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Naturium

Vitamin C Complex Serum.

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum
Serums

About this product

A lightweight serum with L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate formulated to brighten skin and provide antioxidant protection.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

85%

Yay

11 experts · Strong agreement
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus
11Gurus
11Yay
0Mixed
0Nay
#17 in SerumsSee the ranking →

What they liked

  • Gentle for sensitive skin
  • Stabilized dual vitamin C forms
  • Hydrating serum texture

What they flagged

  • High pH limits potency
  • Lower concentration than premium products

What the gurus are saying

Gold-conjugated L-ascorbic acid paired with sodium ascorbyl phosphate lets this serum work at a higher pH than traditional vitamin C, making it gentler on sensitive and dry skin without sacrificing effectiveness. It earns praise for stability and hydrating texture that feels nourishing rather than harsh, with gurus especially recommending it for anyone who's struggled with vitamin C irritation. The concentrations are gentler than pricier options, so results take longer.
Synthesized from 11 expert reviews · most recent take July 2026

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
Yay
"This one has two vitamin C forms in it, sodium ascorbyl phosphate and ascorbic acid, alongside a bioactive blend that includes plum, which is rich in vitamin C, and a gold complex for stability. The formulation pH is around 5.5 to 6.5, which is high for L-ascorbic acid to penetrate effectively since pure vitamin C needs a pH of about 3.5 for optimal skin penetration, so at this pH the ascorbic acid is probably not doing the most potent work, but that doesn't mean it's not working, it's clearly formulated for someone with more sensitive skin. The Vitamin C Complex Serum is honestly one of my favorites so far, it's super gentle, it worked really well on my skin, and my skin barrier absolutely loved it, I used every single drop out of the bottle. The vitamin C forms are legit, but the pH issue will limit the potency of that acid unless you have sensitive skin, in which case you would absolutely love this."
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All 3 takes from April Basi
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"This one has two vitamin C forms in it, sodium ascorbyl phosphate and ascorbic acid, alongside a bioactive blend that includes plum, which is rich in vitamin C, and a gold complex for stability. The formulation pH is around 5.5 to 6.5, which is high for L-ascorbic acid to penetrate effectively since pure vitamin C needs a pH of about 3.5 for optimal skin penetration, so at this pH the ascorbic acid is probably not doing the most potent work, but that doesn't mean it's not working, it's clearly formulated for someone with more sensitive skin. The Vitamin C Complex Serum is honestly one of my favorites so far, it's super gentle, it worked really well on my skin, and my skin barrier absolutely loved it, I used every single drop out of the bottle. The vitamin C forms are legit, but the pH issue will limit the potency of that acid unless you have sensitive skin, in which case you would absolutely love this."
Are You Wasting Money on the WRONG Vitamin C Serum for Your Skin Type? Naturium, Timeless, Maelove
"The product I recommend for combination skin is the Naturium Vitamin C Super Serum. It's packed, it has glutathione for brightening, salicylic acid for unclogging pores, retinol for retexturizing your skin especially those dry areas, niacinamide for oil control and for brightening hyperpigmentation, and hyaluronic acid to plump back the skin especially those dry areas. This product is really well balanced, it has all the ingredients that are really required for the two skin types that you have, and from my perspective as a chemist you can't go wrong."
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"Some products I love in this category is Nerium's Vitamin C Complex Serum. This one has vitamin C and glutathione to increase brightness in the skin."
Yay
"Naturium, which is very good for those with dry, dehydrated skin. Very hydrating. I love that airtight pump product, and it's probably my favorite product in the Naturium line."
All 7 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai
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"Naturium, which is very good for those with dry, dehydrated skin. Very hydrating. I love that airtight pump product, and it's probably my favorite product in the Naturium line."
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"Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum has been awesome, it's my favorite product in the whole Naturium line. I feel like the hyaluronic acid in it is very hydrating and plumping to the skin. It's a derivative, so it's theoretically potentially gentler, and [...] if you don't want anything with fragrance, go for Naturium's vitamin C serum with the derivative."
How to ACTUALLY Fix Dark Spots (Dermatologist No-BS Guide)
"I've had success with those light freckles being lightened by vitamin C serums. And I always say use it in the morning. You can use it at night, but it does boost the sun protection abilities of sunscreen. So I always say apply it in the morning and then apply your sunscreen after that to protect your skin from oxidative stress you might get from sunlight and pollution."
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"You can do something very affordable like Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum that comes in a nice airtight pump, has a stable vitamin C with some gold and glutathione. I love the texture of this and you can find it at Target, Amazon, online."
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"If ascorbic acid is too irritating for you, or you worry about the instability of vitamin C, you can consider something like Naturium. This one is like 20 something bucks at Target, and it has glutathione and gold to stabilize it."
Dermatologist Reviews: Best Budget Vitamin C Serum Roundup
"Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum, this is my favorite product of the brand, and this is also a nice stable derivative of vitamin C. It has glutathione and gold to help stabilize it, and it also has hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. Vitamin E is another antioxidant that helps stabilize vitamin C, and they work together in brightening your skin. So big thumbs up to this one."
Dermatologist Explains: Three Ways to Glow Up Your Skin Today
"I've talked about Naturium's Vitamin C Complex Serum, very nice texture, very stable."
Yay
"Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum delivers that brightening antioxidant protection with a blend of multiple stabilized vitamin C derivatives, making it a little bit gentler than [...] pure L-ascorbic acid. But this one's still effective. It's going to help even out dull, uneven skin tone, support that collagen production, which is going to be ideal for that 40s and going into menopause skin that has lost some of its glow. I think it's perfect for your everyday vitamin C, especially if you have sensitive or redness-prone skin that can't tolerate the OG L-ascorbic acid serums. The key ingredient is a stable L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate, as well as glycerin."
Yay
"The Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum is really nice. This always brightens up my skin, it helps to even everything out, so when I'm experiencing post-acne marks or let's say I have some texture, this does the job. This formulation contains hyaluronic acid, it also contains retinol, niacinamide, ascorbic acid which is the purest form of vitamin C, as well as salicylic acid, so all of these ingredients will target multiple skin concerns. This serum truly never disappoints. If you are looking for a serum that targets everything, then I would say try this. You can use this every day, twice a day, remember not to forget your sunscreen if you are using this in your morning routine, but I love it. It just spreads across the skin so nicely, it's very lightweight and it's also very hydrating and it does a good job to improve texture and tone. I cannot live without this product."
All 4 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
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"My favorite is the Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum. This is actually my second one of this and I love using it in my morning routines. Sometimes I will use it at night time if I'm not using prescription tretinoin. The reason why I like this one so much is because there's a lot of key ingredients in here that will target multiple skin concerns and all of these key ingredients are pretty much at the top of the ingredient list, which is a really good sign. I believe niacinamide is the second ingredient, I think the fourth ingredient is glycerin, the fifth ingredient is ascorbic acid which is the purest form of vitamin C. There's also hyaluronic acid in here, salicylic acid as well as retinol. So this is going to help with signs of aging, to correct that uneven skin tone, it can improve texture and it just does it all and I really love it. It does have a really nice texture to it. There is a little bit of a creaminess so a little bit does go a long way but I do like to put two pumps of this and I like to put that all over my face as well as my neck and sometimes I will use this twice a day it just depends. But if you are looking for a serum that has a lot of ingredients to target multiple skin concerns then I would say you need to try this."
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"I was actually really impressed with this serum and I did purchase another one. I was using this in my morning routine but sometimes I would use this at night time if I wasn't using retinol or copper peptides. I liked the formulation because it has ascorbic acid, so the purest form of vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid. It also has kojic acid and retinol, so it contains a lot of ingredients to really help improve texture and tone. That was what I noticed with this serum: the tone and the texture of my skin looked more improved. My skin was super soft as well, and I never experienced peeling with this. This does have a thicker serum to it and it was just really hydrating. I really liked this, and to be honest with you, I didn't think that I was going to love it as much as I did, and it's actually really really nice. So if you're looking for a serum that contains multiple ingredients to improve multiple skin concerns, then I would say try this."
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"This serum contains other ingredients to target multiple skin concerns. I just recently started using this and I am really impressed with it. The reason why I chose to go with this vitamin C is because this one has the ascorbic acid, which is the purest form of vitamin C. It has niacinamide, which is a great antioxidant that will help with discoloration, post-acne marks, and it can help to brighten up your skin as well. There's hyaluronic acid in here, glutathione, salicylic acid which is great if you have congestion, blackheads, texture, and there is retinol in here as well. So all of these ingredients are going to target multiple skin concerns, so you have one serum that is going to do it all. The more consistent you are with this, the better off you're going to be. If you wish to use this at night time as well, twice a day, you can do that according to the brand, but if you are a beginner, start with once a day or a couple of days a week and then gradually increase your usage from there, just to see how your skin tolerates this product."
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"The Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum is really nice. This always brightens up my skin, it helps to even everything out, so when I'm experiencing post-acne marks or let's say I have some texture, this does the job. This formulation contains hyaluronic acid, it also contains retinol, niacinamide, ascorbic acid which is the purest form of vitamin C, as well as salicylic acid, so all of these ingredients will target multiple skin concerns. This serum truly never disappoints. If you are looking for a serum that targets everything, then I would say try this. You can use this every day, twice a day, remember not to forget your sunscreen if you are using this in your morning routine, but I love it. It just spreads across the skin so nicely, it's very lightweight and it's also very hydrating and it does a good job to improve texture and tone. I cannot live without this product."
