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- Vitamin C serums brighten your complexion, nourish your skin, and decrease inflammation as well as irregular pigmentation to leave your face glowing.
- Maelove's Glow Maker serum is the best vitamin C serum we've tested because it's affordable and effective.
Getting a face lift doesn't have to mean going under the knife. Really, all you need is vitamin C. Over the last few years, a mysterious elixir known as vitamin C serum seems to have made its way onto every makeup and skincare trend in the world, and while you may not totally get what it is, you'll certainly get why it's so popular.
Vitamin C is key to reducing skin inflammation and irregular pigmentation and is also important for collagen production. Taken together, these aspects make your skin look brighter, smoother, and generally younger. And while you may think that your 20-something face doesn't need any help (yet), it is certainly the case that the sooner you begin taking care of your skin, the later your skin will look youthful.
While this antioxidant appears naturally in many of the foods you consume on a daily basis (think fruits, kale, broccoli, and the like), it's actually quite difficult to get the vitamin straight to your skin. Enter vitamin C serums, compounds that are spiked with the powerful natural substance and meant to keep your skin looking tight and bright.
When choosing your serum, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. First off, be sure to read the label for ingredients. While this seems like an obvious tip, you are putting this stuff directly on your face, so you'll want to be sure that everything is as natural and organic as possible. You'll also want a relatively high proportion of vitamin C. If it's only 5% or so, you're really not getting a vitamin C serum anymore.
Second, think about how sensitive your skin is. If you tend to react strongly to all sorts of different compounds, you'll want to be sure that you choose a serum that is safe for you and your complexion. After all, there's no point in giving yourself a rash while trying to improve your skin. Similarly, you might want to consider whether or not you want a fragrance in your serum. If you'd rather keep things simple, look for an option that doesn't have any perfumey additives.
Third, consider what you really want your serum to do. Are you looking to brighten your skin? Smooth it? Hide spots? Various serums will serve various purposes, so it's good to go in with a game plan. We have an explainer piece where we break down the benefits of vitamin C serums.
Finally, you'll want to keep price points in mind. Some vitamin C serums can run well over a hundred dollars and considering that you're only buying a small bottle at a time, that can be quite the investment. There are, luckily, more affordable options on the market as well.
Here are the best vitamin C serums you can buy:
- Best vitamin C serum overall: Maelove Glow Maker
- Best for dark spots and acne: No B.S. Vitamin C Serum
- Best concentrated formula: COSRX Triple C Lightning Liquid
- Best scented formula: Korres Wild Rose 15% Vitamin C Spotless Serum
- Best high-end formula: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum
- Best serum for less than $20: Aura Organics Vitamin C Serum
Updated on 01/31/2019 by Lulu Chang: Added the Aura Organics serum and updated prices.
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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.