Best of
The best vitamin C serums
Vitamin C brightens dull skin, fades dark marks and shields you from daily sun damage, but only if you pick a form your skin tolerates and use it before it oxidises. Strength and stability matter far more than the price on the box.
Here are the ones worth buying, sorted by skin type and budget. None are sponsored, and each buy button sends you to the store that ships to you.
Chosen on form, strength, stability and value. For how vitamin C actually works (and why yours may have died in the bottle), read the full guide. Read the guide →
1
Best value
Timeless 20% Vitamin C + E + Ferulic
The cult budget pick: 20% pure L-ascorbic acid with vitamin E and ferulic acid, the same trio the expensive serums use, for a fraction of the price. Arrives fresh and clear. Use it within a few months before it oxidises.
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2
Best for sensitive skin
Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum
A gentle 5% vitamin C that brightens slowly without the sting stronger formulas can cause. The easiest way in if pure vitamin C has irritated you before, or if your skin runs reactive.
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3
Best high-strength
COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum
A punchy 23% pure vitamin C for skin that already tolerates actives and wants faster brightening. Potent, so patch-test and ease in. Not the one to start your vitamin C journey on.
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4
Best gentle brightening
Some By Mi Yuja Niacin 30 Days Serum
Uses a vitamin C derivative plus niacinamide rather than raw ascorbic acid, so it stays calm and stable while still evening out tone. A good middle path between doing nothing and a stinging high-strength serum.
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