The Best Vitamin C Serums - At Every Price Point
You don’t always need to spend more to get quality products that work. However, Vitamin C is one active ingredient that does tend to be a bit pricier because it’s extremely susceptible to oxidation and loses its potency fast. You want to go with a company you trust and that has a strong reputation. Your choice here can mean the difference between CRAZY AMAZING GLOWY DEWY SKIN and a MEH purchase. We’ve sifted through the mayem of choices to give you a list of THE BEST OF THE BEST VITAMIN C SERUMS, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR BUDGET.
Vitamin C Basics
L-Ascorbic Acid: the natural form of Vitamin C that’s extracted from food. All forms of Vitamin C need to be processed in some way in order to be used topically on skin.
Vitamin C Esters: There are also synthetic version of vitamin C which break down at a slower rate and cost less to manufacture (there’s nothing wrong with this kind).
It shields skin from UVA and UVB rays that sunscreen does NOT protect you from
It encourages a faster production of collagen
Repairs free radical damage by fading dark spotsFirms skin and smoothes fine lines
Helps control acne and oil
Firms skin and smoothes fine lines
Comes in various strengths from about 5%-15%
You’ll often see it mixed with other ingredients (most commonly ferulic acid and vitamin E)
1. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
The gold standard of Vitamin C serums. Also the priciest option. A painful $166 USD will get you pretty darn guaranteed results. Just google it - this products cult following speaks for itself.
15% Vitamin C strength
Price: 166 USD for 1 fl oz.
2. Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma serum
15 % Ascorbic Acid strength. Cult following and creamier texture than drop formats. It will stay active on skin for up to 72 hours and cannot be washed or rubbed off. Its pH level is 3.3, which Drunk Elephant believes is the key to a non-irritating formula and reviews agree.
Price: 100 CAD for 1 fl oz.
3. Paula’s Choice Boost C15
It contains 15% of stabilized vitamin C with a pH of 3.0 and a blend of peptides. Another bonus of this product is that you can either wear it alone or mix it (without it pilling).
Price: 50 USD 0.67 fl oz
4. Triple C Lightning Liquid by CosRx
This one has the highest strength of vitamin C in our list – so it can sting a little and might not be ideal if you have super sensitive skin and want something for daily use. It Contains 20.5% pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and 72% black chokeberry, a special ingredient that stabilizes the high concentration of vitamin C to make sure skin remains hydrated and smooth.
Price: 27 USD
5. Maelove – GlowMaker
People say this gives even better results than the SkinCeuticals serum and it has the added benefit of Hyaluronic acid. It’s our favorite. AND they have a 100 day – 100% money back guarantee!
Contains Vitamins C (15% L-ascorbic acid), E, Ferulic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid. After four sellouts, it's now available for pre-order as the company re-ups for the fifth time. Currently they only ship to the US, but they have plans to expand in 2019.
Price: 17.95 USD for 1 fl oz.