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Paula's Choice

C15 Super Booster.

Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster
Serums

About this product

A vitamin C serum formulated with a stable vitamin C derivative and additional antioxidants, designed to brighten and protect skin in a 20ml airless pump bottle.

Best for

Mature skin
Serums

The Guru Index verdict

74%

Approved

Approved · 74%
7Reviewers
5Approved
1Mixed
1Skip

What the gurus are saying

The formula itself earns praise from dermatologists for keeping the key actives intact while adding stabilizing ingredients, a humectant, and other antioxidants without fragrance or problematic alcohols. However, the price is where takes split: some experts call it worth the cost for the formula quality, while others note the £61 to $55 price tag has become steeper than people expect from Paula's Choice, especially given the small bottle size. Anyone considering it may want to weigh whether the formula justifies the investment compared to other vitamin C options.
Synthesized from 7 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Vitamin CHyaluronic acidVitamin EPeptidesFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Aqua/​Water/​Eau⁠, Ascorbic Acid⁠, Glycerin⁠, Ethoxydiglycol⁠, PPG-26-Buteth-26⁠, Mannitol⁠, Tridecapeptide-1⁠, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5⁠, Ergothioneine⁠, Sodium Hyaluronate⁠, Pentylene Glycol⁠, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil⁠, Bisabolol⁠, Sodium Gluconate⁠, Decylene Glycol⁠, Ferulic Acid⁠, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract⁠, Tocopherol⁠, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6⁠, 1, 2-Hexanediol⁠, Panthenol⁠, Sodium Phytate⁠, Sodium Hydroxide⁠, Citric Acid⁠, Phenoxyethanol⁠

Every take, in full

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 Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"Notice that they did not take away the key actives and they just made it better for you."
Approved
"They've also gone for a stable glucoside, so that's working the epidermis more. It's naive safe, no denatured alcohol, no fragrance, no essential oils. And there are other antioxidants in this product, which is brilliant. It's an airless pump. Brilliant. And it's got glycerin in it, too. So, a humectant. So, it's done a lot right. I think the only downside for me probably is the high price point. So, it's £61 for 30 mls. But, if you can afford it, it's a wonderful, wonderful vitamin C. Definitely doctor approved."
Skip
"Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster for brightening is basically a vitamin C serum and this one is currently $55 for 20 milliliters, which is a lot of money for vitamin C serum. I don't remember this one being this expensive however it's 55 bucks."
All 3 takes from No BS Beauty
The Best Vitamin C Serum Alternatives to the $185 Skinceuticals C E + Ferulic Serum
"Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster uses 15% ascorbic acid, vitamin E, and ferulic acid. It also includes a peptide as well for anti-aging. It's more expensive than all the other ones so far, but a lot of people like it and have good luck with it. But I will mention it's 55 bucks and it's not comparable in terms of size. This is 20 milliliters. So it's two-thirds the size of the other ones. So when you're thinking about numbers, keep that in mind because if this were an ounce, this would be 70 bucks, something like that, maybe a little bit more."
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"Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster for brightening is basically a vitamin C serum and this one is currently $55 for 20 milliliters, which is a lot of money for vitamin C serum. I don't remember this one being this expensive however it's 55 bucks."
Best & Worst Vitamin C Serums of 2023
"The Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster, it's pretty expensive, that's why I don't recommend it in my favorite ones, but it's expensive and it comes in a really small bottle, two-thirds of an ounce, and it's really expensive, but I've still typically had good luck and good results with it."
~Mixed
"They launched a lot of their more popular products including their C15 Super Booster during this time. However, prices were significantly increased after the investment and Paula's Choice kind of started to lose their reputation of being well priced for the amazing formula you were getting. Compared to a lot of people, this is a really good price for such an amazing product, and now they kind of have a reputation of being like yeah, these products are kind of pricey. They're good, but they're kind of pricey."
Approved
"Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster is 15% L-ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, and ergothionine, which is an amino acid that is commonly found in mushrooms and black beans and works as an antioxidant. This one is really well formulated and backed by science. I find that it's a very light hydrating serum. It's been another staple of mine that I've been really enjoying and that I recommend a lot to my family, friends, and my patients."
All 2 takes from Tea with MD
Dermatologist Explains: Vitamin C 101 | Dr. Joyce Park
"Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster is 15% L-ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, and ergothionine, which is an amino acid that is commonly found in mushrooms and black beans and works as an antioxidant. This one is really well formulated and backed by science. I find that it's a very light hydrating serum. It's been another staple of mine that I've been really enjoying and that I recommend a lot to my family, friends, and my patients."
Ultimate Black Friday Cyber Monday Skincare Sale Picks | Dr. Joyce Dermatologist
"This 10% azelaic acid booster is just the right balance, and the C15 Super Booster has 15% L-ascorbic acid with vitamin E and ferulic acid. This is a wonderful vitamin C that does not burn my sensitive skin and it also comes as an eye cream as well."
Approved
"I really enjoy the Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster. There's a lot of vitamin C serums that I love that I still use but when it comes to these types of vitamin C's they are very unstable and they oxidize very quickly because this is the purest form of vitamin C, L ascorbic acid or ascorbic acid."
All 2 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
MY MORNING ANTI-AGING SKINCARE ROUTINE - A.M. SUMMER SKINCARE ROUTINE USING VITAMIN C
"I really enjoy the Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster. There's a lot of vitamin C serums that I love that I still use but when it comes to these types of vitamin C's they are very unstable and they oxidize very quickly because this is the purest form of vitamin C, L ascorbic acid or ascorbic acid."
8 BEST VITAMIN C SERUMS 2023 | GLOWING SKIN GUARANTEED! ANTI-AGING OVER 30
"I do like the Paula's Choice one very similar to the Timeless but again we have that 20 mil size. This one is fragrance free it does have a little bit of that smoky scent from what I can remember it's been a while since I've used this one, and there's a 4 month shelf life with this one."
Approved
"I'm a big fan of Paula's Choice just in general. I think that they make overall good products. This is a product that I've recommended for a really long time. It's 15% vitamin C, vitamin E, and ferulic acid, and fragrance free. It's very similar to the Skinceuticals formulation, but the interesting thing about this one is that they've actually recently reformulated it to decrease the irritation from the product. A lot of people do experience irritation with the formula, so they added arginine to the formula to make it less irritating. I've tried it on myself and I actually find this version to be much more tolerable than other forms of pure L-ascorbic acid. I love the texture too, a nice full body, a little thicker serum."
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