Yay
"I tried the Vitamin C Complex Serum from Naturium which also had pretty good results. It contains L ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate."
Yay
"The Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum is a wonderful serum, a fraction of the cost of the Allies of Skin one, but you have to bear in mind you might need to use this a little bit longer in order to get those results. Have a little patience because the concentrations used here aren't quite as potent. This uses vitamin C alongside glutathione for some great hyperpigmentation work."
All 6 takes from Mad About Skin
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"The Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum is a wonderful serum, a fraction of the cost of the Allies of Skin one, but you have to bear in mind you might need to use this a little bit longer in order to get those results. Have a little patience because the concentrations used here aren't quite as potent. This uses vitamin C alongside glutathione for some great hyperpigmentation work."
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"I'm singing the praises of this, I love this so much. This ticks in every box. It's packed full of vitamin C, you've also got some calming and soothing ingredients. The formulation isn't going to be stripping and drying, and you've got glutathione in here. Glutathione and vitamin C used together is like the power couple when it comes to fading hyperpigmentation, glowing up the skin, giving that radiance boost. This is why when people use it and say this works so much better than a lot of the vitamin C's, it's that glutathione doing all the heavy lifting. This is a beautiful formulation, and there are other glutathione vitamin C serums on the market but they're all like double or triple the cost of this. For under £20 you can get a complex vitamin C product that contains that key ingredient of glutathione, a great dose of vitamin C, and some calming and soothing ingredients in a beautiful lightweight texture. I honestly think if it wasn't for my love of that other one, this would probably be my next choice on the vitamin C hierarchy. I'm going to give this a solid 9 and a half out of 10."
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"I love the fact that Naturium haven't decided to price gouge on this. One of the first brands to use glutathione alongside vitamin C and you can get this for twenty dollars, so it's super affordable. Really well formulated for the price point that you're paying. I think it takes that vitamin C, so kicks it up a notch with a little dose of that additional glutathione which will definitely work in super short periods of time on discoloration and hyperpigmentation."
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"The Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum actually contains retinol, meaning it's a great multi-active for your evening skincare routine. In here you've got ascorbic acid vitamin C, you've got niacinamide which is great at regulating oil levels in the skin and brightening the complexion, you've got glutathione which is the best pairing with vitamin C to even out your skin tone, and you've got retinol. If you want to take the stress out of it, you could cleanse the skin, use this, maybe put a moisturizer on afterwards, go to bed and you'll wake up with really gorgeous skin. It's kind of giving you all you need to create an evening skincare routine because it's super gentle. You can absolutely use some of your other favorite products alongside it if you're wanting to, or you can just use it in isolation. That flexibility I think makes this super special and again really affordable when you consider using it once a day it'll probably last you two months and you're getting a lot for your money."
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"That vitamin C is a fraction of the cost of the Alison Skin one, this is budget friendly. It feels so nice on the skin and the user experience is definitely up there. Put this on the skin and it'll sink in within a couple of minutes, and you almost see that brightness start to emerge after roughly 3 to 4 weeks of use, relatively quick. Beautiful formulation, stunning price point, and for me, yeah, ticking an awful lot of boxes. Naturium is cruelty free, as are all of the products mentioned in today's video. I love this, definitely that glutathione as an ingredient in here is what makes this stand out and so special, and yeah, I would recommend it to each and every one of you if you're looking for a nice budget friendly vitamin C that's going to get you glowing to the gods in no time at all."
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"The Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum has glutathione alongside vitamin C. It's easier to access, particularly if you're shopping from Canada or the States. You can now get it from Space NK here in the UK. It offers a more accessible glutathione option while still keeping it super affordable and drugstore. This is the one I go for, but it's a great option if you're struggling to find other products."
Yay
"There are amazing Vitamin C serums around nowadays. Naturium is one of them. I cannot deny their antioxidant effects. If I dedicate myself to these things a few times a week, I'm going to be fine. I'm going to age gracefully."
All 2 takes from James Welsh
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"There are amazing Vitamin C serums around nowadays. Naturium is one of them. I cannot deny their antioxidant effects. If I dedicate myself to these things a few times a week, I'm going to be fine. I'm going to age gracefully."
