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3 Best Korean Vitamin C Serum in 2023 [Ranked & Reviewed]

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Best Korean Vitamin C Serum

[amazon table=”3692″]

We all know that taking in enough vitamin C is hugely important, and can be done fairly simply through a glass of orange juice or a supplement.

However, did you know that vitamin C can restore the natural beauty of the skin too?

In fact, vitamin C serums, especially those that fall into Korean skincare, are very popular and are used by many to keep the skin glowing and full of vitality.

Here are our top picks…

👑 Our Pick for Best Overall

[amazon box=”B07C3Y1QD8″ title=”Wishtrend Pure Vitamin C” description=”If you’re looking for healthier, firmer skin then you could benefit from using Wishtrend’s pure vitamin C serum. The serum has been designed with the optimal dose of ascorbic acid which can be quickly absorbed into the skin for fast results.”]

Our Other Top Picks for Korean Vitamin C Serum

Best Korean Vitamin C Serum Reviews

Wishtrend Pure Vitamin C (👑 Best of the Best)

The best Korean vitamin C serum in our view is Wishtrend’s Pure Vitamin C.

As a brand, Wishtrend is committed to producing high-quality skincare products that deliver excellent results. Its vitamin C serum is no exception and is praised by many as one of the best ways to promote clear and healthy skin. More specifically, this vitamin C serum from Wishtrend is designed to help those who have rough skin and/or suffer from discoloration. This is the serum that can inject life and color back into the skin, and help make it look its best day in and day out. 

One of the serum’s biggest strengths is its concentration of the only ingredient that matters: vitamin C. While other skin care products will offer a diluted concentration of vitamin C, Wishtrend ensures that its serum is full of the good stuff. There is 21.5% of highly concentrated ascorbic acid to be precise, which exceeds the recommendation of 10-20%. It’s at the upper limit of what the skin can absorb (22%), which means the brand has maximized the potential benefit without reducing effectiveness. This is what makes it a powerful remedy for discoloration and rough skin, since it delivers a high dose of vitamin C, which is necessary to see a positive change in the skin. 

With this serum, you’ll also notice that it’s very pleasant to use on the skin. Unlike so many other products in the same category, this serum is non-sticky, light, and fast-absorbing. You should notice not long after application that your skin starts to feel and look more firm, bright, and with fewer blemishes and dark spots. This Korean best seller can also boost collagen levels in the skin, which is vital for fighting the signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.

In addition to the high concentration of vitamin C, this serum from Wishtrend also provides 70% sea buckthorn water, which will work with the vitamin C for better results. Sea buckthorn water is known in the skincare industry for enhancing the benefits of vitamin C, so it should help promote healthier skin. There is also sodium hyaluronate and panthenol in the serum, which are both said to exfoliate rough skin and make it smoother.

A few more reasons to invest in this serum include the fact that it’s cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, and works for all skin types.

Features:

  •  21.5% ascorbic acid
  •  70% sea buckthorn water 
  •  Cruelty-free
  •  Vegan-friendly
  •  Works for all skin types
  •  Includes 10 essential ingredients

SKIN FOOD Peach Sake (🥈 Runner Up)

Our runner up pick for the best Korean vitamin C serum goes to the delightfully-named Peach Sake serum from SKIN FOOD.

This is a serum that gives itself away as a Korean skincare product with the unexpected ingredient of peach sake. SKIN FOOD takes this traditional Japanese ingredient and infuses it with a range of extracts in order to deliver a solid dosage of vitamins A and C. This allows you to ‘stay peachy’ in the words of the brand and have smooth and soft skin. The brand itself has a stellar reputation in the world of Korean skincare, so know that your skin is in safe hands with its serum.

The main goal of this serum is to take care of enlarged pores and clear out excessive sebum which is naturally produced by the skin. By doing so, the skin will be much softer and smooth as a result, and the effects should last all day long. This makes the serum an excellent choice for anyone who suffers from oily or acne-prone skin, which can be hard to deal with given that a lot of skincare products won’t cater specifically to these more sensitive skin types.

The composition of the serum is intriguing, as it makes the most of the popular Japanese rice wine, but also mixes in peach extracts. The vitamin C comes largely from the peach extracts, which should be enough to brighten up the skin and work to remove some of the scars that acne causes. By absorbing excess sebum oil produced by the skin, the serum will also help to prevent further breakouts of acne. The ingredient largely responsible for this is the added silica powder.

