SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum

Q: What is SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum?

A prestige antioxidant serum combining vitamin C (in THD ascorbate form) with 17-19 additional antioxidants including vitamin E, plant extracts, peptides, and proprietary ingredients to defend against environmental damage and support skin brightening and texture.

Q: Is SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum worth it?

Mostly yes. 10 of the 11 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 86%.

Q: What is SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum's Guru Score?

SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum holds a Guru Score of 86%. 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.

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.

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Dr. Mamina

281k subs

✓Yay

"Another high-end favorite is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced. In addition to vitamin C, it has 18 other antioxidants in it. So it has amazing free radical fighting power."

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"Another high-end favorite is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced. In addition to vitamin C, it has 18 other antioxidants in it. So it has amazing free radical fighting power."

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"I'm also a big fan of the SkinBetter Alto Advanced."

208SkinDoc

2.09M subs

✓Yay

"This is the top tier, high price range option, the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. It has vitamin C, but it also has a complex of 20 different antioxidants in it, so you're getting a whole range of additional ingredients to help fight free radicals. To be frank with you, this is the one that I use every single day. It comes in an airless pump and you get about 150 days of use out of it, so even though it comes in at like 190 or 210 dollars, you do get a long time of use out of that."

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"The advanced Alto defense and repair has like 20 antioxidants and there's something about that 20th one, it's like they're super special antioxidant. I was using that one and I just ran out of it and I haven't picked up a new one yet."

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"The product I've been using pretty consistently for a while now is the Alto Advanced Defense and Repair from SkinBetter. It has twenty different antioxidants in it including vitamin C, and a lot of ingredients that help protect your skin from free radicals as well as things to help repair your skin, so it helps brighten, helps with fine lines and wrinkles, and repairs your skin overall. This is a pretty expensive product, I think it's like $190, but you get about five months of use out of it since one pump covers the whole face. It has to be purchased through a physician, either at their office or through an authorized link."

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"This is where we take a big jump in price, for your vitamin C or antioxidant: the SkinBetter Science Alto Advance Defense and Repair. This is a premium antioxidant serum, it comes in a pump bottle that is vacuum sealed so the product is not going to oxidize and go bad. It has 20 different antioxidants in it, so it not only helps to protect against free radicals in a much more comprehensive way, but it has ingredients to help repair any damage that has been done before. SkinBetter Science has great clinicals on before and afters. This is going to last you about 5 months even though it comes in at about 195 dollars. I use this every single morning."

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"If you're looking for an antioxidant serum, I recommend the Alto Defense Serum from SkinBetter Science. It's really effective, with over twenty types of antioxidants. It is going to be a little bit more expensive, however it lasts a long time. These fifty milliliter bottles will last about five months, so the price gets a little more reasonable when you think about it on a month by month basis."

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"The antioxidant serum I'm using most frequently now is the Alto Defense and Repair Serum from SkinBetter Science. It's a more premium price point so it costs more, but the bottle lasts me about five months so I get a lot of mileage out of it."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

142k subs

✓Yay

"My splurge recommendation here is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. We actually carry this one in my clinic. I treat a lot of rosacea patients with pulse dye laser and rosacea patients tend to have very sensitive skin so they can't use a lot of vitamin C serums because they can be a little bit harsh, especially L-ascorbic acid, but this SkinBetter Alto Advanced is very gentle. This advanced serum offers that comprehensive antioxidant protection by defending the skin from both external environmental stressors but also the internal oxidative damage. And unlike traditional vitamin C serums, this formula contains 19 powerful antioxidants including vitamin C and E, but also has a proprietary botanical blend to help brighten the skin, reduce some of the redness, and improve overall skin texture. The key ingredients are the LLPQ, the vitamin C, and specifically this one has the THD, or tetrahexyldecanate type of vitamin C, which is best for sensitive skin. There's also vitamin E, plankton extract, and microcosate, niacinamide, and licorice extract."

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"Another often recommended vitamin C that I use in my practice for my patients who've done laser is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. This is a really potent antioxidant. It has that THD vitamin C which is lipid soluble, really good for sensitive skin, as well as a complex of other antioxidants to keep the inflammation in base. For my patients who are coming in to do PDL laser, which I love, it's my favorite laser, I do it several times every single day, I always tell them that if you're investing in the laser you need to protect that investment and every PDL laser patient should be doing a vitamin C for sure. My number one recommendation is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced."

