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The Ordinary

Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%
Serums

About this product

A vitamin C serum combining 8% ascorbic acid with 2% alpha arbutin, designed to brighten skin and reduce hyperpigmentation and dark spots.

Serums

The Guru Index verdict

74%

Approved

Approved · 74%
4Reviewers
3Approved
0Mixed
1Skip

What the gurus are saying

Gurus overwhelmingly praised this formula as an effective, affordable entry-level vitamin C serum, especially for tackling uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation. The pairing of ascorbic acid with alpha arbutin was consistently called a powerful brightening combo, and the 8% strength was lauded as gentle enough for sensitive skin while still delivering visible results. One reviewer found the waterless formula greasy and slow to absorb. The product has been discontinued, which reviewers expressed disappointment about since many had recommended it as their top Ordinary vitamin C pick.
Synthesized from 4 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Vitamin CFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Propanediol, Ascorbic Acid 8.0%, Alpha-Arbutin 2.0%, Ascorbic Acid, Alpha-Arbutin

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
"That was my favorite vitamin C serum. I used to always talk about it because it had an 8% ascorbic acid, so very gentle, but it also contained alpha arbutin. So, two ingredients that really brighten the skin."
Top Pick: vitamin c serum
All 7 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
5 MOST UNDERRATED ORDINARY SERUMS EVERYONE FORGOT ABOUT (HIDDEN GEMS YOU NEED!)
"That was my favorite vitamin C serum. I used to always talk about it because it had an 8% ascorbic acid, so very gentle, but it also contained alpha arbutin. So, two ingredients that really brighten the skin."
THE ORDINARY'S BEST ANTI-AGING SERUMS | THESE ARE LEGIT AND THEY DO WORK! ACHIEVE MAXIMUM RESULTS!
"This formula has Alpha arbutin at a two percent concentration and this ingredient can help with uneven skin tone. If you have dark spots or post-acne marks, Alpha arbutin is basically like a skin lightener, it helps to break down these areas without irritation. This serum is hands down one of the best vitamin C's from The Ordinary. You can use it every day, twice a day. It sits nice with other skincare products, you can also use this with sunscreen and makeup, there's no issues with pilling and it absorbs nicely into the skin as well. It really is a great formulation. If you can't use any one of the other vitamin C serums or you're just looking for something that really helps with uneven skin tone, I would say go with this one. This one never ever disappoints."
THE ORDINARY'S TOP 3 BEST ANTI-AGING SERUMS | YOU NEED TO TRY THESE STAT! SINCERELY MISS ASH
"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% plus Alpha Arbutin 2% was one formulation that I did enjoy that I did recommend a lot in the past. Unfortunately that serum has now been discontinued so that would be one product that I would have recommended."
DISCONTINUING! THE ORDINARY IS SAYING FAREWELL TO THESE 4 PRODUCTS | STOCK UP BEFORE THEY ARE GONE!
"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% is no longer available. That was one of their vitamin C serums, actually the one that I always recommended here on my channel. It was lovely, and it was actually one of the very first vitamin C serums that I had ever used when I got into skin care. For those that wanted a lower percentage of vitamin C and something that is affordable, I always, always recommended that serum. So it's sad to see that one go."
THE BEST ORDINARY PRODUCTS FOR HYPERPIGMENTATION, DARK SPOTS, REDNESS AND TEXTURED SKIN!
"This is one of the best vitamin C serums from The Ordinary in my opinion. I have tried many vitamin C's from The Ordinary and I always go back to this one in particular because of the two main ingredients. If you have that uneven skin tone, that dull complexion, I hope you are going to love this serum. Ascorbic acid as you know is your purest form of vitamin C and I feel like this is the most effective form of vitamin C as well. It works the quickest compared to vitamin C derivatives. Even though this is at an 8% concentration, this is still going to be beneficial especially with continuous use. But if you are more on that sensitive side and you're someone that can't use higher percentages of vitamin C like the 10, 15 or 20%, then give this serum a try and see how it goes. This is going to brighten your skin."
THE ORDINARY MULTI-ANTIOXIDANT RADIANCE SERUM - DAILY SERUM TO FADE DARK SPOTS & BOOST SKIN RADIANCE
"The Ordinary only had one vitamin C serum that contained ascorbic acid and that was the ascorbic acid 8% plus alpha arbutin 2%. That serum no longer exists, it has now been discontinued, and actually that was one of my all-time favorite vitamin C serums out of the entire vitamin C category. I loved that pure form of vitamin C and I liked the pairing with alpha arbutin because this ingredient helps to brighten the skin and so does the ascorbic acid. I always found this pairing was one of my go-tos when I needed that brightness with my skin, and it truly was one of the best vitamin C serums, actually the best vitamin C serum from The Ordinary."
