The Best Vitamin C Serums for Younger, Brighter Skin

This serum is recommended by Lisa DeSantis,Health assistant beauty editor. It may be on the pricier side, but this powerful antioxidant serum will do wonders for your face. It combines absorbic acid (vol. 15%) and vitamin E with ferulic acid to help brighten the skin and reduce visible signs of aging. Ferulic acid is a good ingredient to look out for—in addition to being a potent antioxidant and containing some impressive anti-aging properties, it can help to stabilize the vitamin C. 

Get your glow back with this vitamin C serum from Mad Hippie, as recommended by Dr. Jaliman. This gentle formula combines sodium ascorbyl phosphate at 10% with vitamin E to deliver strong results, evening skin tone and minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. It’s also the most wallet-friendly on the list.

Beat uneven skin tone and dullness with Drunk Elephant’s vitamin C serum, another personal favorite of DeSantis. It contains absorbic acid (15% vol.). The potent formula of antioxidants, essential nutrients, and fruit enzymes brightens, plumps, and moisturizes the skin. 

Say goodbye to fine lines and wrinkles with Henriksen’s vitamin C serum, another recommendation from Dr. Jaliman. In addition to vitamin C (in the form of sodium ascorbyl phosphate at 10%), it contains glycerin and hyaluronic acid to moisturize and aloe to soothe the skin. Green tea extract helps protect the skin against free radical damage. (Not ready to splurge on the large bottle? On Amazon, you can try a .5 oz. bottle first.)

Vitamin C is a brightening all-star, but it can be hard to stabilize (read: goes bad quickly). What's cool about this product, though, is that it activates the antioxidant right when you apply. The freeze-dried C pellet is triggered by a drop of serum. Once it melts, apply the combo to your face.

This vitamin C booster plays well with other skincare products in your routine. Just press the button to release the vitamin C before each use. You can mix it in with your moisturizer twice daily for super brightening results.

This vitamin C serum has been a cult favorite for years (in fact, one bottle sells every minute around the world). But the brand recently updated their formula to include super-hydrating hyaluronic acid and even higher levels of vitamin C to deliver faster, better results.

The same brand that gave us one of our all-time favorite keratosis pilaris treatments also delivers a powerful vitamin C serum. This formula is packed with 20% stabilized vitamin C from Australian Kadaku plum, as well as ferulic acid and vitamin E.

If you're a skincare fanatic, you may have already fallen in love with Sunday Riley's bestselling Good Genes serum. But don't overlook the brand's vitamin C serum, which also has a cult following. Vitamin C from 15% tetrahexyldecyl ​​​ascorbate brightens, while glycolic acid gently exfoliates to prevent dead skin cells from accumulating. Plus: Want to try both products at once? We recommend their Bright Young Thing kit, which has smaller sizes of C.E.O., Good Genes, and Tidal, Sunday Riley's soothing gel moisturizer.

This is another great vitamin C booster, meaning you can use it on its own or add a pump into your moisturizer. The formula is highly concentrated with 15% pure vitamin C as well as soothing peptides, ferulic acid, and vitamin E. (We're loving the brand's cheerful new packaging, too.)

This Murad serum boasts an impressive ingredient list: niacinamide, hexylresorcinol, and plankton extract help even skin tone and fight signs of aging, while vitamin C and subtle light-reflecting pearls deliver a brighter, more radiant texture.