Photo: getty
A glow-y complexion awaits.
By Aly Walansky — Written on Mar 27, 2019
The best vitamin C serums are powerhouses that should be experienced if you have not already tried them.
We already know that vitamin C is an antioxidant, and because of this, it has endless benefits, including reducing fine lines and wrinkles, repairing sun damage, producing collagen, making skin look brighter and clearer, and protecting our skin from aging and free radicals.
But the vitamin C serum benefits are no joke either! These serums protect your skin from sun damage, strengthens your skin, and improves elasticity. It's something you should make a part of your everyday skincare routine.
It's basically perfect, and here are a bunch of options to try.
1. Vitabrid Dual Serum
Featuring a proprietary new form of stabilized and active Vitamin C from Seoul, this serum's skin-brightening formula improves tone, texture, firmness, and elasticity. It delivers proven anti-aging benefits and an even skin tone. This K-beauty gem also moisturizes, hydrates, and supplies nutrients to the skin to protect it from external stress factors.
(Barneys, $75)
2. Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20%
Created by Dr. Hannah Sivak, PhD, this serum provides exfoliation and promotes skin renewal. It also helps reduce uneven skin tone and the formation of dark spots, while providing antioxidants to promote healthy skin. The low pH of ascorbic acid makes this product a great exfoliating treatment to use a few times a week.
(Skin Actives, $20.99)
3. Elina Organics Vitamin C Elixir
This natural ester Vitamin C, collagen building formula helps to reduce free radical damage. Extracts of Yarrow, Sea Buckthorn, and other nourishing organic botanicals help to even out your complexion, hydrate and rejuvenate your skin. It can be used as a serum for dry complexion, or as a moisturizer for normal to oily complexion.
(Elina Organics Skincare, $63)
4. Osmosis Skincare Catalyst AC-11 DNA Repair Serum
This isn't your normal vitamin C serum! The main focus to repair damage in our DNA. Its unique combination of Vitamin C, amino acids and minerals encourages the skin to increase collagen and elastin production, promotes wound healing, and improves sun protection.
(Amazon)
5. Tame The Beast Anti-Aging Face Serum for Men
This serum contains pure, skin nourishing vitamins and all-natural essential oils from the garden of the beast. The anti-wrinkle, anti-aging skin vitamins are A (Retinol), C and E. The aromatherapeutic, anti-inflammatory, soothing essential oils are Neroli, Bitter Orange, Sea Buckthorn, Sandalwood, Hazel, Parsley, Brassica Campestris Seed, Clary Sage and Flax with natural omega-3, omega-6 and more.
(Amazon)
6. Goddess Garden Under the Sun Hydrating Serum
This light, quick-absorbing serum delivers nutrients deep into your skin to replenish the areas that need it most. Rosehip oil, sea buckthorn and marula nourish the skin and improve its appearance, while lycopene delivers antioxidants that help fight aging. It reduces wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots, while helping mineral sunscreen go on smoothly and evenly.
(Amazon)
7. Vitamin C + E Serum by No B.S. Skincare
Turn up your morning with a silky Vitamin C + E serum, designed to give you a dewy glow. This bottle is packed with antioxidant superheroes including Pomegranate and Green Tea to reduce inflammation, help heal damaged skin, and prevent premature aging. It also contains hydrating Hyaluronic Acid and collagen-boosting Vitamins C and E to give you a super tight, super bright look.
(Amazon)
8. Sunday Riley C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil
Suppler-looking skin starts with a routine application of C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil. With a quick-absorbing formula, this Sunday Riley product gives your skin a luminous boost thanks to its golden turmeric and vitamin C contents.
(Dermstore, $80)
9. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
SkinCeuticals' C E Ferulic features a synergistic antioxidant combination of ferulic acid and pure vitamin C and E to enhance your skin's protection against environmental damage caused by free radicals. In addition to antioxidant protective benefits, this formula improves signs of aging and photodamage to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles while firming and brightening your complexion.
(Dermstore, $166)
10. Obagi Professional-C Serum 20%
Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% infuses your skin with L-ascorbic acid, the only form of vitamin C suitable for topical application. Designed to penetrate deep into your skin, this vitamin C serum provides effective antioxidant protection from UV damage as it brightens away hyperpigmentation and encourages the growth of collagen and elastin fibers. Hyaluronic acid binds moisture to your skin to prevent dryness.
(Dermstore, $127)
11. CIRCCELL Skincare's Vitamin C Ampoules
This targeted treatment contains a high-performance blend of vitamin C, an essential antioxidant for youthful skin, to transform dull, lacklustre skin and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Microsponge technology enables a controlled release of actives for long-acting protection, and single-dose capsules protect the potency and efficacy of the active ingredients within.