TOP 7 BEST PERFORMING ORDINARY SKINCARE PRODUCTS - THE ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR ANTI-AGING "REAL RESULTS"
"I used to really enjoy the Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%, but unfortunately that serum has now been discontinued as of last year. That was my vitamin C of choice when it came to The Ordinary and it's the one that I always recommended, but unfortunately we just can't purchase it anymore."
Approved
"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin is around $10 and I love it. It's a very simple formula, very affordable. Alpha arbutin is lightening and brightening, and vitamin C is great for boosting your sunscreen protection and just giving you a brighter complexion. This is the one I started with because it's at 8%, a fairly low percentage entry level vitamin C at a great price."
Approved
"This is the best vitamin C of 2023. It gives you a great mid-strength vitamin C for your skincare routine and pairs alongside the alpha arbutin, which will dial up the results and help fade your hyperpigmentation a little bit quicker. Best thing is it does so in a super gentle way, so it's applicable for almost all skin types."
All 5 takes from Mad About Skin
NEXT LEVEL VITAMIN C SERUMS - Maximum Glow Pairings
"Alpha Arbutin is really gentle pigment corrector to use alongside your vitamin C. I would always just recommend The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%. It's like eight or nine pounds so affordable, ridiculously cheap. I'd say if you're using a standalone vitamin C serum switch to this, which has lots of extra hyperpigmentation fighting, which just kicks it up a notch, elevates it. Great, great for hyperpigmentation."
BEST THE ORDINARY SERUMS FOR WRINKLES - Top 5 Anti-Aging Skincare
"If your skin can tolerate it, reach for the ascorbic acid and alpha arbutin option. That's because the ascorbic acid will start to fade that hyperpigmentation, give you some great antioxidant protection, and the alpha arbutin is one of the most effective pigment-reducing ingredients in skincare. So it's like a double whammy. Not everybody can tolerate this though, ascorbic acid can be sensitizing on the skin. For years I've used the vitamin C derivative because my skin is fairly sensitive to ascorbic acid, but I found with this one a couple of times a week my skin can absolutely tolerate it."
NEXT LEVEL ANTI-AGING Morning Routine - Winter Edition (GRWM)
"The ascorbic acid 8% plus alpha arbutin 2%, this is going to be my vitamin C and I love this for a number of reasons. In winter I tend to go for a lower strength vitamin C just because I'm minimizing irritation and inflammation in the skin. I found that 8% just works the best for me. Some people might still want to maintain a 15 or a 20% and that's fine, but in winter I find my skin is a little bit more redness prone and irritation prone, so the 8% is just great. And that alpha arbutin will work beautifully with my vitamin C acid to just help fight and fade any hyperpigmentation. My pigmentation has gotten so much better this year. I used to have an awful lot on the cheeks, I've still got a little bit but it's really faded. I used to have quite a lot on the forehead, again a lot less than it used to be. My skin tone is much more even now than at the same point last year."
THE ORDINARY VITAMIN C DISCONTINUED - What You Need To Know
"This is the best vitamin C of 2023. It gives you a great mid-strength vitamin C for your skincare routine and pairs alongside the alpha arbutin, which will dial up the results and help fade your hyperpigmentation a little bit quicker. Best thing is it does so in a super gentle way, so it's applicable for almost all skin types."
THE ORDINARY VITAMIN C DISCONTINUED - What You Need To Know
"I declared this to be the best vitamin C of 2023 and I stand by that. It gives you a great mid-strength vitamin C for your skincare routine and pairs alongside the alpha arbutin which will dial up the results and help fade your hyperpigmentation that little bit quicker. Best thing is it does so in a super gentle way so it's applicable for almost all skin types."
Skip
"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% retails for twelve dollars. This was also a waterless formula so this one is pretty greasy it takes a long time to absorb it's not my favorite. I think that's the problem with some of the Ordinary products is they're very affordable but they're not very fun to apply and use because texture is an issue or sometimes the absorption's an issue or sometimes they're pilling and things like that. But this one is in my opinion very similar in a lot of ways to the one from Pharmacy with the exception of the fragrance and it's much more affordable."
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