25% Vitamin C Plus Glutathione Clinical Serum.

Q: Is Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C Plus Glutathione Clinical Serum worth it?

Yes. All 7 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 79%.

Serums

About this product

A vitamin C serum combining 25% tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (a stabilized vitamin C derivative) with glutathione, designed to brighten skin, support collagen, and protect against environmental damage.

Full ingredients

Water/Aqua/Eau, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C/Antioxidant), Dimethicone (Silicone/Emollient), Glycerin (Humectant), C9-12 Alkane (Solvent), Ascorbyl Glucoside (Vitamin C/Antioxidant), Silica (Texture Enhancer), Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract (Plant Extracts/Antioxidant), Hydrogenated Lecithin (Emollient), Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate (Emulsifier/Suspending/Dispersing Agent), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer (Texture Enhancer), Xanthan Gum (Texture Enhancer), Glutathione (Antioxidant), Ergothioneine (Antioxidant), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract (Plant Extracts/Antioxidant), Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer (Suspending/Dispersing Agent), Cetyl Alcohol (Emollient), Caprylyl Glycol (Humectant), Lysine Carboxymethyl Cysteinate (Antioxidant), Coco-Caprylate/Caprate (Emollient), Tocopherol (Vitamin E/Antioxidant), Sodium Citrate (Ph Adjuster), Sodium Phytate (Chelating Agent), Hexylene Glycol (Humectant), Ethylhexylglycerin (Humectant), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract (Plant Extracts/Antioxidant), Urea (Humectant), Mannitol (Humectant), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Sodium PCA (Humectant), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract (Plant Extracts/Antioxidant), Polysorbate 60 (Emulsifier), Sorbitan Isostearate (Emulsifier), Trehalose (Humectant), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C/Antioxidant), Glucose (Humectant), Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract (Plant Extracts/Antioxidant)

Guru Score

79%

Yay

7 experts · Strong agreement

7Gurus

7Yay

0Mixed

0Nay

What they liked

Gentle enough for sensitive skin
Creamy, moisturizing texture
Layers smoothly under makeup and sunscreen

What they flagged

Expensive for the bottle size

What the gurus are saying

The stabilized vitamin C in this serum earns consistent praise for delivering results without the irritation that L-ascorbic acid can trigger, making it a solid choice for those with sensitive skin wanting to brighten and even out tone. Gurus highlight how the formula penetrates deeply once applied, then releases active vitamin C in the skin cells, and point to the added glutathione as backup antioxidant protection. One reviewer found the product underwhelming compared to alternatives at the price point, though most others praised the creamy texture, comfortable wear, and easy layering with other products.

Synthesized from 7 expert reviews · most recent take February 2026

Best for

Mature skin

Type

SerumsDrops & dropper

Key actives

Vitamin CVitamin E

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Amazon → Google →

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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

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"This one's got 25% tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. It's also got vitamin E and then rice extract and sodium hyaluronate. It's pretty nice serum, but pricey."

All 9 takes from No BS Beauty

Comparing Vitamin C Derivatives 🍊 Best Brightening Vitamin C Serums for Sensitive Skin

"This one's great for brightening your skin. So the Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C Plus Glutathione Clinical Serum for brighten and discoloration, in here we use tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, glutathione, and ascorbic glucoside. We've already talked about a couple of those. Glutathione is a really strong antioxidant, great for brightening your skin."

Paula's Choice Skincare 🍑🍊 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum Review & How to Use

"In terms of the promises I think it delivers on most of them: antioxidant protection, skin brightening, and hydration. It delivers on all those and it feels really nice on your skin. The downside is the price. A full size 1 oz retails for 62 dollars, so it's expensive, which is kind of a bummer because that's a lot of money, and if you're going to use it morning and evening it's going to go within a month. If you're looking for an ascorbic acid alternative with some brightening ingredients, this one's a nice one to try. I do like the combination of different vitamin C derivatives instead of just relying on one. I couldn't find any super close dupes or alternatives to it. This one's nice, worth checking out for a lot of different skin types, especially for non-stubborn hyperpigmentation."

Morning Skincare & Makeup Routine - Dry, Sensitive Skin, Winter

"I think it does help a little bit with brightening. The glutathione I'm not going to knock it. It soaks in really quick. Normally when I do my routine I apply all my serums and stuff and sunscreen, then I do my hair which takes about 10 minutes, and then it all soaks in. Sometimes vitamin C takes a little bit time to soak in, but since I already did my hair, it doesn't really look like I did it."

