A Less-Expensive Vitamin C Serum That Works
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This story first appeared on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, inThe Strategist Beauty Brief,a weekly newsletter in which our beauty writers share their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. But we liked it so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. If you want more first impressions of buzzy launches, quick takes on what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, and deep dives into the week’s best beauty launches, sign uphere.The Strategist Beauty Briefis delivered every Wednesday.
My favoritevitamin C serum,Sunday Riley C.E.O., really works for my sensitive skin — but it’s my job to investigate if there’s something out there that might work better. So, naturally, I was curious aboutClinique’s new vitamin C serum. (The Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Clearing Serum). From a dry-skin, acne-prone perspective like mine, the ingredients list is almost perfect: ascorbyl glucoside (a form of vitamin C known for being gentler than the common l-ascorbic acid), salicylic acid, Gyokuro extract (green tea), and antioxidants. Plus it’s a little cheaper than my go-to — about $25 less for one ounce. For the last six weeks, morning and night, I’ve been putting it to the test.
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My skin is on the drier side, and two little pumps is enough to hydrate my whole face. Both how easily it absorbs and the glowy, smooth sheen it leaves on the skin were two major pros. It quickly became the step I most looked forward to in my a.m. routine.
My p.m. routine is where we ran into an issue, though: There was a slight clash with my exfoliant (Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA). As someone who’s been using Paula’s Choice for years, my skin can happily tolerate daily application, and it works with my Sunday Riley vitamin C without issue. Pairing it with the Clinique vitamin C in the evening caused redness, though, in a concentrated patch on the very top of my cheeks. To tackle this, I cut back my BHA use to every other night, and then decided finally that on nights I applied the vitamin C I’d skip it altogether. (I don’t think everyone would run into this issue. In fact, there’s ingredients like a green tea extract in there to counteract irritation.)
The six week results are overwhelmingly positive. It zapped the redness from my acne scars! And while they haven’t completely faded — they just wouldn’t in six weeks — they look far less angry and are far easier to conceal on days that I do wear makeup. I haven’t noticed any dulling in my complexion since swapping to Clinique’s vitamin C, and my skin genuinely feels quenched and bright in the morning. (This is a rarity for me. My skin is so incredibly dry and dull it usually takes a few applications of HA, moisturizer, and tinted SPF to give me any sort of glow.)
I’ve slowly been bringing BHA back into play — and all is well so far. Clinique’s vitamin C ultimately is a great choice for most skin types. It’s got an effective blend of ingredients — and it’s cheaper than what I’d been using.
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