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"If your skin is super sensitive like you have rosacea, look for SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. This advanced serum offers comprehensive antioxidant protection by defending the skin from both external environmental stressors but also internal oxidative damage. Unlike traditional vitamin C serums, this formula contains 19 powerful antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E, and a proprietary botanical blend to brighten and reduce redness and improve overall skin texture. The key ingredients are L-PQQ, a potent antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals from internal processes, and vitamin C in the form of THD or tetra hexyl decyl ascorbate. This type of vitamin C tends to be less irritating on really sensitive rosacea skin compared to your traditional ascorbic acid type of vitamin C. The serum also contains plankton extract and micrococcus lysate to help repair photodamage and promote skin recovery, niacinamide to support skin hydration and improve clarity, and licorice extract which will naturally brighten your skin."

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"My favorite here [...] is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. The Advanced one has a little bit more antioxidants. It comes out of the bottle just a little bit darker because it contains this powerful antioxidant blend. I treat a lot of rosacea patients and I do a lot of pulse style laser, which is a laser that helps with the rosacea redness. All of my pulse style laser patients are encouraged to start vitamin C and sunscreen, and very often I hear 'I cannot tolerate vitamin C,' and I have them start SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced and they do just fine. So it's really not that you can't tolerate the ingredient, you just haven't found the right type. The SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced is an advanced serum that offers comprehensive antioxidant protection by defending the skin from both external environmental stressors but also internal oxidative damage. Unlike traditional vitamin C serums, [...] this one has 19 antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E, and their proprietary botanical blend to help brighten skin, reduce oxidative damage, reduce the redness in their clinical studies, and ultimately improve the overall texture of the skin. The key ingredient is the Alo PQQ, which is a potent antioxidant that neutralizes the free radicals from external processes. The vitamin C in here is tetrahexylascorbate."

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"The other vitamin C I finished this year is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. This is really nice. They do have the regular Alto and then Alto Advanced. It is tinted, it's very tinted so I don't know that if you have super fair skin that you would love the look of this but honestly blends in really nice. You use very little of it. One pump is really all you need to cover your entire face. If you're going to use neck and chest you can use a second pump. Vitamin C can be used morning and evening. This tends to be a little bit pricier so if you're on a budget maybe opt for the other one."

Dr. Jenny Liu

321k subs

✓Yay

"If you have more sensitive skin, but still want great clinical-backed product that delivers results, try SkinBetter Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. This is another one that has a lot of good data and I said, there aren't that many skincare products that are done with clinical research and SkinCeuticals and SkinBetter are two brands that do. This is another one that many dermatologists and plastic surgeons rave about. It has a lot of different antioxidants. I think 19 combinations of different antioxidants that provides free radical protection, damage from free radicals, helps to brighten the skin, support collagen, improves uneven skin tone, and it's a yellow creamy serum, so really great for dry skin and sensitive skin. It contains a combination of THD ascorbate along with vitamin E and 17 additional antioxidants including green tea and coenzyme Q10. So, another one that really helps to improve signs of skin aging for those that have more sensitive skin."

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"I am like obsessed with this form of vitamin C serum and literally if I could pick two vitamin C serums in different formulas to use for the rest of my life, the watery one that contains pure vitamin C would be one, and then this one from SkinBetter Alto Defense would be my choice for lipid soluble vitamin C, which is the star ingredient in this product. In addition to lipid soluble vitamin C, it also contains vitamin E along with 17 additional antioxidants derived from berries, plants, coenzyme Q10, lots of different things that really work synergistically to not only defend your skin against environmental aggressors but also helps to brighten by supporting collagen synthesis and overall improve uneven skin texture and skin tone. I absolutely love the rich creamy texture that the serum has and is really lovely for those with dry skin or to use in the winter time or those with sensitive skin and have a hard time tolerating traditional pure vitamin C serum and a watery serum. This is one I highly highly recommend checking out."

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"The first one is from SkinBetter Science, their Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. This is not any cheaper than SkinCeuticals, but certainly is a lovely creamy serum with THD ascorbate, vitamin E, and 17 other antioxidants that have a lot of great clinical studies behind it. It's one that I really love and enjoy. The texture is so elegant, it's so amazing. But certainly the price point is not for everyone. If you are ever interested in splurging on a vitamin C serum, this would be one that I highly recommend."

