The Best Brightening Serums to Achieve a Spring Glow
You won't want to miss the benefits of these serums, which promise to revive your skin following a long winter.
Spring is finally in the air, and following a long and drying winter, it's the perfect time to bring some additional glow to your every day look. While maintaining the hydration your skin craves with moisturizer and face oil remains helpful, sometimes you need a product that adds to that while contributing an instant, luminous effect, which is why a brightening serum is so important. Often getting their power from natural ingredients like Vitamin C, these miracle workers will help you to avoid dull, tired skin whether you work them into your nightly routine, apply them for an extra boost first thing in the morning, or both.
The good news about brightening serum is that it's become so popular that it's easy to find an acclaimed option that fits your needs and price range, whether you're looking for CBD skincare, are loyal to prestige brands like Tatcha and SK-II, or just want to maximize your benefits for the best value possible. Heading into a new season following the return of daylight savings, there's nothing like radiating the energy you've been feeling, so look no further for the best brightening serums that will refresh and hydrate your skin while keeping you looking fabulous.
Sunday Riley's advanced brightening serum contains 15% of vitamin C, which is great for combating dark circles and evening out your skin's texture. Other extracts in the serum minimize the appearance of pores, allowing your skin to retain more moisture as the day goes by.
C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum, $85, Sephora
A head-turning pink stick in clear packaging, Milk's Watermelon Brightening Serum is not only a joyous color, but it also brightens and hydrates your skin. This high-quality, affordable product works on normal, oily, combination, dry, and sensitive skin. Coordinate with the rest of the system for an aesthetic and effective experience, or use it on its own to learn why some of the best brightening serum is in solid form.
Watermelon Brightening Serum, $36, Sephora
Everyone has been raving about Drunk Elephant for years, and it's for good reason. This award-winning Vitamin C serum is the perfect daytime beauty product to leave your skin instantly refreshed. Cruelty-free and full of fruit enzymes, nutrients, and antioxidants, this may be the best brightening serum for you if your goals are to tackle dullness and uneven skin.
C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum, $80, Sephora
Sagely Naturals' face brightening serum promotes even skin tones and deep hydration, and the CBD infusion means it just might help you and your skin to relax more, too. Additional ingredients include Bakuchiol Seed Oil, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, and Squalane, all fun to say and good for your face.
Brightening CBD Face Serum, $89, Sagely Naturals
Maelove's Glow Maker does just that and then some. This oil-free, gluten-free serum consists of both Vitamin C and E in a formula that has taken years to perfect. It repeatedly sells out thanks to holding high-end quality within a more accessible price range than most, so this is the best brightening serum to try if you're afraid to commit or simply want a lot of bang for your buck. The proof is in the 6000 reviews, which average at a five-star rating.
The Glow Maker, $27.95, Maelove
Coming in recyclable packaging, this acclaimed brightening serum is a clean beauty product that's also kind to your skin. With 20 percent vitamin C, 10 percent AHA serum, and Japanese Angelica Root Extract, the resulting gentle strength makes this one of the best brightening serums to restore your skin's radiance.
Violet-C Brightening Serum, $88, Sephora
Featuring Vitamin C at the forefront and with a board-certified dermatologist behind the brand, this ultra-fine serum is designed to give you an instant glow while smoothing out and resurfacing your skin's texture over time. With an herbal-citrus fragrance, this is one of the best brightening serum options for smoothing crow's feet as well as vertical lines surrounding your lips, so definitely give it a try if an anti-aging product is your priority.
Vitamin C Ester Brightening Serum, $69, Ulta
So many of the best brightening serums use Vitamin C as a key ingredient, and this one extracts that power from strawberries to unclog pores and remove excess oil, leaving you with hydrated, luminous skin. Earning Sephora's "Clean" seal, this serum is vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free, as well as free of other harmful parabens and sulfates.
Strawberry-C Brightening Serum, $42, Sephora
This superfood-infused brightening serum from Youth to the People strenghtens your skin's firmness and elasticity while hydrating and evening out your skin's texture. Loaded with kale and spinach, this vegan serum is great for normal, oily, combination, dry, and sensitive skin types, and the product transports a whole range of nutrients directly to your face.
Superfood Firm and Brighten Vitamin C Serum, $62, Sephora
This natural brightening serum works against dullness, dark spots, and uneven skin tone to restore your skin's radiance. This serum has a multi-targeted formula with multiple forces working to minimize the appearance of wrinkles while brightening, smoothing, and hydrating your skin.
Concentrated Brightening Serum, $295, at Tata Harper.
Cult-favorite skincare brand SK-II's GenOptics Aura Essence Serum has been reformulated to reduce age spots and sun spots using active brightening ingredients such as pitera. Not only does the formula enhance skin cell renewal, it is also mean to unveil your skin's natural aura, making it one of the best brightening serums on the higher end.
The GenOptics Aura Essence Serum, $245, Sephora
YSL Beauty has brought us one of the best brightening serum options for combination skin, soothing irritation and diminishing dark spots. Infused with marshmallow flower and Vitamin C, this serum is intended to help fight against pollution and other environmental effects.
Pure Shots Light Up Brightening Serum, $88, Sephora
Glow Recipe uses pineapple juice, vitamin C, and chamomile, all ingredients that would make an interesting cocktail, in their brightening and smoothing serum. This serum works against redness, dryness, and uneven skin for normal, dry, combination, and oily skin types, and smells delicious while doing it.
Pineapple-C Brightening Serum, $49, Sephora