(Circcell, $160)
12. Dermae Vitamin C Concentrated Serum
This concentrated Vitamin C serum beautifully renews the appearance of your skin. We use a stabilized form of Vitamin C that is less likely to degrade than unstabilized Vitamin C before being absorbed by the skin, so it works better for you. By combining this powerful antioxidant with other potent ingredients, this is the best vitamin C serum to use if you want a brighter, more youthful-looking complexion.
(Dermae, $24.50)
13. Younique YOUOLOGY Serum
Formulated to absorb quickly, this highly concentrated serum is packed with skin-nourishing ingredients like vitamin E, niacinamide and olive oil to hydrate your skin. Customize your serum and target your individual skin concerns, including brightening and anti-aging. The Brightening Booster with Vitamin C and licorice extract combine on your skin to create brilliance in this brightening booster.
(Younique Products, $65 each)
14. PRAI Potent-C Power Drops
This highly concentrated serum repairs uneven and sun damaged skin for a brighter complexion. Advanced Vitamin C Esther with Copper peptides optimize collagen and elastin for brighter, more even skin. Glycerin boosts skin’s hydration, and mineral and vitamin-rich marine botanical help relieve the appearance of dull, fatigued skin.
(Prai Beauty, $49.95)
15. One Love Organics Vitamin C Facial Serum
Vitamin C Brightening Facial Serum takes a triple action approach to help visibly brighten skin dulled by stress and environmental elements. This plant powered formula uses two potent sources of Vitamin C, synergistic C boosters — organic green tea and Vitamin E — and a clinically proven botanical active to increase luminosity and nourish skin for a more radiant, even-toned complexion.
(Aillea, $75)
16. Alpyn Beauty Plant Genius Survival Serum
This is an all-in-one brightening serum and illuminating primer. The hydrating, antioxidantrich formula helps even tone with vitamin C, bearberry leaf and licorice root extract, while a trio of gentle exfoliants help refine skin's surface and promote cell turnover.
(Aillea, $68)
17. Maya Chia The Super Blend
The Super Blend is a pressed serum multi-correctional moisture concentrate using the most complex ingredient deck to date in a high-performance, luxurious formula. The core of the proprietary complex is a blend of nature’s most highly effective ingredients, including natural astaxanthin, supercritical chia, shelf stable vitamin C ester, coenzyme Q10, powerful active botanicals, and the most innovative natural anti-aging ingredients.
(Aillea, $105)
18. KORRES Wild Rose 15% Vitamin C Spotless Serum
A powerful 15 percent vitamin C brightening bi-phase serum to reduce the appearance of dark spots, dullness, and skin discolorations for spotlessly luminous skin.
(Sephora, $75)
19. Amalia Antioxidant Milk
A nourishing tonic fortified with high concentrations of the planet’s most powerful antioxidants, this brightening serum saturates skin with illuminating nutrients. Gentle enough for even sensitive types, tetrahexydecyl ascorbate, a stable and luxurious form of vitamin C, helps visibly brighten and firm the skin while protecting it against damaging free radicals.
(Amazon)
20. Youth EssentiA Vita-Peptide C-Quence Serum 1
With a concentration of Vitamins A and C, the technologically advanced product’s potent ingredients work in synergy to combat the appearance of visible signs of aging. C-Quence Serum 1 richly hydrates the skin, softens the look of fine lines, and improves the appearance of sun-damaged skin for a more healthy-looking and radiant complexion.
(Derma Concepts, $112)
21. Dermadoctor Kakadu C
This lightweight, anti-aging high potency stabilized Vitamin C serum is accentuated with Kakadu Plum Extract, Ferulic Acid and Vitamin E boosters.
(Dermadoctor, $95)
22. Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster
This concentrated booster, with 15 percent pure vitamin C, dramatically brightens uneven skin while improving the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
(Paula's Choice, $49)
23. Graydon Skincare Fullmoon Serum
Loaded with all your favorite actives that help visibly reduce signs of aging, Fullmoon Serum is what skin dreams are made of. Formulated with botanical collagen, vitamin c, hyaluronic acid, oligopeptides and retinol, anti-inflammatory blue tansy, an anti-pollution complex, and infused with Graydon's favorite gemstone malachite, this serum helps to improve and protect your skin’s natural beauty while combating comprehensive signs of aging.
(Graydon Skincare, $87)
RELATED: 5 Supplements You Really Need To Take Daily
Aly Walansky is a NY-based lifestyles writer. Her work appears in dozens of digital and print publications regularly. Visit her on Twitter or email her at alywalansky@gmail.com.
More for You:
YourTango may earn an affiliate commission if you buy something through links featured in this article.