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"The [Paula's Choice] 25% vitamin C and glutathione serum"

Spring Morning Routine - Skincare, Makeup, and Haircare Routine - Dry, Sensitive Skin

"This one's nice in the meantime but it's not what I would necessarily pick for forever"

Peter Thomas Roth Skincare Best Dupes & Alternatives to Their Most Popular Products

"This one's got 25% tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. It's also got vitamin E and then rice extract and sodium hyaluronate. It's pretty nice serum, but pricey."

Drunk Elephant Skincare 🍑🍊 C-Firma Fresh Vitamin-C Day Serum - Newest Formula Review & How to Use

"I wish I wouldn't have purchased it. I could have had four or five bottles of Geek and Gorgeous instead, which is much better on so many levels. I give this one a five out of ten. It's terrible. I won't even hand it down to anybody because I question many things about this formula."

These Paula's Choice Dupes Will Save You Hundreds 💲💲 Paula's Choice Dupes & Affordable Alternatives

"Next up the Paula's Choice 25% vitamin C and glutathione clinical serum which is $65 for one ounce and I did pay for this I finished it it's empty but it was expensive and the main ingredients in here tetral ascorbate escoro glucoside vitamin E apple fruit extract."

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"Personally I prefer azelaic acid but this stuff was nice on mornings when sometimes azelaic acid is a little bit fussy. You have to apply it, and for me I have to apply it then I need to wait a little bit before I go onto my routine because if I don't sometimes it frosts whatever I apply over it or it just gets a little bit too sticky and ends up peeling. But I like this stuff. I don't know if it's something I'd have to have again."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Yay

"Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C. So that is this tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. This means it's non-irritating, really good for sensitive skin to brighten the skin."

All 2 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan

Treat Pregnancy Stretch Marks

"Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C. So that is this tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. This means it's non-irritating, really good for sensitive skin to brighten the skin."

BEST & WORST Vitamin C in Sephora for skin of colour | Doctor V

"At about 1 to 2% is a sodium ascorbyl glucoside so that would make sense that would take it up to 25%. I'd say a fraction of a percent of glutathione and ideally we want that at the 0.1 to 2% mark so this is actually clinically effective. I actually love this product. I would use this product. I would just say it's a tad expensive."

Doctorly

3.58M subs

✓Yay

"Really good so concentration price, formulation is all very good for a vitamin C. Really no knock on it. I think it's great."

Dr Alexis Stephens

581k subs

✓Yay

"I love the Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C Plus Glutathione Clinical Serum. [...] You guys know how I feel about tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate -- it's such a good vitamin C, it's a stable vitamin, and there were a lot more clinical studies this year that showed that. Why do I love this product? It can help you to brighten your skin, it can help with collagen, it can help with fine lines, it can help with uneven skin tone -- it's a fantastic product for many different things. And that glutathione antioxidant is going to help to fight off the environmental stressors that promote all of the things that we don't want, so we need something in our daily routine that can help to combat that. Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is basically like L-ascorbic acid -- the vitamin C that has the most clinical data backing it up, but also very irritating to many people's skin, including mine. THD is when the L-ascorbic acid molecule is found in the center of the compound and then surrounded by four hexyl lipids, [...] making it very lipid-soluble, which our skin loves. It means it's going to penetrate the skin better, so once you put this on the skin it can actually get deep down into the skin, and then only once it's in the cell it gets cleaved and the L-ascorbic acid is released. That is why it's very stable and very effective."

The Budget Dermatologist

723k subs

✓Yay

"The vitamin C in the morning is a great one, it actually has 15% L-ascorbic acid in it."

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

✓Yay

"This has a creamy serum so I do feel like this is very moisturizing on the skin and it really does keep the skin nice and comfortable. I've never experienced irritation with this, no dryness nothing. This one also layered up nicely with my other skincare products including sunscreen and makeup. I would recommend to use this in your morning routine but of course you can use this at night time if you wish to. I really like it. I feel like Paula's Choice has some great formulations and this one is really nice especially if you're lacking that brightness and you have that uneven skin tone."

Mad About Skin

727k subs

✓Yay

"I honestly think this is a really well formulated, thought through product. This is genuinely a great product and I would recommend it, particularly if you're looking for a sensitive skin friendly version. The price point is up there, I think it's about £45 here in the UK, that is a lot for a vitamin C serum, but I like the fact you've got glutathione. I love the fact it's a high dose vitamin C derivative, and as with everything Paula's Choice, they've really thought about the ingredients that they're pairing here to calm, soothe, and deliver maximum results. For me, yeah, I love every single thing about this. I think it's absolutely wonderful."