains a number of active ingredients with research-backed skin moisturizing effects.

Pseudozyma epicola was described as an "excellent emollient" in a medical review published in the Molecules journal.

This means it can soften and smooth the skin.

Bakuchiol was shown to have anti-aging effects in a 2022 meta-study.

Sodium ascorbyl phosphate is a form of vitamin C which is clinically shown to be highly effective at skin penetration, and to have an anti-acne effect.

Sodium hyaluronate is clinically shown to reduce wrinkle appearance and depth, as we documented in our review of Versed Skincare.

There are three inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy.

Phenoxyethanol is a common synthetic preservative that was shown in a clinical trial to be toxic to human cells.

Ethylhexylglycerin is a synthetic preservative shown to potentiate the toxic effects of phenoxyethanol in a 2016 medical review.

Natural fragrance oils is a broad and vague descriptor that fails to document which specific chemical compounds are used.

Fragranced products are clinically shown to be harmful to human health.

Overall, we consider Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream highly likely to have a hydrating and anti-aging effect on skin, but we don't currently it for health reasons, due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.

Questionable Clinical Claim

The product page on Derma E's website claims this product is "clinically proven" to work:

image source: https://dermae.com/products/vitamin-c-intense-night-cream

The tiny fine print below clarifies that this is based on a "questionnaire" from a company-funded trial, and that trial is not even linked to anywhere on the page.

As we've made clear in many Illuminate Health articles, we consider these types of "clinical" claims to be unfair to consumers, because of the risk of bias, and because the full trial isn't even made accessible.

The clinical studies we cite (like in the Ingredient Analysis section above) are published in peer-reviewed journals, which is the highest standard for quality and reducing risk of bias.

We recommend that consumers entirely disregard clinical claims based on company-funded studies which are not published in peer-reviewed journals due to the risk of bias. 

Derma E vs. Popular Moisturizers

Here's how Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream compares to other popular moisturizers in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

The active ingredient is petrolatum, which is clinically shown to provide skin barrier repair effects.

Contains phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin, but no fragrance.

This makes CeraVe's formulation healthier.

Winner: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Jergens Natural Glow

Contains a synthetic preservative which is clinically shown to be metabolized into a "tumor promoter," as we documented in our Jergens Natural Glow review article.

Derma E is the healthier option.

Winner: Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream

Hanacure Nano Emulsion Moisturizer

This formulation contains research-backed active ingredients, and is free of any unhealthy ingredients.

Winner: Hanacure Nano Emulsion Moisturizer

Derma E Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Many research-backed active ingredients
• Should moisturize skin
• Should have anti-aging effect
• Contains effective form of vitamin C for dermatology

Cons:

• Contains synthetic preservative combination we consider unhealthy
• Contains fragrance
• Brand makes questionable clinical claim

Conclusion

Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream is a well-formulated skincare product, from a potential efficacy standpoint.

This product contains many research-backed active ingredients for skin hydration, skin barrier repair, anti-aging and more.

From an efficacy standpoint, this is an above-average formulation.

Derma E's cream also contains three inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy, so we don't currently recommend this product.

The brand also makes claims of clinical efficacy without linking to the clinical study, and the study doesn't appear to be published in any peer-reviewed journals.

We recommend that consumers entirely disregard this type of "clinical" claim.

We consider Derma E's moisturizer to be a healthier option than Jergens Natural Glow, but to be less healthy than moisturizers sold by CeraVe and Hanacure.