Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Dark spots and post-acne marks2 experts

“This one has ethylated vitamin C, niacinamide which is a vitamin B3 analog that works great on many different aspects of our skin, the skin barrier, anti-inflammatory, regulates sebum production, reduces dark spots, and also has sunflower seed oil which is great.”

Dr. Daniel Sugai, watch at 8:50

Excess oil and shine1 expert

“This one has ethylated vitamin C, niacinamide which is a vitamin B3 analog that works great on many different aspects of our skin, the skin barrier, anti-inflammatory, regulates sebum production, reduces dark spots, and also has sunflower seed oil which is great.”

Dr. Daniel Sugai, watch at 8:50

Irritated or reactive skin1 expert

“It's not fragrance, very minimal irritation.”

Doctorly, watch at 14:25

Skin barrier support1 expert

“This one has ethylated vitamin C, niacinamide which is a vitamin B3 analog that works great on many different aspects of our skin, the skin barrier, anti-inflammatory, regulates sebum production, reduces dark spots, and also has sunflower seed oil which is great.”

Dr. Daniel Sugai, watch at 8:50

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Doctorly

3.59M subs

~Yay

"One of Cetaphil's great products is their vitamin C serum, it's just a very simple ascorbic acid, a staple form of vitamin C. If you're looking for an affordable introduction to vitamin C and want to try something a little less traditional, I love that one."

All 2 takes from Doctorly

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"One of the ones I've actually come to appreciate is from Cetaphil. The Cetaphil one is fairly minimalistic. It's kind of stripped down basic vitamin C. It's not fragrance, very minimal irritation. And if you're looking to get into the vitamin C world and you want to try this new version, I think it's a good starter one."

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"One of Cetaphil's great products is their vitamin C serum, it's just a very simple ascorbic acid, a staple form of vitamin C. If you're looking for an affordable introduction to vitamin C and want to try something a little less traditional, I love that one."

Dr. Aanchal MD

3.50M subs

~Yay

"If you are looking to splurge and if you want one product that can help in making your skin look brighter, better, this one is a good choice."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

723k subs

~Yay

"And the newer ones, you know, like [Cetaphil], Neutrogena, they've done a pretty good job with theirs, too."

All 2 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai

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"Cetaphil has been around for a long time, they put a lot of money into studies to show that their products are tolerated well on various skin tones and skin types, which I give them a lot of credit for. This one has ethylated vitamin C, niacinamide which is a vitamin B3 analog that works great on many different aspects of our skin, the skin barrier, anti-inflammatory, regulates sebum production, reduces dark spots, and also has sunflower seed oil which is great."

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"And the newer ones, you know, like [Cetaphil], Neutrogena, they've done a pretty good job with theirs, too."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Mixed

"They went with 3o Ethyl ascorbic acid. This also has niacinamide which is good for dark spots, so if you're looking to improve hyperpigmentation this definitely can help but probably mostly through the niacinamide. Free of fragrance. I ended up really enjoying using this but not something I would go out of my way to repurchase and consistently have in my routine because while it didn't cause any problems for me I found it was nice lightweight hydrating."

All 3 takes from Dr Dray

*NEW* Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum Review

"But is it one that I feel offers me and my routine much above and beyond what I'm already using and doing? No. This is a vitamin C serum that uses a stabilized form of vitamin C that has a better chance of getting into your skin and has a better chance of remaining stable in the formulation, but question mark if it actually gets converted to the active form and if it actually does the things that ascorbic acid can do if it were formulated correctly to remain stable and get into your skin."

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"This also is a 30 percent ethyl ascorbic acid vitamin C, it's in a cream rather than a lightweight serum, but it also has nice niacinamide, which as I mentioned because we don't know if three ethyl ascorbic acid gets into the skin and is converted into a meaningful amount of ascorbic acid, the one who's doing the heavy lifting is niacinamide, and that's the case here."

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"They went with 3o Ethyl ascorbic acid. This also has niacinamide which is good for dark spots, so if you're looking to improve hyperpigmentation this definitely can help but probably mostly through the niacinamide. Free of fragrance. I ended up really enjoying using this but not something I would go out of my way to repurchase and consistently have in my routine because while it didn't cause any problems for me I found it was nice lightweight hydrating."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Nay

"I've given this product a four out of 10. I do believe it did the worst this year. I'm not impressed with it. I'm surprised they're still selling it, to be honest, and I kind of regret buying it to begin with because my skin didn't like it at all."

Hyram

4.33M subs

~Yay

"It has a little pull and tug to it, which I don't necessarily love, I prefer serums that glide on, but I didn't feel any tingling and it absorbed well. I actually like this product and I really like how it feels on my skin. Probably my favorite one is the antioxidant C serum, and I'm interested in continuing to use it and seeing the results."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

~Yay

"This one is really cool because it's got antioxidants so it's got ethylated vitamin C along with niacinamide for brightening effects."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Sunscreen filters

Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum?

A brightening serum with ethylated vitamin C and niacinamide designed to improve skin radiance and reduce dark spots.

Is Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 71%.

What is Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum's Guru Score?

Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum holds a Guru Score of 71%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 7 expert reviewers we have collected.

What is Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum is good for dark spots and post-acne marks (2 experts), excess oil and shine (1 expert), irritated or reactive skin (1 expert) and skin barrier support (1 expert).

Is Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum good for dark spots and post-acne marks?

2 experts who reviewed Cetaphil Healthy Radiance Brightening Antioxidant-C Face Serum say it is. Dr. Daniel Sugai put it this way: “This one has ethylated vitamin C, niacinamide which is a vitamin B3 analog that works great on many different aspects of our skin, the skin barrier, anti-inflammatory, regulates sebum production, reduces dark spots, and also has sunflower seed oil which is great.”