A caffeic acid derivative can be denoted by the chemical formula 1 below. ##STR00001## The present invention provides a caffeic acid derivative denoted by a chemical formula 1 as below and a composition containing the same. The preferable composition according to the present invention containing a caffeic acid derivative denoted as below contains a vitamins C further. And the composition can be the formulation for cosmetic material (cosmetics), medical material (medicine), foods (groceries), etc. The caffeic acid derivative according to the present invention as denoted by a chemical formula 1 is water-soluble and superior in antioxidant power so that it can stabilize the vitamins C effectively. The composition containing the caffeic acid derivative according to the present can increase whitening effect and further can prevent the skin from aging through effective activity of the vitamin C.