Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%.

"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."

"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 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."

"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."

"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 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."

"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."

"I also got a vitamin C serum from The Ordinary, which is water-based. It's super light. This is just a nice water-based vitamin C serum to add in. Vitamin C typically makes your sunscreen work better, it helps protect your skin from free radical damaging antioxidants. So using that, I would wash your face, cleanse it or wipe it off, put that on first, then a moisturizer, and then sunscreen."

"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."

"Something from like the ordinary"

"If you're using The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%, don't use another vitamin C on top of it, there'll be too much on your skin. Or just get the alpha arbutin separate and then use the other vitamin C. It'll be very drying otherwise."

"You can opt for brands like Inkey List or The Ordinary, or whatever fits your budget."

"When we talk about oxidized vitamin C, people say why is it important to have fresh vitamin C? Well, because if the vitamin C is oxidized it's going to be less effective. If you look at this, this is The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8%, can you see that coloration there? This is slightly oxidized, this isn't even properly oxidized, it's just on the turn. The less oxidized the more performance."

"If you use this consistently it'll fade your hyperpigmentation, give you some great antioxidant protection and boost your radiance and luminosity with a lot less side effects than say a 20 or 30% vitamin C. This is the Holy Grail. The one thing I say is don't stock up on this, buy a couple of bottles max because with all vitamin C's it will oxidize quickly so the shelf life on this is 6 months. I would say buy two maximum even with that sale on because I'd hate for you to have to use oxidized product which isn't going to give you the best results. It's just a great staple vitamin C that everyone can use."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"If you can't get your hands on the Boots ingredient vitamin C which is my favorite in this category you could try The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%. It's not stabilized the way that the Boots version is but still because they could create it in such high volumes you get it really fresh and so I still find that this has roughly a six month shelf life on it too. Both amazing products in that low strength category that'll get you great results minimum irritation."

"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."

"It's really affordable and it's a great allrounder, and even if you don't have acne or post acne hyperpigmentation it's a great one to just slot into your routine. It's hydrating, it's calming, it's soothing, and if you're on a hyperpigmentation journey whatever the cause of that, this is a real inexpensive serum to slot in and I think you'll get like 10 to 20% more benefit alongside your existing hyperpigmentation routine. It seems simplistic with aloe and niacinamide, there's not a whole lot going on in here, but there doesn't need to be when you formulate with high quality potent actives. You don't need a whole lot of filler and I definitely think this is one of the best recent launches from the ordinary and worthy of that number one position. I've never been without it in the past 12 months in my skincare routine."

"You can start introducing vitamin C in the AM because that's going to help with the skin barrier. It's also going to help with your inflammation, it's going to reduce inflammation, and it's also going to help almost as an antioxidant for your skin, because if you imagine if you have rosacea that's untreated, the skin is essentially bare, it's open, and pollutants and everything like that sort of damage the skin. So introducing a vitamin C is a very good step."

"If you've got pigmentation that's a little bit more apparent or a little bit more severe then you can use the Ascorbic Acid 8% and Alpha Arbutin 2% so it's double the strength but also it's mixed with vitamin C. We know that vitamin C is fantastic for pigmentation too because it's got some effect on tyrosine as well. Now if you combine the two you're going to get more of an effect. Now if you've got sensitive skin I'd probably start with that 2%, but if you've got skin that's not so sensitive and you only want to rapidly get rid of that pigmentation you can go up to that 2% mix with the 8% Ascorbic Acid."

"You've got some good [...] vitamin C formulations from The Ordinary as well."

"Today I have all Dermatology skincare on, except for the vitamin C formula, because I was out of vitamin C, so I used The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% instead."

"I actually started off with 5% ascorbic acid from Curology and then I moved on to 8% L-ascorbic acid from The Ordinary with Alpha Arbutin. This is a beautiful classic gold standard vitamin C formula, 8%, and it's in an anhydrous, water-free formula. Even though it doesn't contain oil, it does feel a little bit slippery on the skin, so if you have oily skin you're probably not going to like this formula. You're going to want to go for a more water-type formula. But if you have dry skin and you're quite sensitive and you wanted to try L-ascorbic acid vitamin C, this is a lovely formula, but it does sit a little bit heavier on the skin. You might want to put it into your evening skincare routine. The type of stabilization that they have for this means that it won't break down. Vitamin C is known to break down in sunlight, so make sure you keep this in the cupboard or in the fridge until you open it, because vitamin C breaks down once it's no longer clear like this. You want to make sure that you get rid of it. This formula is fantastic. It has both the Alpha Arbutin at 2%, which is lightning and brightening, and the L-ascorbic acid at 8%, really great for sensitive skin and dry skin. It would be perfect for a winter skincare routine because my skin gets a little bit more irritated in winter and I usually have to back off my 15% L-ascorbic acid because my skin gets a little fussy."

"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."

"This is my first and favorite one, this is ascorbic acid and alpha arbutin, and this is only $10 but it works like a $200 option. This one actually has fragrance and I don't recommend this for a lot of people because their skin can't handle fragrance, but you mentioned that you love it. This is also a slightly different texture. This one's a little bit more like a cream, very fresh, and very very lightweight on the skin."

"The Ascorbic Acid 8% and Alpha Arbutin 2% is one of my go-tos. I love this. Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, vitamin C is brightening, it's an antioxidant, it's wonderful for the skin and can help with pigmentation, and this has it at 8%. Alpha Arbutin is wonderful, it's related to hydroquinone, and can turn itself into hydroquinone. It's only at 2%, so it's safe to use over the counter. This serum is absolutely wonderful if you're looking to brighten the skin, if you do have little areas of uneven skin tone or color, especially if you have any of those little dark marks left behind from hyperpigmentation. As a bonus it's kind of an oily texture so you can use this during the day or at night."

"One of my favorites is The Ordinary. It has ascorbic acid and alpha arbutin together, so it has vitamin C and alpha arbutin combined. This is a very oily serum, but this is wonderful for anyone who's struggling with pigment. You can even put this around the eye area if you do have some dark under-eye puffiness because this is non-exfoliating."

"The Ordinary and The Inky List also have some vitamin C."

"Ascorbic acid is basically vitamin C. Alpha arbutin is related to hydroquinone. Both of these ingredients are two of the best things that you can use to stop hyperpigmentation. It actually stops the pathway in which this pigmentation is created. I've used and loved this so much. This is an absolute favorite. It works well. It doesn't sting or irritate the skin from my experience, and for most people who are struggling with hyperpigmentation and looking for something that is inexpensive, this is something that I just keep recommending over and over and over. It works. It's super easy to layer underneath a sunscreen. This plays really well under sunscreens. This plays well in a night routine. It's kind of got this like light oil feeling, but it doesn't like overly grease the skin down."

"Some brands like The Ordinary actually have packaging that is UV protective, so kind of like that dark glass."