Cerave Vitamin C Serum – Review

This post will review the Cerave Vitamin C Serum.

After discovering how ineffective it is for my hyperpigmentation, I’ve mostly sworn off Vitamin C serums.

But every once in a while, I come across a serum that temporarily changes my mind.

Or get my hands on one that has been on my wishlist forever.

The Cerave Vitamin C Serum falls into the latter category.

If you didn’t know, some Cerave products are unavailable here in the U.K. due to regulatory policies.

You can only get them on Amazon or eBay with overinflated prices.

As a massive fan of the Cerave brand, I’ve had to go out of my way to get some of the products that are not available here.

I had planned to stock up on my trip to the U.S. in June. But my plans changed, so I had to go to Greece instead.

To pacify myself about the failed trip, I decided to find a way to import some Cerave products and some other essentials from the U.S.

I usually use IHerb to ship products from the U.S., but their offerings are painfully limited, and they don’t carry Cerave.

So, my next best option was Amazon. I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before.

Of course, Amazon offers international shipping for many products, and Cerave is one of them.

Best believe I placed my order immediately.

While I was worried about the order getting to me as it was my first time making an international order, I was glad it did because I could finally try products on my Amazon U.S. wishlist forever.

I’ve been using Cerave Vitamin C since I got it, and I have some thoughts.

First Impressions of the Cerave Vitamin C Serum

According to Cerave:

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum is formulated with 10% pure vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) to help visibly brighten your complexion and support soft, radiant, and healthy-looking skin.

Our gentle, yet effective lightweight vitamin C serum with three essential ceramides also helps to restore your protective skin barrier, and includes moisturizing hyaluronic acid, and soothing vitamin B₅ (pantothenic acid) to help improve skin hydration.

Plus, MVE technology continually releases moisturizing ingredients for all-day hydration. Suitable for all skin types—including sensitive skin—this antioxidant serum comes in protective packaging to help prevent oxidation and maintain product performance.

Ingredient List & Fragrance

As the packaging says, this product is formulated with 10% Ascorbic Acid, the most effective form of Vitamin C.

Unfortunately, it is also the most unstable, which makes it very hard to formulate.

You should always buy Vitamin C serums from well-established brands because they have the resources to research and develop the most stable and effective products.

Research has shown that Vitamin C is most effective between 5 – 15%, so 10% is a sweet spot with little to no chances of irritation.

Other ingredients in the serum that support the delivery of Ascorbic Acid include:

• Glycerin
• Alcohol
• Panthenol
• 3 Essential Ceramides
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Cholesterol

Also, don’t be scared of the alcohol in the ingredient list. It just helps stabilise the Ascorbic Acid and prevent it from oxidising quickly.

While this product might be fragrance-free, it definitely has a sweet scent which I believe is from pure Ascorbic Acid.

Don’t worry too much about it, as it dissipates after application.

Packaging, Texture & Consistency

Other than the alcohol in the ingredient, the other thing that prevents this serum from oxidising quickly is the packaging.

Vitamin C serums are notorious for turning orange before the end of their shelf life.

So, when brands formulate them in opaque tube packaging such as these, just know that you can exhaust the serum before it oxidises.

To be honest, I prefer this packaging to generic amber bottles.

Another Vitamin C serum in a protective tube packaging is the Japanese Melano CC Concentration Measures Essence.

While the packaging is protective enough, the tip tends to overspill, so you need to be quick when dispensing products to use.

The shelf life is also six months which, ideally, you should exhaust before then if you use it daily.

The product is a lightweight hydrating serum which sinks immediately into the skin on application.

It doesn’t leave a tacky finish. It is also non-greasy and non-sticky.

If your skin is used to the generic Cerave formulas across most of their products, it will most likely also tolerate this, except you’re allergic to Ascorbic Acid.

Pricing & Avalability

This 30ml serum retails for $16 or £27 if you buy it on Amazon UK.

The price is honestly not too bad if you can get it from the US; after all, it is a drugstore product.

But you might get a cheaper pure Ascorbic Acid serum in GDP for less.

Whatever choice you choose, Cerave has a certified store on Amazon that you can purchase from.

Review of the Cerave Vitamin C Serum

In case you didn’t know, Vitamin C serums should always be used in the morning with SPF.

The antioxidants in Ascorbic Acid supercharge the sunscreen to protect against free radicals and environmental aggressors that cause skin damage.

So, if you live in a highly polluted area, you must use Vitamin C & SPF daily.

It goes without saying that I use this serum in the mornings over my hydrating serums with my sunscreen.

It glides super smoothly and sinks immediately into my skin.

I also drag it to my neck to help with uneven skin tone.

So far, the improvements have not been drastic but have been gradual.

I do not have any high expectations, but it is nice to enjoy using a Vitamin C serum.

Ultimately, even if it doesn’t visibly improve my skin, I’m content that my skin is protected against skin damage.

In Conclusions

If you’re looking for an affordable drugstore Vitamin C serum that will not irritate your skin and most likely works across all skin types, you should try this one from Cerave.