15 Vitamin C Serums That Will Give You The Best Skin of Your Life

Rebecca Carhart

Vitamin C can do more than just help you kick that cold! In fact, this potent antioxidant can actually help transform the look for your skin thanks to its ability to boost collagen, minimize acne scars, and reduce signs of aging. But if you think a daily glass of orange juice is all you need for a glowing complexion, think again.

When ingested orally, the vitamin’s benefits barely ever make it to our skin. Instead, you’ll have to apply it topically in the form of a vitamin C serum in order to see the multifaceted ingredient start to work its magic on your skin. Besides brightening and evening out your skin tone, the versatile antioxidant also works to improve skin’s hydration and prevent wrinkles.

Since it’s such a powerful ingredient, it makes sense that there are so many vitamin C serums on the market. To help you find the very best option, we’ve read through hundreds of customer reviews to find the vitamin C serums that shoppers can’t stop raving about. Combined, these best-selling products have near-perfect ratings as well as countless glowing reviews. Keep reading to shop all the serums now.

These are the best vitamin C serums you can buy:

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Best Overall: TruSkin Naturals Vitamin C Serum

With almost 8,000 five-star reviews, this serum by TruSkin is one of the most popular beauty products on Amazon. The serum’s formula combines vitamin C with botanical hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to help diminish the look of dark spots, wrinkles, and fine lines while also firming and brightening your skin. Happy customers rave that this handy product started to transform their skin in just one week! A lot of reviewers have even been uploading before and after photos of themselves to show off how clear and bright their skin looks after using the serum.

To buy: $20; amazon.com

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Best Cruelty-Free Option: Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum

This beloved serum has over 110,000 likes and 1,000 reviews on Sephora. Customers who left perfect reviews raved about the formula’s ability to smooth, plump, and hydrate skin. In an independent consumer testing panel, 89 percent of users said their skin appeared brighter and more radiant after using the serum.

To buy: $80; sephora.com

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Best Hydrating Option: Olehenriksen Truth Serum

Over 150,000 Sephora shoppers agree this is one of the best vitamin C serums around. Many customers love how quickly the product absorbed in their skin, while others couldn’t get over how delicious the serum’s citrus scent was. One reviewer called it a “game changer” before adding “seriously this stuff works. It has truly made my skin better.”

To buy: $49; sephora.com

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Best Option with Ferulic Acid: Timeless Skincare 20% C + E + Ferulic Acid Serum

This potent serum is so popular it earned itself an Amazon’s Choice recommendation. You can use the powerful product on its own or add two or three drops to your daily moisturizer if your skin needs the extra hydration. One glowing review said, “This is a wonderful serum. It dramatically refined my skin's texture and brightened my complexion. It absorbs quickly, and the smell dissipates once it dries.”

To buy: $18 (Originally $25); amazon.com

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Best Vegan Option: Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum

This award-winning serum combines vitamin C with hyaluronic acid and konjac root powder to help soften, smooth, and brighten your skin’s texture. Eighty-four percent of Ulta customers said they would recommend this product to their friends and family, with most customers saying the serum left their skin glowing.

To buy: $34; ulta.com

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Best for Sensitive Skin: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum

This powerful antioxidant serum by SkinCeuticals has a perfect five-star rating at Dermstore with over 1000 reviews. It’s the most expensive serum on the list, but most customers said it was well worth the price. The best part? The product is effective for a minimum of 72 hours, so it will still help your skin even if you don’t apply it daily.

To buy: $166; dermstore.com

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Best Skin-Brightening Option: Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum

You can say goodbye to fine lines and wrinkles thanks to this potent serum by beloved beauty brand Mario Badescu. Ulta customers can’t stop raving about how fast the product works. Many reviewers said they saw dark spots and acne scars fade in just five days of regular use.

To buy: $45; ulta.com

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Best Anti-Aging Option: Obagi Professional-C Serum

Dermstore customers love this concentrated vitamin C serum thanks to its powerful anti-aging properties. Many reviewers gave it two thumbs up, saying the serum left them with healthier-looking skin that actually glowed. They also loved that it also helps prevent any future damage from pesky UV rays.

To buy: $127; dermstore.com

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Best Firming Option: Dr. Dennis Gross C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum

This impressive serum is specially formulated with vitamin C and collagen amino acids to help you achieve a smooth and clear complexion. One promising review said, “This is great stuff. Makes your skin feel better on application and works! I had a persistent age spot on my cheek that started fading just days after I started using.”

To buy: $78; sephora.com

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Best Option for Large Pores: Sunday Riley C.E.O Rapid Flash Brightening Serum

Sunday Riley’s Vitamin C serum has gained itself a cult following thanks to its ability to improve your skin’s brightness, radiance, and luminosity. Most happy customers said the fast-acting serum helped reduce redness and hyperpigmentation, as well as the appearance of wrinkles. One customer even said it worked so well they wished they could bathe in it!

To buy: $85; sephora.com

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Best Affordable Option: InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum

This nutrient-packed serum by InstaNatural is a best seller on Amazon thanks to the 2,700 five-star reviews customers have given it. Customers raved that the serum not only helped reduce the appearance of old acne scars but it also helped clear up current breakouts and blackheads. One happy reviewer called it, “the nectar of the gods for your skin.”

To buy: $18; amazon.com

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Best Celeb-Approved Option: Kora Organics Noni Bright Vitamin C Serum

This vitamin C serum from Miranda Kerr’s skincare line Kora Organics may be new to the market, but it’s already racked up over 8,000 likes at Sephora. During a clinical study, 90 percent of participants said their skin looked smoother, while 80 percent said their skin looked brighter and more radiant. “I love this product. It’s been over a week and I noticed a difference in my skin. The smell is amazing, and the results are even better. My face is brighter and my hyperpigmentation and acne scarring is noticeably reduced,” raved one customer.

To buy: $68; sephora.com

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Best Option for Acne-Prone Skin: LilyAna Naturals Vitamin C Serum

This popular serum from LilyAna Naturals is infused with jojoba oil, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid (along with the vitamin C) to help hydrate and moisturize your skin. The powerful product works to firm and smooth your skin’s texture, along with reducing the appearance of sunspots, redness, and other discolorations. The best part? It’s non- comedogenic (read: safe for acne-prone skin), so you’ll never have to worry about it clogging your pores or causing breakouts. With details like this, it’s no wonder why more than 3,300 Amazon customers gave the serum an impressive 4.4-star rating.

To buy: $20 (Originally $22); amazon.com

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Best for Dull Skin: Tatcha Violet C Brightening Serum

If you suffer from dull or tired-looking skin, consider this vitamin C serum from Tatcha. It is specially formulated with 20 percent vitamin C and 10 percent AHA serum that work together to soften and smooth skin, leaving you with a glowing complexion. The beloved serum has more than 60,000 likes and a 4.4-star rating at Sephora. What’s more? 88 percent of customers said they love it so much, they’d recommend it to others.

To buy: $88; sephora.com

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Best Option with Retinol: Kate Somerville +Retinol Vita C Power Serum

This vitamin C serum from Kate Somerville is packed with retinol to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Along with improving the tone and elasticity of your skin, the product can also help your skin look brighter, smoother, and more luminous. “Can’t say enough. Literally fixed my tired, acne-prone, and scarred skin in just a week! I have literally tried everything out there from $700 creams to $50 ones and this one is the holy grail,” raved one customer.

To buy: $98; sephora.com