A Beginner's Guide To The Ordinary Vitamin C

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link! This supports me and keeps my blog running.*

This post will share a beginner’s guide to The Ordinary Vitamin C.

If there’s one thing skin care professionals generally agree on, the three essential products you need for healthy skin are Vitamin C, Retinol and Sunscreen.

Every other product aside from your Cleanser and Moisturizer is simply a supplement.

But for many of us, skincare is so much more than functionality. It is also a form of self-care.

This is why nobody should be judged for their extensive skincare routines because skincare is a personal journey at the end of the day.

If there’s one question I get, it is how to choose the best Vitamin C serum.

Currently, The Ordinary has a portfolio of eight Vitamin C serums, which is quite a lot for the average person to navigate.

It also doesn’t help that they’re mostly labelled with their scientific names, making it even more confusing.

So, as always, this post will be breaking down all the Vitamin C serums in the simplest way possible.

But before we go further into the products, let’s get some facts right!

A Beginner's Guide To The Ordinary Vitamin C

Some Facts You Must Know About Vitamin C

The scientific name for pure Vitamin C is Ascorbic Acid, one of the most studied ingredients backed by years of studies and research.
It has three primary functions:
- It helps boost collagen production, which keeps the skin firm and reduces wrinkles.
- As an antioxidant, it protects our skin from oxidative damage caused by free radicals and environmental aggressors such as UV rays and Pollution. This is why using your Vitamin C serums in the morning with SPF is important.
- It helps brighten the skin, including fading hyperpigmentation from acne scars, sun damage and melasma.
Ascorbic Acid is extremely unstable. This means it oxidizes (turns brown, making it less potent and effective) when exposed to light and air. Hence, it has several derivatives. Much research has gone into Ascorbic Acid being formulated in different forms to retain most of its benefits and increase its shelf life.
Vitamin C is very unstable, so your serums’ packaging must be considered. Look out for products in airless tubes, pumps or amber bottles. But a rule of thumb to note is that Vitamin C serums are mostly only good for about three months or less before they turn brown.
It is most effective between 5-15%, except it’s a derivative. Anything higher will likely cause irritation, which might cause hyperpigmentation. It goes without saying that if you have sensitive skin, you should stick to Vitamin C serums under 15%.
It is best combined with two other powerful antioxidants, Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid, to delay oxidation and boost protection against UV rays. Again, Vitamin C is best used during the day with sunscreen.

Vitamin C & Its Conflicts

The Ordinary currently has four Pure Ascorbic Acid serums, including;

As a rule of thumb, Ascorbic Acid is potent and will potentially conflict with any other ingredients from The Ordinary’s range, including Niacinamide, Peptides, Retinol and Exfoliating Acids.

So, you want to use it with your sunscreen in the morning.

The only exception is if they’re formulated together in one product.

As for The Ordinary Serums, they’re best used alone or with complementary products such as Hyaluronic Acid, Alpha Arbutin, Azelaic Acid, etc. and antioxidants such as Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic 3% and Pycnogenol 5%.

As for the derivatives, they include:

The general conflict with Vitamin C derivatives is relatively recent Niacinamide.

This is because about a year ago, DECIEM swore that it was OK to use the derivatives with Niacinamide.

Most people use them together, so it’s mostly fine, as the conflict will probably not cause serious problems.

Aside from the Ethylated Ascorbic Acid, which conflicts with Peptides and EUK 134, you can use the same complementary products and antioxidants listed above with the derivatives.

Here’s the Ordinary Vitamin C Guide For Beginners.

The easiest way to approach these serums is to use them according to their percentages.

After all, Vitamin C is most effective between 5 – 15%. So, you just need to use them in ascending order until your skin has built a tolerance to use the 23% and 30% serums without any irritation whatsoever.

But then, we must consider these serums’ effectiveness for our various skin concerns.

Most people who want to use Vitamin C in their routine fall into three categories:

Those with mature and aging skin trying to boost collagen production.
Those with acne-prone skin dealing with hyperpigmentation.
And finally, those who simply want healthy skin with no concerns.

Regardless of your skin concerns, you can go through all the Vitamin C serums in the range without any issues.

The only difference is the degree of benefits you get from each serum.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into this!

Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%

Best for Antioxidant protection, Skin Brightening, Collagen Production & Hyperpigmentation

I’ve gone through about 2-3 bottles of this product because my skin loves it.

Most of The Ordinary products are single ingredients, but a few like this that combine multiple ingredients are always on my radar.

Suppose you’re struggling with hyperpigmentation from acne scars, sun damage and melasma.

In that case, this should be your go-to Vitamin C serum. 8% Ascorbic Acid is gentle enough to not cause any irritation, and 2% Alpha Arbutin is a perfect complement to brighten and fade dark spots simultaneously.

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%

Best for: Skin Brightening

This product has been out of stock for a couple of years now.

According to DECIEM, it is being updated, so we shall wait and see how that goes. Research shows that this is a stable derivative of Ascorbic Acid.

But unfortunately, it doesn’t entirely absorb into the skin.

While it does convert into Ascorbic Acid, there’s not much data to back its antioxidant capabilities.

In that sense, it has only been proven to brighten the skin and build collagen.

Ascorbyl Glucoside 12%

Best for Antioxidant protection, Skin Brightening & Collagen Production

As a result of the MAP being out of stock forever, my go-to recommendation for beginners without pigmentation concerns is the Ascorbyl Glucoside 12%.

It’s very stable, can penetrate the skin, and provides all three primary benefits of Ascorbic Acid.

So, if you’re looking for an excellent beginner-friendly Vitamin C, this one is for you.

Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15%

Best for; Skin Brightening

While Ethylated Ascorbic Acid penetrates deeper into the skin and converts higher to Ascorbic Acid, there’s still not enough data to fully prove its effectiveness.

It is primarily good for its skin-brightening properties, sprinkled with antioxidants and collagen production. Nevertheless, it is worth trying.

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F

Best for Collagen Production

This is probably the weakest of all the derivatives. It’s not very stable and doesn’t entirely penetrate the skin.

As such, the only available data shows that it might only boost collagen production.

I’ll skip this as it resembles Retinyl Palmitate, the weakest Retinoic Acid.

Vitamin C Suspension 23% + Spheres

Best for Antioxidant protection, Skin Brightening & Collagen Production

I used this product once, and while it is potent and effective, I didn’t use it again.

As a pure Ascorbic Acid, you’ll get all the full benefits, but only if you know how to layer it properly, which is kind of tricky being a suspension.

But I’ve found that layering it on damp skin or over my moisturizer before sunscreen does the trick.

I’m not sure why it is stated to be used in the PM when Ascorbic Acid clearly has the complete antioxidant properties required during the day.

This is also a suspension of the same 100% L’Ascorbic Powder.

100% L’Ascorbic Powder

Best for Antioxidant protection, Skin Brightening & Collagen Production

When this product was released, it became a bit controversial.

It’s bad enough to learn how to combine ingredients, but mixing powders with serums turns us into cosmetic chemists, which we’re not.

Anyway, some people don’t mind it at all. If you also want to try it, mix it with Resveratrol + Ferulic to get the full antioxidant benefits.

If you want to slot it into an existing routine, mix it with Hyaluronic Acid, Amino Acids or Marine Hyaluronics.

Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone

Best for Antioxidant protection, Skin Brightening & Collagen Production

I’m not sure why they think it’s a good idea to release a 30% Vitamin C serum, which is pointless.

The irritation from this product will probably prevent you from using it daily to get the full benefits.

Plus, it has silicone, which many people struggle to layer.

Best Practices For The Ordinary Vitamin C

To avoid piling, use your serums on damp skin,
Use one full dropper of product for your entire face. If you use too much, it will sit on your face and not absorb quickly.
Extend it to your neck and hands if you use too much on your face.
Use the Suspensions after moisturizer to prevent and buffer irritation.
The Suspensions do not replace moisturizers in your routine. Never skip your moisturizer except if you’re using a moisturizing sunscreen.
If any of the Vitamin C serums oxidizes too quickly and you don’t want to throw it away because it is more than half full, add it to your body lotion.
If you don’t remember anything else, don’t forget to use your Vitamin C serum in the morning with SPF.

Finally,

I hope you found this beginner’s guide on The Ordinary Vitamin C useful.

I’ve tried to break it down to the best of my ability for those of us who find it confusing.