The Ordinary

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%.

Serums

About this product

A vitamin C serum from The Ordinary, formulated as a suspension with 23% vitamin C and 2% hyaluronic acid spheres, designed to brighten the look of skin.

Guru Score

51%

Nay

6 experts · Moderate agreement

What they liked

Silicone base aids stability
No visible white crystals

What they flagged

Gritty, scratchy texture
Burning, stinging sensation

What the gurus are saying

Irritation is the detail these gurus keep coming back to, and the 23% strength is a big reason why. Takes describe grittiness, stinging and burning, and note that a 15% or 20% version may give much the same benefits with far less sensitivity. That means people with sensitive skin may want to skip this one, while the positive takes credit it with brightening and anti-aging results at a lower price than luxury serums.

Synthesized from 6 expert reviews · most recent take October 2026

Type

SerumsDrops & dropper

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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208SkinDoc

2.10M subs

✕Yay

"If you want to try vitamin C, try the Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension. You are getting the same anti-aging and brightening benefits as the expensive luxury serums without the luxury markup."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✕Nay

"It felt like scrubbing sand on your face, almost. That's what it felt like. [...] Then after a minute or two, it just started to burn and tingle, and then irritate. So I washed it off. I tried it one other time after that, same deal. I get that using it in a silicone base is great because it makes it more stable and lasts longer, but if it's unusable, intolerable, and gross, maybe use it in your evening routine, I guess. But that itchiness and things like that was just too much."

Nipun Kapur

412k subs

✕Nay

"23% anything about 20% is not required it's way too irritating so a 23% formula gets a zero from me"

Translated from the guru's original language.

Mad About Skin

731k subs

✕Nay

"You're not going to get a whole lot more in terms of benefits with using one of these versus say a 15 or a 20 strength, but you're going to get an awful lot more sensitivity and irritation. People reaching for products like this with strengths like these are going to conclude that vitamin C just isn't for them. They've reached for a product from a trusted brand and it sensitizes the skin given the redness, peeling, and irritation."

HotandFlashy

1.23M subs

✕Nay

"I didn't find any white crystals on my skin with this so I hope that much more of it was dissolved, and with 23 percent that gives you a chance of [...] getting an effective level even if some doesn't dissolve. But I didn't love this one. The rubbing on this one I felt like it was very gritty and very scratchy. It kind of burned and irritated and stung a lot when I used it, so I haven't really continued to use this one. It's not my favorite."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

151k subs

✕Yay

"One really affordable option I like is the Timeless 20% Vitamin C and E Ferulic Acid Serum. It combines 20% L-ascorbic acid with vitamin E and ferulic acid. L-ascorbic acid is the active form of topical vitamin C with the most established evidence for antioxidant activity and support for uneven tone and visible photodamage."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Frequently asked.

What is The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%?

A vitamin C serum from The Ordinary, formulated as a suspension with 23% vitamin C and 2% hyaluronic acid spheres, designed to brighten the look of skin.

Is The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% worth it?

Mostly no. Only 2 of the 6 gurus who reviewed it approve, which leaves it a Guru Score of 51%.

What is The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%'s Guru Score?

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% holds a Guru Score of 51%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%.

51%

What the gurus are saying.

What the evidence says.

Frequently asked.

What is The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%?

Is The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% worth it?

What is The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%'s Guru Score?

Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.

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