Vitamin C is one of the holy grail ingredients you can use in your skincare routine. It has been known to treat and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, brighten the skin and treat dark spots, and known to fight against free radical damage by working as an antioxidant.

Vitamin C has also been known to protect skin against sun damage. It has even been thought to prevent your skin from getting burnt for a longer period of time. Of course, we’re not saying to wear your sunscreen. That part is absolutely non-negotiable.

According to an article from Paula’s Choice, “Other forms of vitamin C you will see included in skincare products include magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, L-ascorbic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbyl glucosamine, and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate”.

However, when choosing your vitamin C, it is important to take a number of factors into consideration. The percentage of L-ascorbic acid, the pH of the solvent, and the efficacy of the container the product is in.

Since vitamin C has been known to degrade easily when exposed to air and sunlight, an opaque and airtight container are usually preferred. However, this is not always completely necessary with some of the products we have found.

We have accumulated some of our most tried and true vitamin C products that will deliver you the maximum results, not only based on usage, but also on the ingredients list.

SkinCeuticals

Probably the most iconic vitamin C serum there is, is the Skinceuticals ce ferulic serum. This serum is made with a patented 15% pure vitamin C, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% vitamin E formula with a pH balance of 2.5-3.0.

This is often said to be one of the most effective vitamin C formulas on the market. Skinceuticals has managed to create a product that is not only relatively stable, but effective enough to absorb into the skin due to the low pH. Upon being opened, this formula is stable for 6 months.

It does come with a hefty price tag of $169 from the Skinceuticals website. However, we have found it for a price of $145 from Amazon.

Timeless Skin Care

The Timeless Skin Care 20% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum is what many say, including myself, a dupe for Skinceutical’s ce ferulic acid serum. Yet, you are paying a fraction of the cost for this product at a mere $24.

It is known to come in two different formulations. One with 10% and the other with 20% Vitamin C. This product’s ingredients list also contains ferulic acid as well as vitamin E. However, the exact amount this product is formulated with remains unknown.

The pH of this formula also remains unknown and has a shelf life of 3 months once opened. However, you can refrigerate it which will then extend the shelf life to 6 months.

Although this may not be a perfect dupe for Skinceuticals, it is still very close in formulation. Therefore, it remains an effective vitamin C product to use in your skin care routine. Not to mention, a heck of a lot more affordable.

This product also comes in an air tight container, ensuring oxidization will not ruin the formula before its shelf life expires.

If you are interested in shopping this product, it can be found here.

MaeLove

Another great vitamin C option for only $29 is MaeLove’s The Glow Maker Antioxidant Serum. This is another product that features both vitamin C and E ferulic acid. This brand also included hyaluronic acid and their “propriety botanical blend” into the formula for extra nourishment.

It comes in an opaque bottle to protect the serum from sun damage. However, this product does come in packaging that is not airtight and will be exposed to oxygen with every use. This product has a shelf life of 3 months once opened, but could possibly last longer if kept refrigerated.

If you are interested in shopping MaeLove’s The Glow Maker, check it out here.

Drunk Elephant

Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is another amazing vitamin C serum that I personally love! This is the very best dupe for Skinceutical’s CE ferulic acid serum that is pretty much spot on to the same formula.

This product is made with 15% L-ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% vitamin E. It also has a pH balance of 2.5 which gives it the ability for the product to absorb well into our skin to be effective.

Another thing I love about this product is that the ingredients come separate when you first open the package. This assures the quality and shelf life of the product begins once you open it.

This packaging is unique in that it has you pour the liquid base serum into the powder L-ascorbic and ferulic acid. It will then have you mix the solution in the packaging and then seal the product with the airtight lid once finished. This assures the product is not being exposed to oxygen with every use. The opaque container also assures the solution is not being degraded by exposure to sunlight.

I prefer this product over the Skinceutical’s not only for the nearly identical formulation, but due to the thoughtfulness that went into the packaging. It is truly a ground breaking method to preserve the vitamin C serum from destabilization.

Oh, and did I mention that this product costs only $78. While not on the lower end of the price point, I believe the formulation and packaging more than makes up for the cost. While still sitting at half the price of the Skinceutical’s formulation.

If you are interested in shopping Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma serum, check it out here.

DRMYTLGY

This is another amazing vitamin C product infused with vitamin E and ferulic acid. It is also infused with castor oil to give the skin a nourishing effect. Yet, still keeping the ingredients list minimal.

While Drmytlgy’s Vitamin CE + Ferluic acid serum is a bit of a steeper price coming in at $69, it is still a fraction of the cost less expensive when compared to other products on this list. This serum additionally comes in an opaque bottle while helps to protect it from sun damage, helping to preserve the efficacy of the formula.

If you are interested in shopping Drmytlgy’s Vitamin C serum, click here.

Seoul Ceuticals

Seoul Ceutical’s 20% Vitamin C Hyaluronic Acid Serum + CE Ferulic Acid delivers a potent amount of vitamin C with a mixture of many other amazing ingredients to the skin. Like most other products in this list, it delivers a punch with it’s vitamin E and ferulic acid mixture. However, hyaluronic acid, orange stem cells, aloe leaf extract, jojoba oil, centella asiatica, dandelion extract, horsetail extract, and wild geranium extract.

The combination of all of these ingredients is going to powerfully nourish your skin. In addition it will brighten dark spots, and prevent fine lines and wrinkles over time. This is one of the very best ingredients list in a vitamin C serum we have seen. Although, if you have sensitive skin, it may be better to air on the side of caution with this product. Since there are more ingredients that may possibly lead to skin sensitivities compared to some of the other recommendations.

But wait! The very best thing about this product? We have found it for only $20! This is a steal for this potent of a vitamin C serum, packed with the amount of skin nourishing ingredients this product contains.

If you are interested in purchasing this product, check it out here.

These are our five very best vitamin C products that we have found that will work miracles on your skin and give you the most bang for your buck. However, it is important to note that everyone’s experience when using these products is different. Skin is not linear and everyone’s skin care journey is different. So while some of these products may work very well, and even as a dupe for it’s more expensive competitors, trial and error is always a must when it comes to finding ingredients that work for you.

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