This £23 Vitamin C Serum Just Won Over 5 R29 Editors

Public service announcement for all the budget-friendly skincare fans out there: CeraVe has finally, finally released its Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum in the UK. Why such a commotion? This unassuming purple and white tube isn’t just already a bestseller across the pond; according to the brand, it’s the number one vitamin C product in America. It’s formulated with 10% vitamin C in its purest and most potent form (you might spot this being referred to as L-ascorbic acid in ingredients lists.) Essentially, it’s an antioxidant that helps increase collagen production, promotes an even skin tone, and fights free radicals in the environment (aka pollution — and even UV when combined with sunscreen).

In other words, it’s a wonder ingredient for renewing, hydrating and brightening dull, textured skin and for minimising fine lines over time. Added to the formula of CeraVe’s signature combination of ceramides (basically the glue that holds healthy skin cells together) as well as deeply hydrating hyaluronic acid and moisturising panthenol (or vitamin B5): a cocktail of nourishing goodness that helps the skin tolerate such a powerful percentage of vitamin C.

You see, vitamin C is an active ingredient, and just like retinol or exfoliating acids, it has the potential to irritate those with sensitive or reactive skin (think redness, tingling or burning and sometimes dryness). In other words, if you’re interested in using a vitamin C serum, making sure it also contains some of these skin barrier-boosting ingredients is key.

With a fairly reasonable price point of £23.30 per tube, it almost sounds too good to be true. Vitamin C is a notoriously unstable and difficult ingredient to bottle; one that can oxidise quickly and lose its effectiveness. It’s little wonder that many of the best quality and top-performing serums on the market are not cheap. (Our very own Senior Writer Karina Hoshikawa swears by Susanne Kaufmann’s Vitamin C Complex which is a cool £110 per bottle.)

As usual, we were keen to find out for ourselves whether all the hype is warranted, and so five Refinery29 editors incorporated the serum into their everyday skincare routines for several weeks. Among the team, we have an array of skin types and different relationships with vitamin C — some of us love the stuff and use it religiously; others have been burnt (almost literally) by products that aren’t well-equipped for sensitive skin. Read on for our honest thoughts.

“I have a confession to make: I’ve never met a vitamin C serum that I love. Most are far too strong for my reactive, acne-prone skin. More often than not, I come away with a sore, flaky face peppered with whiteheads rather than the glowing, even skin tone I’m often promised. (I get along better with vitamin C derivatives — think The Ordinary’s Acscorbyl Glucoside 12% — but not much else). With that in mind, I was wary of CeraVe’s 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum. But the brand prides itself on restoring the skin barrier, not wrecking it, so I geared myself up to use this in place of my morning moisturiser. I needn’t have been so scared because this is the most gentle, nourishing vitamin C serum I’ve tried in recent years. While it uses the purest form of vitamin C, otherwise known as L-ascorbic acid, it doesn’t sting, tingle or break me out in spots. Instead, it has helped fade my skin staining left behind by hormonal breakouts, subtly uniforming my skin tone and texture. I’ve been using it for well over a month and have received countless compliments on my skin; I’m wearing much less makeup now. The addition of hydrating hyaluronic acid, moisturising vitamin B5 (also referred to as panthenol) and three versions of ceramides (I look out for these in every skincare product, because they’re so moisturising) means I can skip my face cream entirely. Every morning, I apply the serum and follow with a high-factor, broad-spectrum sunscreen to bolster my protection against damaging UV rays and pollution.”

“Vitamin C has been a mainstay in my skincare routine for a while now and I usually swear by Wild Science Lab’s Juice Boost Brightening Serum, which uses sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) — a form of stablised, water-soluble vitamin C — plus a whole host of plant-based oils to make it suitable for sensitive skin. In comparison, CeraVe’s Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum and its L-ascorbic acid is a step up; SAP is gentler, but L-ascorbic acid has (as the name suggests) greater absorption and therefore better efficacy. I was a little worried about the CeraVe serum irritating or burning my skin, but have happily been proven wrong. Just like with its Resurfacing Retinol Serum, another CeraVe bestseller that we put to the test, I found this to be an active skincare product that really works and is gentle enough to use every day. Since using it, my skin has brightened up considerably and I’ve noticed some stubborn acne scars almost disappear (especially a very red and angry spot that I stupidly picked on my chin just before the trial).

“The formula is more akin to a lightweight gel than an oil, and absorbs into the skin instantly, leaving a subtle dewiness that sits really nicely under makeup. Perhaps not so exciting, the packaging is also a winner in my books. The squeezy tube is not only easier and far cleaner to use than a slippery dropper bottle with a pipette, but is also designed to be airtight to help prevent oxidation and maintain the quality of the vitamin C.”

“I usually get on well with vitamin C and often use strong ones that expire in a month or two. This gentler formula still delivers on my skin, helping fade marks from spots and brightening my complexion without causing any irritation. I don’t think it did much for fine lines or texture, though, but I don’t reach for vitamin C to target those concerns. In the past, I’ve found some vitamin C serums can brighten my skin by almost creating the slightest yellow hue on my face (like Garnier’s Vitamin C Brightening Night Serum and Bioderma’s Pigmentbio Brightening Vitamin C Serum), but I don’t notice that with this one. In the future, I think I’ll now opt for this over my more potent go-tos!”

“I live with the daily drama of having very dry skin and loving a dewy finish, so I’m pretty partial towards vitamin C (most recently a vitamin C and squalane mix that I picked up randomly in TK Maxx and that my skin absolutely drinks up). I will always gravitate towards products that are designed to brighten and hydrate. I loved this — the light, mild serum finish sat nicely alongside my moisturiser on my skin, and I felt like it added brightness to my tinted SPF (while I prefer that over foundation and/or concealer, I didn’t get the impression that it would cause problems with either). I didn’t notice any dramatic difference to my fine lines, but the overall texture of my skin felt smoother. I liked the way the packaging allowed me to control the amount I used, which, given it wasn’t that much, made it good value for money, too. I would definitely buy this, with a view to perhaps switching to something a bit more heavy-duty during the brutal winter months.”

“I fell off with my vitamin C a while back and honestly felt like I didn’t need to get back on the train, but when I heard the much-loved CeraVe product was coming to the UK, I had to try it. Unlike my previous vitamin Cs of the past, this one was an easy-to-use squeezy tube formula and felt more like a serum than a sticky liquid. Initially, I used way too much across my face and experienced some pilling under my makeup, but eventually, I got the right amount and my skin started to feel silky smooth every morning. As someone with very mild rosacea, I have noticed that my skin appears brighter and a bit less red since using this product, alongside feeling smoother texture-wise. My morning routine is now cleanser, vitamin C and SPF and so far, it’s all going swimmingly!”