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"The Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum is one of their best sellers, a great serum. [...] It's 22 pounds for 30 milliliters, which I would say is a below standard price for a 30 milliliter serum. The Ordinary of course you're never going to beat their prices, [...] but if you are after a well-formulated serum with every stable form of vitamin C, this is a really, really nice one to go for. [...] With other vitamin C serums I've used in the past, they almost felt a little bit stingy and wet. This doesn't feel like that. This feels like a nice hydrating serum, and you wouldn't think you're using an active."
Yay
"Their Super C serum is also very good"
Yay
"Even their vitamin C serums, I think they do a really good job of formulating with vitamin C, because it can be very tricky to formulate really effective products with vitamin C."
Yay
"Another L-ascorbic acid product that I really like and I have found works well for those who have sensitive skin is the Naturium Vitamin C Complex. This product not only has L-ascorbic acid but it also has sodium ascorbyl phosphate in it, so you're getting the biologically active form of vitamin C in there as well as a derivative. Something that's a little bit unique about this Naturium serum is that their L-ascorbic acid is conjugated with gold, meaning it's attached to gold in the serum. This helps enhance the stability and the penetration of the vitamin C into the skin, and it also allows the pH of the product to be a little bit higher, so for people who are sensitive to traditional L-ascorbic acid products because of that acidity level, this might be a good option. [...] In terms of texture, the one from Naturium is [...] really nice, but [...] it's a little bit thicker on the skin and feels a little bit more like a traditional hydrating serum."
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All 2 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis
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"Another L-ascorbic acid product that I really like and I have found works well for those who have sensitive skin is the Naturium Vitamin C Complex. This product not only has L-ascorbic acid but it also has sodium ascorbyl phosphate in it, so you're getting the biologically active form of vitamin C in there as well as a derivative. Something that's a little bit unique about this Naturium serum is that their L-ascorbic acid is conjugated with gold, meaning it's attached to gold in the serum. This helps enhance the stability and the penetration of the vitamin C into the skin, and it also allows the pH of the product to be a little bit higher, so for people who are sensitive to traditional L-ascorbic acid products because of that acidity level, this might be a good option. [...] In terms of texture, the one from Naturium is [...] really nice, but [...] it's a little bit thicker on the skin and feels a little bit more like a traditional hydrating serum."
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"The Notorium Vitamin C Complex Serum is a great alternative if you have really sensitive skin, you don't like the smell of that vitamin C product, or you're just kind of getting into vitamin C and you're worried about how it might incorporate into your routine. This is a great starter. I love the gorgeous texture of this. It's a little bit thicker but it doesn't feel sticky at all. This uses glycerin as its humectant, so it's really going to draw that moisture to the top layer of your skin. This also has glutathione in it, which is a nice skin brightening agent, and this still does have L ascorbic acid in it. I love that this is great if you have sensitive skin and I like that it has a more moisturizing component if you tend to be a little bit drier."
Yay
"If it's a morning skincare routine, I'm always going to recommend a vitamin C serum. My favorite vitamin C serum to recommend for people with dry skin is from my own brand, Naturium, it's our Vitamin C Complex Serum. The reason why I think this is great for people with dry skin is, one, it's very gentle, and that's because we use a vitamin C that is conjugated with glutathione, which is another antioxidant, and also with gold, and it just helps create this stabilization of it. It's kind of like a form of encapsulation, it keeps the vitamin C stable, which we know vitamin C is notoriously unstable, so you don't have to worry about that. But it also means it helps to penetrate your skin a little bit better, it gets it to the place where you want it to go. On top of that, because it's in this type of encapsulation method, you don't have to worry about having a really low pH, which is usually what you have to do with a vitamin C serum to get it to work properly. We actually don't have to make this at a low pH, so it's not acidic. So if you have dry skin, it's very unlikely that you'll experience any kind of irritation with this vitamin C. If you're one of those people that's like, I've used vitamin C before, it always irritates my skin, my skin doesn't react well, I always say to try this one out. It could still not be the one for you, but I always suggest trying this one out. It's a really good price, but also it's just very hydrating because of the way that we formulate this. It has a lot of glycerin in it, there's hyaluronic acid in it, so you'll notice that your skin just looks and feels plumper and more hydrated."
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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

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum?

A lightweight serum with L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate formulated to brighten skin and provide antioxidant protection.

Is Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum worth it?

Yes. All 11 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 85%.

What is Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum's Guru Score?

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum holds a Guru Score of 85%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 11 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

Who is Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum best for?

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum is generally suited to sensitive skin.

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