15 Organic Vitamin C Serums For Bright, Glowing Skin
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THE BEST ORGANIC VITAMIN C SERUMS
No matter their skin type or age, many women see vitamin C serums as a must-have in their everyday skincare routines. Indeed, these serums provide many health benefits to the skin and are seen as some of the best products for pro-aging support.
Packed with antioxidants, they help reduce redness and hyperpigmentation, brighten our skin, improve collagen and elastin production, and protect against free radicals that cause oxidative damage. They also hydrate the skin and boost our skin’s healing time.
Unfortunately, these potent treatments are often formulated with toxic chemicals we do not want to be in contact with. So if we want healthy skin without sacrificing our overall health, choosing a non-toxic, organic option is our best bet.
In this article, we share with you 15 organic vitamin C serums for bright, glowing skin!
WHY SHOULD WE OPT FOR AN ORGANIC VITAMIN C SERUM?
There are many reasons why we should opt for an organic vitamin C serum as opposed to its conventional counterparts.
Organic serums are formulated with healthier ingredients that are produced using organic farming practices. This means they are grown without harmful synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. Organic farming reduces soil and water pollution and helps preserve ecosystems and biodiversity.
An organic serum is also a much healthier option for us because it is made without potentially harmful chemicals such as parabens, toxic fragrances, phthalates, silicones, or sulfates.
What’s more, it is usually made using sustainable practices and sold in eco-friendly packaging. It is also a more ethical option because these brands usually support fair labor practices and workers in the supply chain are not exposed to toxic chemicals.
Last but not least, organic vitamin C serums are often the best in terms of purity and quality!
WHAT NON-TOXIC INGREDIENTS SHOULD YOU SEARCH FOR?
Make sure to buy a vitamin C serum that is not formulated with harmful ingredients such as those mentioned earlier. Instead, opt for products made with non-toxic, organic ingredients.
To guarantee the ingredients are grown organically, look for products that are certified organic by USDA or Ecocert. You can also look for EWG Verified products or ones that contain only 100% natural ingredients.
Most of the serums mentioned in this article are formulated with sustainably sourced, plant-based ingredients such as organic aloe vera juice, plant extracts, or natural oils. You will also find many options that are both vegan and certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny.
OUR TOP PICKS FOR ORGANIC VITAMIN C SERUMS
1. Cocokind
Price: $22
Cocokind’s vitamin C serum features a stable formula that helps firm, brighten, and defend the skin against environmental stressors.
Made with ascorbyl glucoside, it will boost your collagen production and even your skin tone.
This ingredient is paired with azelaic acid to refine the skin texture and sodium hyaluronate to plump the skin with hydration and soften it over time.
You will also find organic aloe vera leaf juice and sustainably harvested sea grape caviar extract, which is a nutrient-rich algae that improves water retention.
Unlike most other brands on the market, Cocokind transparently shares the carbon emissions generated by each of its products. Its vitamin C serum is made in California and comes packaged in a glass bottle and an FSC-certified box.
2. Glitz Soap Co.
Price: $27
This Vitamin C Brightening Serum helps to protect against free radicals and is an excellent addition to your morning skincare routine - after a toner and before your moisturizer! This Vitamin C (10%) serum is mixed with Ferulic Acid to improve skin tone and texture, along with four types of Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate and lock in moisture.
Pair this with their Green Tea + Rose Hydrosol Toner & Kelp + Cucumber Hydrating Face Cream!
Glitz Soap Co is a Pennsylvania-based bath and beauty brand on a mission to help you indulge in bubbly and eco-conscious personal care rituals.
3. Andalou Naturals
Price: $29
Infused with a nourishing blend of natural ingredients for antioxidant protection, this Vitamin C Serum will help target uneven skin tone and dark spots and combat signs of aging.
This gluten-free formula combines key ingredients such as turmeric, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate vitamin C, heirloom apple, and grape stem cells. Many of them are certified organic and/or fair trade, and they are all 100% non-GMO, vegan, and cruelty-free.
The brand packages its products using BPA-free, recyclable bottles. It also donates a portion of its yearly proceeds to different nonprofit organizations promoting women's and girls’ empowerment and education like Vital Voices and SHE-CAN!
4. The Organic Skin Co.
Price: $35
The Organic Skin Co. is an organic beauty brand offering a vegan vitamin C face serum. Its “Vitamin Sea” serum is formulated to help manage aging, replenish collagen, and rejuvenate the skin.