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"The SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum retails for $165. It contains the lipid soluble THD ascorbate along with vitamin E and 17 additional other antioxidants, for example polyphenols from green tea, turmeric, coenzyme Q10, superoxide dismutase, which are antioxidants that our skin makes naturally as well as additional ones that are plant derived. It also contains licorice and peptides that can be soothing and peptides that can help to support the skin barrier. What I love about this serum is the texture and lack of weird odor. It's really just the texture and spreadability. I [...] take two pumps which is actually not a lot and it just spreads so nicely on my skin and I'm able to cover my face and neck. It's rich and soothing and hydrating. There's actually quite a bit of publications around the efficacy of this product and I've been loving it myself. I really have been enjoying it."

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"SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum is a really luxurious, rich and nourishing antioxidant serum that is creamy and hydrating. I honestly really love this for my sensitive skin and rosacea patients and friends. Even though C through L leg is my holy grail, there's some people that just can't tolerate the pure vitamin C, and for those individuals this is kind of like my alternative that I really highly recommend. It doesn't have as many studies, but certainly it's up there when it comes to the amount of clinical studies that do exist regarding vitamin C and antioxidant benefits. The benefit of this antioxidant serum is to support collagen, reduce appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin texture and skin tone, and also helps to calm and support the skin barrier. In addition to lipid soluble C and vitamin E, there are 17 additional antioxidants that work together along with green tea and coenzyme Q10. It's just a lovely creamy serum. I honestly really love using it in the winter time when my skin may not always handle the pure vitamin C as well due to the acidity of that serum, but I highly recommend it for anyone that has super sensitive skin."

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"SkinBetter Ultra Defense is more expensive, but it has great clinical data as well."

Tea with MD

113k subs

✓Yay

"This is an absolute Holy Grail product for me and probably one of my top three products of all time that I use every single day. This has THD ascorbate vitamin E but also 17 other antioxidants. I really think of this as more than just a vitamin C because it really takes kind of a holistic approach to treating your skin. In addition to vitamin C and E, it also has this patented antioxidant called LL-PQQ which helps your body fight free radical production as well as reactive oxidative species from the sun. It also has plankton extract which contains an enzyme that helps to repair existing DNA damage, ergothionine which is an antioxidant, babol for calming soothing effects, niacinamide which is another antioxidant as well as a brightener, licorice extract which is a brightener for dark spots, and tri-floro acetal tripeptide 2 which is a peptide that helps to improve the appearance of skin elasticity and firmness. So it really is like a vitamin C plus product. This definitely comes with a heftier price tag."

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"The skinbetter science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum has THD ascorbate, which is a very nonirritating lipid soluble form of vitamin C and this is my personal favorite. It goes on like a lightweight serum so it's hydrating enough that I don't have to use an additional serum or moisturizer in the morning."

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"My go-to, my Holy Grail vitamin C is still the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced serum. This is my favorite because the form of vitamin C is tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, which is a lipid soluble, very stabilized form of vitamin C that does not have to be at a low acidic pH the way that L-ascorbic acid vitamin C's do. This product comes in a serum which is really nice because it's a little bit moisturizing. I personally don't really like the oily or the very liquidy vitamin C's because when I pump them on my hand it kind of just runs all over my hand and into the sink and it's very hard to know how much I'm applying, so I prefer a serum or a gel vitamin C and this one has just been my Holy Grail for a really long time. This product also contains a patented antioxidant technology called aloeyl pqq, pyrroloquinoline quinone, which helps you neutralize free radical damage from UV rays from the sun. It also contains niacinamide and an antioxidant, trifluoroacetyl tripeptide."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"This is hands down the most expensive product on the list at 170 bucks. [...] It is really nice, it's just an antioxidant serum. [...] In this one we've got superoxide dismutase, we've got ceramides, fatty acids, vitamin E, and hob esters. It's really nice with no scent to it."

