The Ordinary

The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F.

Q: Is The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F worth it?

Yes. All 4 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 88%.

Q: What is The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F is good for dark spots and post-acne marks (1 expert).

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About this product

A lightweight oil-based serum from The Ordinary that contains 20% ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, a stabilized vitamin C derivative, in a base with vitamin F, designed to give antioxidant support and help even skin tone.

Guru Score

88%

Yay

4 experts · Moderate agreement

What the gurus are saying

Skin that sulks at pure vitamin C is who this lightweight, oil-based derivative keeps getting recommended to. The gurus who weighed in praise it as a gentle starter that fades dark spots, adds hydration from the vitamin F and layers neatly under sunscreen. It works slowly, so patience pays off, and it's suggested alongside a retinoid in the evening for a second dose of vitamin C.

Synthesized from 4 expert reviews · most recent take January 2026

What they liked

Budget-friendly
Lightweight texture
Good for sensitive skin

What they flagged

Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

Type

Oil

Where to buy

Sephora → Ulta → 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.

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Mad About Skin

733k subs

✓Yay

"If you want a more affordable option, you could use The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F. [...] This is also a really inexpensive derivative that you could slot into your evening skincare routine and it would work the same. [...] The Ordinary one is also super amazing."

Top Pick: vitamin c derivative

All 15 takes from Mad About Skin

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"If you want to go for something more inexpensive, this is The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F. Also really good. [...] Vitamin C derivative used alongside your retinoid will allow you to get that double dose daily of vitamin C and your glow game will go through the roof and you'll see that fading of hyperpigmentation, dark spots and discoloration."

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"These are phenomenal, there's so many on the market. One of my favorites is from The Ordinary with their Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution. This is a really potent vitamin C derivative that's so much more gentle than pure L-ascorbic acid but in the long term you'll still get really great results when it comes to fading hyperpigmentation and boosting the radiance and glow of the skin."

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"If you want a really cheap and inexpensive vitamin C derivative, this is The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F. [...] This super inexpensive, works really well, and if you use this on an evening alongside your retinoid of choice, you will actually get some additional benefit when it comes to fading hyperpigmentation, increasing glow game without triggering an increase in sensitivity."

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"You can absolutely use vitamin C derivatives alongside it and you can use retinal, so retinal is my preferred form of retinoid because it's less sensitizing and you get better results than retinol and you can absolutely use these together with your copper peptides. I've chosen oil-based ones because again I find that that's going to work best with that lipid-based copper peptide."

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"This is my winter skincare essential. My skin becomes a little bit more dryness prone, a little bit more irritation prone in the cooler months, and reaching for higher potency ascorbic acid, which is vitamin C in its pure form, is just too much. So I tend to switch to this. That vitamin F is beautifully hydrating, adds some extra antioxidant power to it, and this is like the best winter vitamin C you'll ever find."

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"The Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F is a really great vitamin C derivative. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant so it protects the skin, and we can definitely improve discoloration by using an effective vitamin C serum."

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"If you have super sensitive skin, go for this. I think of all the vitamin C derivatives I've tried, I think this is the best. It's certainly the cheapest. It's just really, really nice. If you're new to vitamin C, try with this first because some vitamin C's in their pure form can be a little sensitizing. This I just absolutely love. And for me, yeah, just something really, really, really special. [...] It's great for beginners to vitamin C and people that are looking for a super gentle option."

ULTIMATE DARK SPOT TRIO - Best The Ordinary Serums For Hyperpigmentation

"Why this is so special is not only is my favorite form of vitamin C derivative but it's also paired with vitamin F which is hydrating and a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants protect the skin from oxidative stress and oxidative stress is actually one of the key triggers along with inflammation in the skin for hyperpigmentation in the first place so this treats by fading hyperpigmentation evening out the skin skin tone but it also prevents too."

HYPERPIGMENTATION - 5 Hacks To Fade Dark Spots FAST

"This is the Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution from The Ordinary. It has a ridiculously long name, so don't worry I have linked this down in the description box below if you want to check it out, but this is a wonderful vitamin C derivative that will double down your vitamin C game without triggering much sensitivity or irritation. It's absolutely fine to use vitamin C twice a day for the best results. Just make sure at least one of those applications is a gentle vitamin C derivative."

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"They generally will take a little bit longer to work so you might have to have some patience but they're super gentle on the skin. My favorite is The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F. This is a great vitamin C derivative which is super gentle but in the long term will definitely help you boost the levels of collagen production and also gives you a nice level of hydration with that Vitamin F."

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"This is my personal favorite, The Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F. [...] It's a high potency and high strength vitamin C derivative and it's also got extra hydrators in here too, so cooler winter months where our skin is going through it, it's a little bit more dryness prone, this could be a great addition to your skincare routine to increase your glow game, boost your hydration."

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"This for me is the best of the vitamin C options from the ordinary. I absolutely love it. [...] I do think you have to have a little patience because it takes longer to see the results with a vitamin C derivative, but skincare is a marathon it's not a sprint. Invest in this, keep using it consistently and you'll get great great results. Glowing to the gods, fading that hyperpigmentation. You will, it's so so good."

ULTIMATE HYPERPIGMENTATION ROUTINE - 80% Dark Spot Reduction

"This is a vitamin C derivative so more gentle. Whichever you go for you'll get great results, but if you want to go for a more gentle option, you know you're very sensitive to vitamin C, then I would recommend this. It's the ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F. This is a vitamin C derivative so more gentle."

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"If you cannot handle pure vitamin C, go for The Ordinary ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, which is the best vitamin C derivative there is, I love it."

The Budget Dermatologist

724k subs

✓Yay

"There's another option out there that is far less money that also has the Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate ingredient in it at an even higher percentage, 20%, from The Ordinary. It's also in an oil formulation. You can try that one out instead if that's better for your budget."

Dr. Somji Skin

361k subs

✓Yay

"I recommend The Ordinary's Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, which from what I see is 20%. A lot of patients like that because it's something that can sit on the shelf for a long period of time. If you don't quite need Vitamin C but you just need that little bit of boost every now and again, it can be added into your regime really easily. I like this product. It can be mixed with some of the hyaluronic acid serums for added effect as well."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✓Yay

"This first one is from The Ordinary. This is a really great budget one. This is the Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F, and this is great because this is a stabilized form of vitamin C. This is really lightweight on the skin, so if you're trying to apply this right before you go out each day, it's a really good option and it also pairs very well underneath a sunscreen."