It is made with 88% certified organic ingredients, including New Zealand native red seaweed and black fern. Packed with antioxidants, it will help guard the skin against external elements!
The brand’s serum is also produced using supercritical CO2 extraction technology, which means it contains purer and more concentrated plant extracts compared to its conventional counterparts. This extraction method is also more sustainable as it is certified organic and produces zero waste!
The Vitamin Sea serum smells like honeysuckle with some citrus highlights, and it is packaged in a beautiful glass bottle with a bamboo lid and a compostable box. The Organic Skin Co. also plants a tree for every purchase.
5. Ursa Major
Price: $56
Ursa Major is a vegan and cruelty-free brand selling skincare products made with clean ingredients.
Its Brighten Up Vitamin C Serum is a lightweight, layerable brightening treatment that contains a potent and long-lasting form of vitamin C. It is designed to target hyperpigmentation, even out skin tone, lighten dark spots, and give dull skin an extra boost of radiance.
The serum is formulated with ascorbic acid polypeptide, aloe vera, rosehip seed extract, edelweiss, rose oil, and aspen bark. It smells like freshly squeezed citrus topped with herbaceous rosehip and a hint of sour rose.
Some of its ingredients are certified organic, and it does not contain any petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, or other toxic substances.
Not to mention the brand is a certified B Corporation and a Plastic Negative company as it removes two plastic bottles from the environment for every bottle it sells!
6. 100% PURE
Price: $58
100% PURE is committed to creating only pure, non-toxic beauty products that are completely free of harmful chemicals. Its lightweight vitamin C serum helps firm and brighten the skin tone while boosting elastin and collagen production. It will also deeply hydrate and soothe your skin thanks to its organic aloe vera gel base. The formula is also made with radiance-boosting grape and green apple, and alpha lipoic acid for fighting oxidative damage.
This serum is gluten-free, vegan, and cruelty-free, and can be used on all skin types.
100% PURE uses a stabilized form of vitamin C to ensure the product has a longer shelf life.
What’s more, for every order, the brand either donates the cost of a tree to the charity Trees For The Future or a bowl of vegan dog food to local shelter dogs! You get to choose which at checkout.
7. Oil Divine
Price: $58
Clean beauty brand Oil Divine has a dark spot corrector that contains 15% oil-soluble vitamin C. This serum is designed to address hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and post-acne marks while supporting a healthy skin barrier. It also prevents signs of aging and boosts collagen production.
This vitamin C serum is infused with papaya oil, lemon oil, castor oil, turmeric oil, and rosehip oil and also contains vitamin E.
89% of the ingredients are organic, and the formula is all-natural, vegan, and cruelty-free.
It is made in the USA without toxic chemicals such as petroleum-based ingredients, GMOs, parabens, sulfates, artificial fragrances, and more.
Oil Divine’s vitamin C serum is suitable for all skin types and has a refreshing turmeric and lemon aroma!
8. Herbivore Botanicals
Price: $65
Herbivore Botanicals sells clean, plant-based skincare products that are made with the planet in mind. Its NOVA vitamin C serum is a potent brightening formula combining 15% THD vitamin C with turmeric, an organic super root packed with antioxidants.
This product visibly improves dark spots and hyperpigmentation and evens the skin tone while being gentle even on the most sensitive skin.
It also contains arbutin naturally derived from bearberries, which helps with discoloration and tightens the look of pores.
The serum has a ginger-like smell and a silky, creamy texture. All-natural, it is made without added fragrances, synthetic ingredients, or other toxic chemicals.
Herbivore Botanicals’ products are also 100% vegan and certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny.
9. Juice Beauty
Price: $65
Juice Beauty is a sustainable beauty brand offering skincare and plant-based makeup products formulated with USDA-certified organic ingredients. Its vitamin C serum contains 20% active vitamin C to help protect the skin from oxidative damage and correct blemishes, age spots, and hyperpigmentation.
Packed with antioxidants, the formula will also help smooth your complexion and fight against daily stressors while providing hydration.
The serum is also formulated with hyaluronic acid, organic aloe vera leaf juice, and vitamin E. It is also 100% vegan and certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny, and the brand sources some of its organic ingredients from its own organic farm based in California!
Plus, Juice Beauty uses sustainable packaging as its serum comes packaged in a glass bottle and an FSC-certified box.
10. KORA Organics
Price: $75
KORA Organics offers an antioxidant-rich vitamin C serum made to improve your skin tone and protect it from environmental damage.
