Don't Waste Your Money is supported by our readers. When you purchase an item through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Best Vitamin C Serum

Last updated on September 9, 2020

We looked at the top 4 Vitamin C Serums and dug through the reviews from 10 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Vitamin C Serums.

Best Vitamin C Serum

Our Review Process

Don't Waste Your Money is focused on helping you make the best purchasing decision. Our team of experts spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing, and researching products so you don't have to. Learn more.

Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in a category.

Our Picks For The Top Vitamin C Serums

View All Recommendations
Product Overview
Key Takeaway
Pros
Cons
 Best Overall

Amara Beauty Face Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Serum

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval

Amara Beauty

Face Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Serum

This vitamin C serum is great for those who want a serum that is vegan and cruelty-free. It soaks into the skin without leaving a sticky residue and leaves your skin feeling soft and silky while reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

Overall Take

Soft Skin SerumA vegan and cruelty-free serum, this product will absorb quickly with no greasy residue.

Pros
" The cost of this face serum is quite affordable, at $19.95 for one ounce."
Cons
"Questions whether the formula is truly organic."
 Runner Up

Bronson Topical Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Face Serum

Bronson

Topical Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Face Serum

Cleanse, hydrate and moisturize your way to better skin with this hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C face serum. It also includes aloe, jojoba and witch hazel for radiant skin.

Overall Take

Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin CWith hyaluronic acid and other useful ingredients, this Vitamin C serum cleanses, hydrates and moisturizes.

 Strong Contender

CeraVe Skin Brightening Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Serum

CeraVe

Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Serum

This serum is gentle on skin, has moisture-retaining ingredients, and helps improve skin tone, texture and hydration for a more radiant complexion. It is formulated with ceramides, hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5.

Overall Take

Antioxidant Benefits This product is formulated with 10% L-ascorbic acid to help provide antioxidant protection and other benefits.

Pros
" The 30 ml tube of serum contains the purest form of vitamin C: l-ascorbic acid, which visibly illuminates the skin and protects it from damage. All CeraVe products are developed with dermatologists to provide the best formula for the skin."
Cons
"But sadly, there’s one downside. This serum contains more denatured alcohol than the ceramides in the formula. Alcohol denat. can trigger skin irritation or dryness and tends to be potentially problematic for skin with long-term use."
 Also Great

Mad Hippie All Natural Vitamin C & Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Mad Hippie

All Natural Vitamin C & Hyaluronic Acid Serum

This serum is great if you are looking for an all-natural and cruelty-free serum. It reduces discoloration and blemishes and is also GMO-free. It includes vitamin E and ferulic acid as well.

Overall Take

An All-Natural SerumAll-natural and cruelty-free, this vitamin C serum is safe to use and effective.

Pros
" The Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum has a very light and subtle floral sent. Hardly noticeable if you aren’t paying attention. There’s a sort of sweetness to it. The best words I could think to describe it are “flower candy.”"
Cons
"I didn’t notice any visible effect within a couple of weeks or so."

Buying Guide

Taking care of your skin is incredibly important. Not only is it your body’s largest organ, but it is the organ that comes into contact with the world every single day. It deserves to be treated with a bit of extra care.

With vitamin C serums, you will definitely be able to treat your skin well. Vitamin C is important for your skin because it neutralizes free radicals and aids your body’s natural regeneration process. It helps also helps inhibit the growth of dark spots while accelerating the body’s production of collagen and elastin. 

Looking into serums that work best for you is a worthwhile investment. Many people use vitamin C because they feel it helps their skin look and feel its best.

Try to avoid creams that have little bits of vitamin C and instead go right to the source with serums. Serums are more effective at sinking into the skin barrier. Also, when looking for serums with vitamin C , there are forms of this vitamin that you should know about.

Check the labels for L-ascorbic acid. This acid is considered the best vitamin C for your skin, especially if it contains 15% to 20%.

Another thing to pay attention to is the bottle or container that your serum comes in. Vitamin C tends to become more unstable when exposed to air and light, so look for containers that are in an airtight pump or opaque bottle and make sure to store it away from direct sun to preserve its potency. 

A great vitamin C serum to consider is the Amara Beauty’s hyaluronic acid and Vitamin D serum. It absorbs quickly with no greasy or sticky residue and leaves skin feeling fresh and soft. It has no parabens, dyes or fragrances and is also vegan and cruelty-free.

