Last month, America’s best-selling vitamin C serum finally launched in the UK – and I began trying it straight away. A snip of the price of many vitamin C serums on the market, the Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum by CeraVe is £29 for 30ml, and flies off the shelves in Walmart (and has been selling like hot cakes since its launch in Boots). 

After trying it for a month I can see why they’ve sold so much of the stuff in America since it launched six years ago: the creamy gel texture layers so well with any other creams, sinks in quickly and makes the skin look brighter. 

Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum by CeraVe, £29 for 30ml, Boots

Aside from the basics of washing and moisturising my face, vitamin C is the one ingredient I’ve used every single day for the past decade. It’s an antioxidant, so it helps to protect from pollution and sun damage, and it gives the skin a really good ‘glow’, too. ‘Vitamin C helps to complement sunscreen’s protective action against ultraviolet radiation,’ explains the consultant dermatologist Dr Alexis Granite. It is a fantastic all-rounder, which I use after cleaning my face and before I apply a sun-protection moisturiser. 

While I’m not loyal to any single serum, I have finished bottles of the C E Ferulic serum by SkinCeuticals over the past 10 years. It comes in a little glass vial with a dropper that looks as though it belongs in a medicine cabinet from the 1950s, and has the consistency of water – so you’d be forgiven for thinking it doesn’t do anything – but I’ve noticed a brightening effect on the skin with consistent use. It’s considerably pricier than the CeraVe serum, however, at £165 (30ml, SkinCeuticals). 

 C E Ferulic serum, £165 for 30ml, SkinCeuticals

Even more extreme on the luxury scale is the Suprême C Vitamin C Concentrate serum by Westman Atelier. You only need a drop or two of the oil-gel formula every morning, which is just as well given it’s £300 for 20ml (Selfridges) – I suppose the ‘cost per wear’ makes the price easier to digest. With continued use you can see an improvement on pigmentation in particular. 

If you find the idea of an extra serum step a faff, you could try a weekly face mask that contains the ingredient. My go-to is the Violet-C Radiance Mask by Tatcha (£70 for 50ml, Tatcha), which also contains alpha hydroxy acids from fruit enzymes to gently exfoliate the skin. Well-exfoliated skin (just gently, mind) is the secret to a bright and healthy complexion. 

Violet-C Radiance Mask, £70 for 50ml, Tatcha

Of course, vitamin C is not for everyone: if your skin is super-sensitive you may find some vitamin C serums too strong for it. The one I find excellent for sensitive skin is Dr Sam’s Flawless Vitamin C NAD+ Serum (£62 for 30ml, Dr Sam Bunting), which contains an ingredient called ectoin that helps to strengthen your skin barrier.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Vitamin C NAD+ Serum, £62 for 30ml, Dr Sam Bunting

Many dermatologists consider vitamin C an essential for good skincare, along with sunscreen in the morning and vitamin A (a retinoid) at night. This trio really is a futureproofing formula. 

However, if you’d like to avoid vitamin C altogether, try a niacinamide serum instead. They are everywhere at the moment. Niacinamide is vitamin B3, which can help with everything from reducing visible pores to improving pigmentation, and is an ingredient tolerated by even the most delicate complexion. The Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2% by Naturium (£18 for 30ml, Space NK) is my favourite (this brand, by the way, has really impressive formulas at high-street prices). If you’ve already found a serum you love, keep at it. Consistency is always key to skincare success. 

Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2% by Naturium, £18 for 30ml, Space NK

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