It is powered by some of the richest natural sources of vitamin C, including ascorbyl glucoside, Kakadu plum, and acerola cherry. This gentle formula is also blended with hyaluronic acid to help lock in moisture. The ingredients are gluten-free and non-GMO and 70% of them are also certified organic by ECOCERT Greenlife.
The formula is cruelty-free and packaged in a bottle with an airless pump so that you can get every last drop.
The brand is also Climate-Neutral certified and its serum won the Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2019! Not to mention KORA Organics has implemented different sustainable harvesting practices, resulting in less waste and no harmful chemicals.
11. Maya Chia
Price: $110
Maya Chia creates non-toxic skincare from chia seed oil and other superfoods that support skin health.
Its Super Lift vitamin C serum is a concentrated formula that deploys different types of shelf-stable vitamin C.
Not only will it brighten your skin tone, but it will also smooth the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles & act as a primer to help your makeup last longer.
Many of its ingredients are either wildcrafted or certified organic, and it does not contain any parabens, synthetic fragrances, PEGs, SLSs, or phthalates.
This serum was even named the “best ferulic acid serum” by Allure and one of the “best serums for skin over 50” by New Beauty!
Maya Chia is also the corporate sponsor of a nonprofit that provides children and families in Guatemala with education and training so that they can improve their economic condition.
12. Fleur & Bee
Price: $38
Fleur & Bee is a vegan, cruelty-free skincare brand selling a vitamin C serum that will brighten and even your skin tone.
It will also diminish the look of wrinkles and dark spots and promote collagen production.
Its formula is packed with powerful yet gentle antioxidants and contains key ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and squalane.
Some of its ingredients are organic, and the serum is free of toxic substances such as parabens, artificial fragrances, sulfates, and silicones.
We also like that the serum comes in a recyclable glass bottle and the packaging boxes are made from recycled, FSC-certified paper.
Not only that but Fleur & Bee also offers carbon-neutral shipping and produces its products using 100% renewable energy. It even donates 1% of its sales to a nonprofit providing menstrual care and education to women in need!
13. Josh Rosebrook
Price: $65
Josh Rosebrook’s C Complex Serum is designed to fortify and renew the skin’s surface and help offset damage from UV light. The fast absorption formula also improves and brightens the skin tone and increases its luminosity.
It is made with two stabilized and biomimetic vitamin C complexes and various natural and organic ingredients such as aloe vera leaf juice, tamanu oil, avocado oil, and licorice root. It also contains vitamin E, ferulic acid, & azelaic acid.
The brand’s serum features a lightweight, non-sticky texture and a soft citrus scent. The ingredients are cruelty-free, biodegradable, fair trade, and produced using sustainable practices.
14. One Love Organics
Price: $75
One Love Organics has a cruelty-free, vitamin C facial serum that deeply hydrates the skin, leaving it supple, soft, and dewy.
You can use it on all skin types, but especially if you have dry or sensitive skin.
Its plant-based formula uses two potent sources of vitamin C, which are a vitamin C ester and a plant-powered C complex of rosehip, acerola, baobab, and sea buckthorn oils.
The brand also combines vitamin E with green tea to naturally boost their effectiveness and adds a botanical extract of hops to increase luminosity and nourish the skin.
The serum does not contain any synthetic fragrances and is certified natural and organic by ECOCERT. One Love Organics also makes everything in small batches.
15. Eminence Organic Skin Care
Price: $118
Eminence Organic Skin Care creates USDA-certified organic skincare products and cosmetics using sustainable practices. It has a lightweight vitamin C serum that helps any skin type appear bright, firm, and plumped. It also improves the appearance of dry, red skin and reduces any visible signs of aging. The brand combines a stabilized form of vitamin C with botanical ferulic acid, vitamin E, citrus fruit oils, leafy greens, avocado, and botanical hyaluronic acid.
This potent serum won different awards, including the Aestheticians’ Choice Awards (by Dermascope) in 2016 and 2020 and the Natural Beauty Awards (by Nature & Health) in 2016.
Eminence Organic Skin Care is also B Corp certified and cruelty-free, plants a tree for every product sold, and regularly supports different nonprofit organizations!
About the Author
Eva Astoul is a French freelance writer, specializing in content related to sustainability, simple living, and a growth-focused healthy lifestyle.
She runs her own blog, Green With Less, to inspire people to live a more minimalist and sustainable life.
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