Is 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid an active ingredients?

Yes, it’s an active ingredient. Active ingredients are those that are scientifically proven to change or have an effect on skin. 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is an active because it has proven antioxidant, collagen boosting, and skin brightening properties. Ascorbic acid is what we usually refer to when we say vitamin C. It’s also known as L-ascorbic Acid. Just different names for the same thing. Ascorbic acid is the pure, concentrated form and it may cause irritation and purging. 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is an etherified derivative of ascorbic acid. It’s a very stable, water and oil soluble, and milder version of ascorbic acid. There is little risk of purging but it’s still an active so remember to patch test.

I totally agree with everything in abc1111’s post below, she explained it very well 💙 One thing to add is that while ascorbic acid is an active ingredient that can cause purging, not every active ingredient causes purging. Only actives that speed up cell turn over cause purging. That means ahas, bhas, retinol and sometimes benzoyl peroxide. There are other actives, like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid or vitamin e, that don’t cause purging because they don’t speed up cell turnover. If someone is reacting to them, it’s not purging, but sensitivity, irritation or allergy.

It is one of the most stable, non-irritating derivatives of Vitamin C. So yes, i believe it is still considered an active ingredient

It's a vit C derivative so it is considered an active agent, and vit C can cause purging, as it helps shed your dead skin cells. But vit C can also cause irritation so your acne may actually indicate something else. Keep Keep eye on how it continues to react to the product to confirm whether it's actually purging or reacting badly to the ingredients.