Another option is the Bronson vitamin C serum topical facial serum with hyaluronic acid. This serum can be used at any time of day to help cleanse, hydrate and moisturize your skin. The hyaluronic acid is easily absorbed into skin to help elevate the serum’s benefits.

Not only should you be considering vitamin C serums as an option for your skin, you should also make sure you’re engaging in general skincare. Make sure to use sunscreen and drink lots of water. It is also important to reduce the amount of time you are in a hot shower, as this will cause your skin to dry out.

Vitamin C can also be found in foods and supplements. Fruits and vegetables are a great way of boosting your vitamin C intake. Try incorporating more citrus fruits, such as oranges or grapefruit, into your diet.

Vegetables such as red and green peppers also have Vitamin C. Broccoli, strawberries, cantaloupe, baked potatoes and tomatoes are good sources of vitamin C, too. There are a lot of foods to choose from to increase your intake. Most multivitamins have vitamin C as well, but is important to double-check the bottle if this is something that you are specifically looking for. 

Don't just take for granted what one reviewer says. Along with our own experts, DWYM analyzes the top expert reviews of the leading products and generates a score you can actually trust.
11

Products Considered

We identified the majority of the vitamin c serums available to purchase.
4

Products Analyzed

We then selected the leading and most popular products for our team to review.

View All Product Rankings

10

Expert Reviews Included

In addition to our expert reviews, we also incorporate feedback and analysis of some of the most respected sources including: Simple Skincare Science, The Derm Review, GreenStory, Smart Style Today, Beauty Tidbits.

25,100

User Opinions Analyzed

We also incorporate user reviews from the leading retailers including

Our experts reviewed the top 4 Vitamin C Serums and also dug through the reviews from 10 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Vitamin C Serums.

DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval
Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in their category.

The Best Bang For Your Buck

CeraVe Skin Brightening Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Serum

Key Takeawy

This serum is gentle on skin, has moisture-retaining ingredients, and helps improve skin tone, texture and hydration for a more radiant complexion. It is formulated with ceramides, hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5.

What other experts liked

The 30 ml tube of serum contains the purest form of vitamin C: l-ascorbic acid, which visibly illuminates the skin and protects it from damage. All CeraVe products are developed with dermatologists to provide the best formula for the skin.
- Smart Style Today
Of course, the main selling point here is the 10% Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Vitamin C is available in a variety of forms, but none are known to absorb as effectively as L-ascorbic acid, the purest form of Vitamin C.
- Beauty Tidbits

What other experts didn't like

But sadly, there’s one downside. This serum contains more denatured alcohol than the ceramides in the formula. Alcohol denat. can trigger skin irritation or dryness and tends to be potentially problematic for skin with long-term use.
- Beauty Tidbits

What to Look For

  • A little serum can go a long way. Try not to apply too much, as you do not want to use more than what you need.
  • Use your vitamin C serum in the morning. It should be applied before heading outside, along with a layer of sunscreen. Vitamin C serums do lose potency when in contact with the sun, so make sure yours absorbs into the skin fully before going out to begin your day.
  • Understand when to use your serum during your skincare routine. You will want to apply it to freshly cleansed skin before you moisturize.
  • Know what level of concentration of vitamin C is going to work with your skin. If you have sensitive or dry skin, try using serums with 5% or less, which will give you less irritation.
  • If you know that you have sensitive skin, try slowly introducing the serum into your skincare routine to see how your skin reacts.
  • Pay attention to the color of your serum. Your serum should be colorless or of a light straw color. If it is oxidized, it will become yellow or brown, and that means it will be less effective.
  • Ask your dermatologist about recommendations. Your doctor will know your skin the best and may have some options for you.
  • Avoid using exfoliating acids immediately after applying a vitamin C serum. Combining these two may be too harsh on your skin. If you do want to use exfoliating acids, use them at a different time of day: If you’re putting on vitamin C serum in the morning, save the exfoliation for the evening.

More to Explore

Our bodies produce less collagen with age, but vitamin C helps form collagen! It is important for the growth, health, and repair of bones, tendons, cartilage and skin. It also works as a way to protect our bodies from cellular damage. Vitamin C also helps the absorption of iron from food and helps form enzymes that regulate a variety of processes in the body.

Did you know that humans — along with a few other animals, including primates, guinea pigs and fruit bats — are among the only mammals that can’t make their own vitamin C ? Through evolution, we lost the ability to create our own; this means we have to take vitamin C manually. Otherwise, our bodies will suffer.

From our partners