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The 12 Best Vitamin C Serums of 2024
By Rebecca Jenkinson - 3 years ago | Updated
We all know how important it is to get your daily dose of vitamins. But we don’t just mean in the food you eat or your supplements. You can also treat your skin to vitamin-rich day creams, cleansers and face masks.
One key vitamin to keep your eye out for is vitamin C, otherwise known as L-ascorbic acid or ascorbate. It’s an antioxidant, which is essential for healthy body and skin. A fantastic way to introduce vitamin C into your skin care routine is with a serum, thanks to its higher concentration of ingredients.
However, finding the perfect serum is struggle - one I know all too well. At Cosmetify HQ, we love nothing more than taking a deep dive to give you the best of the best. That’s why we’ve run through the why, the when and the how with our handy guide to the best vitamin C serums.
Vitamin C serum benefits
So, what’s all the fuss about when it comes to ol’ vit C? Well, for starters vitamin C serum for your face can help reduce pigmentation, ensuring a brighter and even complexion. It strengthens your skins natural barrier against UV damage and free radicals, as well as promoting the better absorption of other nourishing ingredients.
Better still, it helps prevents premature ageing by improving the collagen production in your skin. You can often find vitamin C as a main component in anti-ageing lotions and potions.
This star player ingredient is truly one to look out for. It shields, protects and nourishes your skin, especially when paired with other vitamins and nutrients in your face serums and moisturisers.
How to find the best serum
When searching for the best vitamin C face serum, there’s a few things to keep in mind. Make sure you look out for the percentage of vitamin C within the formula. Anything above 20% concentration may cause irritations. Vitamin C is safe to use daily, but if you do experience any irritations start using it one to two times a week. Or, mix a few drops into your moisturiser to allow your skin to get used to the new ingredient.
With plenty of vitamin C serums on the market, it can be tricky to sift through the good, the bad and the ugly. We’ve done some of the hard work and curated 12 of the best vitamin serums for you to look at.
The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%
£15.04Fight off dullness, the signs of ageing and uneven tone with Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% from cult skin care brand The Ordinary. This super tough, yet light serum boasts a high vitamin C potency and is a great solution to dullness.
Emma Hardie Vitamin C Intense Daily Serum
£53.37 £59.25 (10% off)Brighten, nourish and revitalise dull skin with a supercharged boost of Vitamin C with this Emma Hardie Serum. The lightweight antioxidant formula reduces the appearance of pigmentation, and evens out skin tone, leaving your complexion glowing and radiant.
Medik8 C-Tetra Serum
£39.00Boost your skin's radiance with the original best-selling C-Tetra Serum from Medik8. C-Tetra promotes a youthful-looking, glowing complexion and skin feels immediately soft, supple and smooth from first use.
Medik8 Super C30 + Intense
£69.00For a stronger formula, try Medik8's most powerful vitamin C serum, which has 30% vitamin C and antioxidant ferulic acid for collagen stimulation and even, bright skin. Your skin will also benefit from free radical protection from vitamin E and dark spot prevention from turmeric root.
Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Vitamin C Booster
£16.00 £20.00 (20% off)We also love this anti-ageing booster serum from Eucerin, which is full of antioxidants to protect your skin from premature ageing due to free radicals, plus hyaluronic acid to plump out wrinkles and keep you looking youthful and glowing.
Antipodes Glow Ritual Vitamin C Serum With Plant Hyaluronic Acid
£29.98 £37.00 (19% off)For all the natural-beauty lovers out there, you'll want to snatch up this organic, natural formula from Antipodes. It has 100 times the vitamin C of oranges (yes, you read that right) from kakadu plum, plus smoothing bakuchiol, plumping hyaluronic acid and toning Vinanza grape and kiwi. An elixir of youth for all skin types!
REN Glow & Protect Serum
£24.99 £52.17 (53% off)This serum also uses kakadu plum, as well as dragon fruit and pomegranate, to brighten the skin, even out skin tone and strengthen your moisture barrier. Three types of vitamin C blend with glycogen and hyaluronic acid for environmental protection, fewer wrinkles and a totally hydrated and youthful glow. And you'll see results in just two weeks!
Skin Republic Vitamin C 6% + Alpha Arbutin Serum
£8.69For a relatively affordable option, Skin Republic deliver with this hyperpigmentation-fighting super hero. With 1.5% alpha arbutin from berries and 6% vitamin C, this serum keeps your skin safe from free radicals, inflammation, dark spots and more.
The INKEY List Vitamin C Serum
£10.18 £12.00 (16% off)It's a guide to the best vitamin c serums, so we weren't going to leave out ingredient-led brand The Inkey List. Another pretty wallet-friendly option, this serum's formulated with 30% pure L-ascorbic acid and helps to tackle the appearance of hyperpigmentation, dullness and fine lines.
Pestle & Mortar Vitamin C 2 Phase Serum
£51.00 £68.00 (25% off)Or if you fancy more of a splurge, we recommend this serum from Pestle & Mortar, which contains three types of vitamin C for superior benefits without irritation and natural tamarind extract to brighten up your complexion. The innovative pump in this bottle mixes two phases of product (a vitamin C-rich water with a lightweight oil) to deliver the perfect dose of serum every time!
PIXI Vitamin C Serum
£23.87 £26.50 (10% off)Renew and rejuvenate the skin with this serum from PIXI. The vitamin C formula helps refine the texture of your skin, smoothing your complexion in the process. Not to mention, it gives you a gorgeous glow before you even started on your foundation.
Murad Vita-C Glycolic Brightening Serum
£16.95Struggle with hyperpigmentation and sunspots? Murad have the solution. Their serum helps clear your complexion, leaving you with clearer and firmer skin. It also contains glycolic acid, which exfoliates away any dead skin cells for a smoother finish.
Dermalogica Biolumin C Serum
£75.00 £96.00 (22% off)For a serious splurge to make our skincare routines feel super luxe, we can't get enough of this ultra-stable vitamin C serum from Dermalogica, which is boosted by palmitoyl tripeptide-5 to minimise fine lines and wrinkles. There's also lactic acid to get rid of dead skin, leaving you with incredibly balanced, soft skin.
It couldn’t be easier to add a dose of vitamin C into your skin care routine. For more top skin care tips, take a look at the best fruit-based beauty products you need to try.
Written by Rebecca Jenkinson
Rebecca is a content writer with over three years’ experience and a keen interest in cosmetics. Cosmetify allows her to combine her blogging skills with her passion for beauty.