All in all, this serum is a weird and wonderful take on the traditional vitamin c serum, which combines peach and sake to great effect. If you’re looking for a well-rounded serum that includes vitamin A as well as C, then you needn’t look further. The serum has received praise from many of its customers, which should tell you all you need to know about its effectiveness in contributing to smooth and healthy skin.

Features:

  •  Mixes sake rice wine and peach extract
  •  Contains vitamins A and C 
  •  Includes silica powder 
  •  Suitable for all skin types
[amazon box=”B004S3M2V0″ title=”SKIN FOOD Peach Sake” description=”SKIN FOOD’s peach sake serum sums up the Korean approach to skincare: innovative and exciting. If you want your skin to smell like peaches and you want to combat oiliness or acne then this is the serum you need.”]

Goodal Green Tangerine (🍃 Best for Sensitive Skin)

The best vitamin C serum for sensitive skin has to be Goodal’s green tangerine serum, which is another product that lives up to Korean skincare’s high standards.

Just like our runner up pick the peach sake serum, the green tangerine serum of Goodal delivers an unusual ingredient, but one which brings about incredible results for the skin. What makes it such a great skincare product for sensitive skin is the decision to use vitamin C derivatives instead of pure vitamin C. Goodal make a conscious choice to go with derivatives, as opposed to many of the competition serums, in order to deliver a product that is effective but also not as harsh on the skin. Those with sensitive skin might find that a highly concentrated dose of pure vitamin C is too much, and can result in outbreaks, or other forms of irritation.

This serum goes after dark spots specifically, but generally aims to rid the skin of impurities in every form. This applies to blemishes, wrinkles, fine lines, uneven skin tone, and dullness. The manufacturer even claims that you should start to notice results of this in as few as 2 weeks. The way it does this is by going after the innermost layers of the skin, where it can work its magic before the impurities surface. The evidence for its effectiveness has been verified by a consumer panel test that revealed 95% of users felt that their skin was clearer in the space of a couple of weeks.

As for what this magic serum contains, it’s just 70% green tangerine extract which is full of vitamin C derivatives. While this fruit might seem an odd choice, it belongs to the citrus family which is known for being vitamin C rich, and this particular fruit has 10x more vitamin C than their more mature counterparts. This is what explains the choice of green tangerines over the more common orange ones.

Features:

  •  70% green tangerine extract 
  •  Targets impurities in the skin
  •  Suitable for sensitive skin
  •  Uses vitamin C derivatives
[amazon box=”B08B5QRRR7″ title=”Goodal Green Tangerine” description=”Goodal’s green tangerine serum is an incredible Korean skincare product that makes the most of green tangerine’s high concentration of vitamin C to deliver great results for the skin. Relying on vitamin C derivatives instead of pure vitamin C, this serum is much better suited to sensitive skin.”]

Ultimate Guide

When choosing a vitamin C serum, you want to make sure you are getting the one that is best for your skin.

This includes not only factoring in the type of skin you have but also considering what is preventing your skin from looking its best.

There are products for tackling all sorts of imperfections and impurities in the skin, so always make sure the serum you are looking at ticks the right boxes for your personal needs.

Before we get into some specific factors to pay attention to when buying a vitamin C serum, we’re going to briefly overview why you should consider using one, and what makes Korean skincare special.

Why Use a Vitamin C Serum?

While the benefits of vitamin C for your health is well-documented, why you’d want to use a vitamin C serum for the skin isn’t necessarily common knowledge.

Vitamin C serums can have a wide range of benefits for the skin, and generally make it look a lot healthier, firmer, and brighter.

To give you a good idea of what you can expect if you start using one for yourself, here are some of the top benefits it can provide for the skin:

  • Combats Signs of Aging

Vitamin C serums can boost the level of collagen in the skin, which is the most important ingredient for delaying the signs of aging.

This means that regular use of the serum can lead to reduced visibility of everything from fine lines to wrinkles.

  • Fights Acne Scarring

One of the most popular reasons to use a vitamin C serum is for reducing acne scarring or preventing outbreaks.

By fading hyperpigmentation, vitamin C can accelerate the process of removing acne scarring, although treatment will likely still be necessary.

  • Brightens Skin Complexion

By protecting the skin from free radicals from the environment such as pollutants, vitamin C can give the skin a healthy glow.

