7 Best Vitamin C Serums

Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet. It’s not only good when consumed in food, but it’s also beneficial when applied to the skin.

At the risk of sounding like an overused marketing tagline, Vitamin C really is an all-rounder. It’s amazing for all skin types, and people of all ages will greatly benefit from using it topically. As a well-researched and established skincare ingredient, it’s far from being a skincare fad in the vein of 24K gold masks and snail mucin.

If you’re unsure about using a Vitamin C serum in your skincare routine, this guide should seal the deal. We’ll also explore all the different forms of this potent-yet-sensitive vitamin to help you make the right choice!

What Does Vitamin C Do for Your Skin?

• It supports skin health and elasticity. Vitamin C stimulates collagen production. As you may already know, collagen is responsible for maintaining your skin’s strength and elasticity. Your body’s collagen levels deplete with age, sun exposure, and smoking. Taking Vitamin C orally and using a Vitamin C serum will help ensure that your skin has all the collagen it needs, leading to plumper and smoother skin—something we all DEFINITELY want.
• It helps fight the signs of aging. As your skin’s elasticity improves, you’ll obviously be less prone to fine lines and wrinkles. On top of that, Vitamin C, being an excellent antioxidant, helps fight free radicals. Free radicals are responsible for cellular damage, which accelerates skin aging.

• It prevents sunburn. Did you know that Vitamin C increases the effectiveness of sunscreen? It’s amazing at preventing sunburn, so don’t skip your Vitamin C serum in the morning!
• It lightens hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C serums are excellent for lightening hyperpigmentation—whether it’s from sun damage or a reaction to a bad product. If you’re struggling with dark spots and an uneven skin tone, regularly applying a Vitamin C serum will help.
• It helps erase acne marks. Fighting acne is already difficult in itself. But even after you successfully conquer breakouts, you’re left to deal with unsightly acne marks. That being said, incorporating Vitamin C serum in your daily skincare routine helps speed up the process of fading these dark spots.
• It brightens your skin. We’re all after “that glow.” A bright complexion simply stands out from the crowd, and Vitamin C can help you achieve that.

What to Consider When Shopping for a Vitamin C Serum

We’re all guilty of getting swayed by fancy packaging and to-die-for scents at some point in our lives, but these obviously speak nothing of a product’s effectiveness.

When it comes to Vitamin C serums—where there is a plethora of formulas and concentrations to choose from—being a sensible, rational buyer is more important than ever. So what, exactly, are the things to consider when buying the right serum for you?

The form of Vitamin C used in the formula. There are various forms of Vitamin C that are being used in serums nowadays. You’ll usually see names like L-ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and ascorbyl palmitate, among others. Some forms are better at certain aspects than others, so make sure to do your homework! Check out the next section to know more.

The concentration. Vitamin C serums come in a wide range of concentrations—usually between 3 to 20 percent. The higher the concentration, the more potent it will be. Before you get trigger-happy, however, note that high-percentage serums can cause irritation on sensitive skin. As such, it’s better to start off with 10% or less if you’re new to the Vitamin C game.

Effective and protective packaging. I’m not talking about fancy colors and elegant labels here. Vitamin C is inherently sensitive to light and is prone to oxidation, especially in L-ascorbic acid form. This is why choosing a product that’s been thoughtfully packaged is crucial.

Go for serums in opaque and airtight bottles. Translucent amber or blue bottles are fine, too.

Accompanying ingredients. Vitamin C is already amazing on its own, and picking a serum that only has this specific vitamin for an active component will already do a lot of great things for your skin.

However, you can also choose to go for products with added ingredients that help enhance Vitamin C’s skin-saving effects. Vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and ferulic acid are some examples of helpful henchmen.

The price point. If you’ve been window shopping for quite a while now, you’ll notice that Vitamin C serums are, in general, pricier than many other skincare products. It’s only fitting given that this vitamin is highly sensitive to light and easily oxidizes (and is, therefore, trickier to package and handle) and that serums are usually more expensive because of their higher concentration.

That said, Vitamin C serums come in a wide range of price points. You’re probably going to find something that will suit your budget—although you’re likely going to have to compromise on a thing or two if you want to spend less.