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"The skin better Alto defense repair serum's great"

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"It's got peptides in here, cacao, and then a form of vitamin C, hexadecyl ascorbate, and then some ceramides and things like that. You can certainly use it in your morning and evening routine if you like. I prefer to focus on antioxidants and prevention in your daytime routine and then focus on repairing and anti-aging at night, so this one's wonderful. I mean it's expensive, but as you saw, one and a half pumps was enough to cover my whole face and it absorbs pretty nicely. I think it sets to a nice natural finish that doesn't look sticky. It's a little tacky but it doesn't look greasy at the end of the day. It looks nice and it really works well under, and it's played well under pretty much most moisturizer and sunscreens I've tried with. It is a little bit pricey, but the ingredient list in here is really impressive. I've been testing this now for a while and this bottle is about halfway full, so I don't use it every day, just on the days where I don't want to use vitamin C for whatever reason, or my skin feels dry, or my skin feels sensitive. This one's really wonderful, or you could certainly use it, apply your vitamin C and then use this one over it and then your sunscreen. Nothing wrong with that either."

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Dr. Sam Ellis

882k subs

✓Yay

"My absolute favorite vitamin C product that utilizes a vitamin C derivative is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. The reason I love this antioxidant serum so much and why I think it's sort of worth that higher price point is because this not only includes that vitamin C derivative THD ascorbate but also so many other incredible antioxidants. I also really appreciate that SkinBetter has done some clinical studies on this exact product to show that it helps with skin integrity as well as discoloration. This is a very creamy yet lightweight serum and I find that it plays well with a lot of other skincare products and builds well in a routine."

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"This is like prestige antioxidant skincare. The texture is super nice, it comes out as a lightweight serum but it's not as watery as some of the ascorbic acid-based serums. Vitamin C is helpful for helping you produce collagen and it also slows the breakdown of collagen. [...] When it comes to addressing melasma and hyperpigmentation, it also inhibits an enzyme in your skin called tyrosinase, and tyrosinase is what makes melanin, the pigment in your skin. So when you slow that process down or reduce it, you're able to get your pigmentation under better control."

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"The staple antioxidant in my travel skincare is my Skin Better Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum in this cute little travel size. This is more than a vitamin C, it has so many other excellent antioxidants in here. I choose it for travel because it's very stable, so it doesn't use the traditional L ascorbic acid, it uses THD ascorbate which is a more stable form of vitamin C. I feel like this withstands travel so much better. It can be opened and closed, it can be left in my skincare for months at a time and I don't have to worry that it's going to completely break down or become ineffective."

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"The SkinBetter Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum is one that I've sort of been dabbling in more. It has THD ascorbate, but I'm more drawn to it because it has so many other topical antioxidants in it. This product particularly interests me because it has all of these other antioxidants in conjunction with the vitamin C. In my experience in speaking with my peers and people who are really into skincare, those products are just so well received. People notice real meaningful change when they have them in their routine."

Dr. Whitney Bowe

74k subs

✓Yay

"Next in the product roundup is the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. This one actually does not use ascorbic acid, it uses a vitamin C called tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, or THD ascorbate. So if you can't tolerate ascorbic acid, or if you have very sensitive skin, you may love an antioxidant serum that has tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. It's a lipid loving, very stable form of vitamin C that I find is much better tolerated by my patients who have sensitive skin. Now they don't disclose exactly what percent of the THD they're using in the formulation, it's listed about 11th on the ingredient list, and it is underneath some other ingredients that are typically used at about a 1 to 2% concentration. But they're not just relying on the THD, it's actually a blend of different antioxidants, so it's a little bit less of a vitamin C specific serum and more of an antioxidant defense serum. I do love the packaging, I love that it comes in an airless pump, because it's preventing that process of oxidation, it's protecting that formulation over time. It's not the most sustainable pump, it has metallic accents, but I do really love that it's protecting the stability of that formulation over time. This one retails for, I want to say it's like $160, $165 for 30 mLs, so again it's on the pricey side, but it's an excellent option that many of my patients love."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.72M subs

✓Mixed

"Skin Better Science has their Alto defense serum, it's the red one. I have the blue one. It has tetrahexaldate and vitamin E but it's 200 bucks. I use it twice a day and it's also my moisturizer. I use four drops of this all over my face, extra for under my eyes. If you have a lot on your chest you can use it on your chest as well."

Dr Alexis Stephens

581k subs

✓Yay

"Some of the products that I really love and use in my everyday routine are the SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum. This is a powerhouse of an antioxidant serum. It actually has 19 antioxidants in there. THD is just one of them. This product is beautiful but expensive."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

720k subs

✓Yay

"Skin Better Science Alto, this one has 19 antioxidants so great. My patients love it actually. I carry this in my office just because it's so awesome."