The less affected the skin is by harmful free radicals, the more vibrant it will appear.

  • Limits Sun Damage

As an antioxidant, vitamin C is very effective at reducing the damage your skin takes from being exposed to sunlight.

If used alongside sunscreen, it can enhance the protection provided to the skin, so you can spend all day in the sun without worrying about skin damage.

What Makes Korean Skincare Special?

Korean skincare has soared in popularity in recent years, and the answer to why is simple: it is responsible for some of the best skincare products available today.

As to the question of what makes these skincare products special, the answer is multifaceted.

Generally, it is considered to be true that Korean skincare products tend to be highly innovative, and also use unusual natural ingredients in their formulas.

With regards to innovation, Korean skincare always seems to be at the cutting edge of cosmetic products, constantly producing new packaging, new formulas, and new methods of application.

This is most clearly seen in the capital of Korea, Seoul, which is full of forward-thinking beauty stores.

As for the ingredients used in Korean skincare, it seems like nothing is off-limits.

The commitment to finding the very best ingredients for skincare products means that you could find anything from bee venom to snail mucin in Korean cosmetics.

The willingness to not disregard any natural ingredient, no matter how ‘gross’ it may seem, has led to some excellent breakthroughs and fine skincare products.

Composition and Concentration

When it comes to picking the very best vitamin C serum, one of the most important factors to pay attention to is its composition and concentration.

Specifically, you want to know which form of vitamin C is being used, and how concentrated the dose is.

These two pieces of information will tell you everything you need to know, although other ingredients can enhance the overall effectiveness of the serum.

Hands-down the best ingredient to find on a vitamin C serum label is L-ascorbic acid.

This is a form of vitamin C that is backed up by heaps of research, and so its benefits for the skin are well-documented.

Now, even if you see this ingredient, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re onto a great serum. You also want to look at what the concentration is.

As with most things, the higher the better, but there is a point of diminishing returns.

Ideally, you want the concentration to be between 10-22%, with 22% being the point at which the skin can no longer absorb the vitamin.

The closer it is to that magic 22%, the stronger the vitamin C dose will be, and the better it’ll be for your skin.

If you can’t find a serum with L-ascorbic acid, then don’t worry, there are other forms of vitamin C that will work well too.

For example, if you see phosphate, ascorbate, or palmitate after an ingredient, then you can be pretty confident that it will be good for you.

You should also consider where the ingredient is listed on the label, since the primary ingredients will always be listed first.

This means that as a rule of thumb, you should try to find a serum that lists one of the forms of vitamin C first.

If you have sensitive skin, you might want to search for serums that are formulated with vitamin C derivatives as opposed to the stronger, pure vitamin C.

A good example of this would be Goodal’s green tangerine serum, which works well on sensitive skin.

Frequently Asked Questions About Korean Vitamin C Serums

Which brand has the best Korean serum?

We believe that the brand which produces the best Korean serum is Wishtrend.

Wishtrend is a beauty commerce company committed to providing solutions for damaged skin, by boosting its natural beauty.

The brand has a whole host of skincare products and does its best to produce only the highest quality creams and serums, so you can rely on it to deliver.

What percent Vitamin C serum is the most effective?

Ideally, you will find a vitamin C serum with a percentage of between 10 and 20% L-ascorbic acid.

This is considered by most to be the sweet spot, and it’s specifically L-ascorbic acid that you want to look for with this concentration range.

That also means you want to be sure that this ingredient is listed as one of the first on the label, as it’s arguably the most important in any good vitamin C serum.

Why is Korean skincare so good?

Korean skincare has an outstanding reputation for delivering excellent results and restoring natural beauty to the skin.

This is in large part due to the innovation seen in Korean skincare, as well as the broad selection of natural ingredients used.

In Korean skincare products, you can find everything from bee venom to snail mucin, which goes to show that everything in nature has a purpose and we shouldn’t shy away from using them to restore the skin’s radiance.

A Final Word From Wellness Nova

A good vitamin C serum can make the world of difference if you want your skin to shine brighter than ever before, and feel as healthy as ever.

To find the best serum for your skin, make sure you consider how suitable each one is for your skin type, as well as its composition, and what else it can bring to the table.

Article by:

Wellness Nova Team

Our detailed review has been contributed to by multiple members of the Wellness Nova Review Team to ensure the best research and highest standard of quality. Have a good or a bad experience with one of the products? Please let us know, we love the feedback!

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