While I like to keep my skincare routine simple, there are certain ingredients that are non-negotiable for me when it comes to choosing products—and vitamin C is one of those. Truly, not a morning goes by when I don’t apply vitamin C to my face, and while a vitamin C serum has long been part of my routine, my skin has been so dull and tired-looking this winter that I’ve resorted to supercharging the dose of my favourite radiance booster. Enter: the best vitamin C moisturisers. Yes, I’ve been layering up my daily serum with a brightening cream for the last few months, and I’m amazed at what a difference it’s made to my skin. Renowned for its ability to tackle pigmentation, minimise dark spots, protect skin and boost brightness, since using a vitamin C moisturiser daily, my skin looks so much dewier and even.
But it goes without saying that not all vitamin C moisturisers are created equal. Some are packed with highly potent forms of the active to help shift stubborn discolouration and uneven skin tone, while others are focused more on plumping and protecting tired skin. And that’s before we get into whether you want a thick cream texture or more of a lightweight gel. Whatever your preference, I’ve been testing the best of the best to bring you a list of the best vitamin C moisturisers that are truly worth investing in. Let’s get glowing…
The best vitamin C moisturisers
1. Beauty Pie Superdose Vitamin C Oxygen-boosting Moisturizer
It’s no use bothering with a vitamin C moisturiser if the formulation itself hasn’t been well-considered, and Beauty Pie has considered every single element of this brilliant daily moisturiser. It contains a stabilised vitamin C in a 3% concentration, which means you’re going to reap the protective and brightening benefits of this powerhouse ingredient without risking irritation to your skin. Plus, alongside that, it contains an oxygen-booster to re-energise tired skin and ingredients to lighten hyperpigmentation and restore radiance. It’s a brilliant all-rounder that plays nice with a whole range of skin types and skin concerns.
2. Ole Henriksen C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème
I think that this is possibly the vitamin C moisturiser that I have recommended most frequently during my years as a beauty editor, and that’s quite simply because it leaves skin so incredibly bright and glowy. The peach-tinted cream glides onto skin to instantly boost radiance, even discoloration and leave you looking like you’ve had a weekend break at a spa. I have oily skin and find the gel-cream texture the perfect balance of hydrating without being heavy, but I have friends with drier skin who love this as a daytime moisturiser too. If you’re new to vitamin C, then this is gentle and soothing, yet delivers on glow.
3. Sunday Riley C.E.O. Vitamin C
This is my pick for anyone with dry skin or who’s finding their complexion is getting more dehydrated with age. It’s a deeply nourishing cream with an unctuous texture that offers up skin-brightening vitamin C with antioxidant protection. It’s particularly good for mature skin as it supports your natural collagen production to help skin feel more full, elasticised and radiant. But I think that anyone who loves a decadent daily moisturiser would get on well with this. It’s plump, juicy skin in a pot.
4. The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow-Boosting Moisturiser
I know friends with sensitive skin and rosacea that swear by this high street day cream and I consider it to be a brilliant entry-level vitamin C moisturiser if you’re new to using one. Alongside natural-origin vitamin C, this lightweight cream contains skin-quenching hyaluronic acid and camu camu berry extract—a natural skin brightener and protector. While I wouldn’t say that it gives dramatic results, it does leave skin looking fresh and subtly luminous and so incredibly soft. Plus, the lightweight gel texture feels incredible on the skin as well.
5. Murad Essential-C Overnight Barrier Repair Cream
I’ve already penned a dedicated love letter to this vitamin C cream, which I credit with helping me to look somewhat alive as a mum of two who genuinely never gets a full night’s sleep. It’s formulated as an overnight cream, and the slightly thicker, barrier-protective texture means that as an oily-skinned beauty editor, this is how I tend to use it. However, if you have drier skin, then I think this could work equally well as a daytime cream. The thing I love most about it is that you’re getting a highly potent yet stable form of vitamin C in this moisturiser—THD ascorbate, to be exact—which helps to neutralise the environmental aggressors that your skin may have come into contact with during the day. Plus, there’s a whole host of nourishing ingredients that help to strengthen your skin barrier to improve your skin's health long term. Come morning, my skin always looks plump, even and glowy when I use it. What more could you want?
6. The Inkey List Vitamin B, C and E Moisturiser
If you’re looking for a no-frills vitamin C moisturiser that will hydrate your skin and keep it healthy, then you can’t go wrong with this affordable option from The Inkey List. Of course, there's vitamin C with all its brightening antioxidant benefits, but this cream takes an ensemble approach to skin health with clarifying vitamin B3 (aka niacinamide) and soothing vitamin E. This trio works in harmony to calm, boost radiance, and keep excess oil in check, leaving skin soft, even and protected all day.
7. Medik8 Daily Radiance Vitamin C
If your skin is looking particularly tired after the long winter months, or it just looks a bit congested and dull, then this daily moisturiser uses a 7% concentration of vitamin C to really tackle lacklustre complexions. It has a beautiful, velvety texture that glides onto skin, and the results are almost instant. It boosts radiance, improves luminosity, and takes down any discoloration or greyness in the skin. Plus, it has been formulated with a broad-spectrum SPF 30 so you’re getting the added benefit of some sun protection too—great for the winter months, but in the summer, I’d still be sure to layer on a dedicated sunscreen on top.
8. Antipodes Diem Vitamin C Pigment-Correcting Water Cream
Whether you have hyperpigmentation, discolouration or age spots, this efficacious vitamin C moisturiser will help to not only address existing pigmentation on the skin but also inhibit the production of melanin to stop more from forming via a peptide complex known as Melanostatine™ 5. Alongside that, there’s kakadu plum—a natural source of vitamin C—to brighten, hyaluronic acid to quench thirsty skin, and bakuchiol to even skin tone and plump the surface. It’s brilliant, and the uplifting vanilla pod and mandarin scent makes it a joy to use, too.