The product’s pH. Vitamin C is at its most stable at acidic pH levels. Ideally, your serum should have a pH of around 3.5 or less for it to remain effective for weeks after the date of purchase.

Vitamin C and Its Derivatives

Vitamin C comes in various forms. There’s L-Ascorbic Acid, which is the naturally-occurring form of Vitamin C, and there are also derivatives. For the uninitiated, derivatives are a form of Vitamin C with an added component that helps prevent degradation and promote stability.

While there really isn’t a definitive answer to what the best form of Vitamin C is, you should know that each has its own pros and cons.

• L-Ascorbic Acid: Also referred to as LAA, L-ascorbic acid is the most researched form of Vitamin C. It’s widely regarded as the most potent form, but it’s also the least stable and is irritating at higher concentrations.
• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate or Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate: These are water-based Vitamin C derivatives that are great for newbies and people with sensitive skin. These forms, while not the most potent, are more stable and less irritating than LAA.
• Ascorbyl Palmitate: If you’re looking for an oil-based Vitamin C product, go for one that contains ascorbyl palmitate. This fat-soluble derivative isn’t as effective as ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbyl palmitate, or magnesium palmitate, but it is stable and non-irritating.

The Best Vitamin C Serum for Your Skin Type

If you have normal or oily skin, you should be able to comfortably use L-ascorbic acid. If you don’t have to deal with sensitivity, you can enjoy the wonderful benefits of this pure and potent form.

If you have dry or sensitive skin, go for the gentler derivatives. We recommend either sodium ascorbyl phosphate or magnesium ascorbyl phosphate because these water-based derivatives are gentler than LAA and more effective than ascorbyl palmitate. However, if you absolutely must use an oil-based formula, ascorbyl palmitate is the way to go.

The Best Time to Apply Vitamin C Serum

Although your instinct may tell you that Vitamin C serums are best applied at night, the opposite is actually true. Remember that Vitamin C helps prevent sunburn and boosts the effectiveness of sunscreen, so applying it as a part of your morning skincare routine is ideal. It goes without saying that using SPF is essential, too.

What’s more, you’re usually exposed to more free radicals during the daytime, so you’ll get more use out of Vitamin C’s free radical-neutralizing effects in the AM.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t use Vitamin C before bedtime! Applying twice a day is fine—well, actually, it’s great. Just be mindful of whether or not it will jive well with your nighttime products. As you will learn in the next section, some ingredients don’t sit well with Vitamin C.

What NOT to Use with Vitamin C

Vitamin C is awesome, but there are certain ingredients that don’t work well with it. To make sure you’re protected from irritation, check out the following guidelines:

• Avoid using a high-concentration Vitamin C serum with skincare products that contain exfoliating acids. Some examples are glycolic, lactic, salicylic, and mandelic acid. Use them on separate days to avoid irritating your skin. You may also opt to use acids at night and Vitamin C during the daytime.
• Likewise, avoid applying Vitamin C and retinol at the same time.
• Some people have reported experiencing skin flushing when using Vitamin C and niacinamide. This, however, is on a case-to-case basis. If you’re a fan of both ingredients (you should be, TBH), try using them together once to see if you can get away with it.

More Vitamin C Tips

• If you’re new to Vitamin C, start with low-concentration serums and work your way up. Ideally, you should avoid pure LAA (yes, even if your skin is oily) and stick to a 1.5% to 3% derivative for the first month.

• Apply your Vitamin C serum right after cleansing and toning your face. You want all the actives to be directly absorbed by your skin, and layering a serum on top of heavier products like moisturizers and lotions will affect absorption.
• Wait for your serum to fully absorb before proceeding to the next step in your skincare routine. Otherwise, you might end up diluting the Vitamin C with the next product you apply.
• Avoid colored products. You should stick to a serum that is either white or colorless. White with a tinge of yellow or orange is fine, too. As Vitamin C oxidizes, it turns yellow—and the darker it becomes, the more oxidized the product already is. Needless to say, buying a colored product will make it difficult for you to see signs of oxidation for yourself.