The best Vitamin C serums

29 serums we index contain Vitamin C. Only 21 publish a concentration that clears the effective threshold of 8% — so those are the only ones that can be ranked honestly. Here they are.

A #1 · SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
$182 · 15% Vitamin C 93/100 B #2 · Maelove The Glow Maker Vitamin C Serum
$32 · 15% Vitamin C 81/100 B #3 · Timeless Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum
$25 · 15% Vitamin C 81/100 B #4 · Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum 20% Vitamin C + 10% AHA
$90 · 20% Vitamin C 81/100 B #5 · Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster
$52 · 15% Vitamin C 77/100 B #6 · The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%
$10 · 8% Vitamin C 75/100 B #7 · Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow 15% Vitamin C Serum
$14.90 · 15% Vitamin C 75/100 C #8 · Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum
$78 · 15% Vitamin C 71/100 C #9 · CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum
$25 · 10% Vitamin C 65/100 C #10 · The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
$6 · 23% Vitamin C 63/100 C #11 · The Inkey List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Serum
$17 · 15% Vitamin C 63/100 C #12 · La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum
$45 · 10% Vitamin C 63/100 C #13 · COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum
$25 · 23% Vitamin C 63/100 C #14 · Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate 12.5% Vitamin C
$72 · 12.5% Vitamin C 63/100 C #15 · Youth To The People 15% Vitamin C + Clear Skin Serum
$48 · 15% Vitamin C 63/100 C #16 · Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum 15%
$22 · 15% Vitamin C 63/100 C #17 · The Ordinary Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution
$22 · 15% Vitamin C 63/100 C #18 · The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C + EGF Serum
$20 · 15% Vitamin C 63/100 C #19 · Minimalist Vitamin C + E + Ferulic 16% Face Serum
$8 · 15% Vitamin C 63/100 D #20 · Good Molecules Vitamin C Serum with Oryzanol
$14 · 8% Vitamin C 57/100 D #21 · Minimalist Vitamin C 10% + Acetyl Glucosamine 1% Face Serum
$7 · 10% Vitamin C 57/100

Why the list is this short

8 other serums contain Vitamin C but publish no concentration. A serum can list Vitamin C on the front of the box at a dose far below what the research supports, and nothing on the label would tell you. We don't guess a number, so those stay ungraded — see the full Vitamin C picture and the open rubric.

Common questions

What's the best Vitamin C serum?

By disclosed dose, SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic grades highest (A, 93/100). It's ranked on the concentration the brand actually publishes, not on marketing.

How many serums disclose their Vitamin C concentration?

21 of the 29 serums we index that contain Vitamin C. The other 8 list it without a number, so we withhold a grade rather than guess.

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