CeraVe sells a vitamin C serum that’s used to renew skin quality and have an anti-aging effect. The brand suggests that their product can “help visibly brighten your complexion and support soft, radiant, and healthy-looking skin.”

But does CeraVe’s serum contain research-backed ingredients for anti-aging? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's experience trying it for a month (including before-and-after images)? And is it better or worse than popular vitamin C serums like Vibriance Super C Serum?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in CeraVe Vitamin C Serum to give our take on whether or not it's likely to have an anti-aging effect, and whether or not it's healthy.

We’ll also share our Product Tester's honest experience purchasing and testing this product for a month straight, and compare this serum to other popular vitamin C serums in terms of formulation quality to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Contains many research-backed anti-aging ingredients
• Contains two ingredients we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend CeraVe Vitamin C Serum

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum are shown below:

image source: https://www.cerave.com/

Like every CeraVe product we’ve reviewed to date on Illuminate Health, this formulation contains a large number of research-backed active ingredients.

Ascorbic acid, better known as vitamin C, is clinically shown to improve skin quality.

A 2017 medical review reported that vitamin C at the exact same concentration as in CeraVe’s serum (10%) significantly reduced wrinkling when applied to skin.

Panthenol is clinically shown to moisturize the skin, as we documented in our SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic reviews article.

Ceramide NP, ceramide AP and ceramide EOP are members of a class of compounds called ceramides from which the brand CeraVe gets its name.

All CeraVe products we’ve reviewed contain ceramides, and for good reason. This class of compounds were shown in a clinical trial published in the Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology journal to enhance skin barrier function when combined with other bioactives.

Phytosphingosine is a compound produced by the body that was shown to increase skin moisture content in a 2017 clinical trial.

Tocopheryl acetate is a form of vitamin E, and this vitamin is clinically shown to help to protect against DNA damage from UV ray exposure.

Clearly there are a number of effective ingredients in this serum. However, there are also two inactive ingredients we consider potentially unhealthy.

Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative shown to be toxic to human cells in a 2020 clinical trial.

Sodium hydroxide is a pH balancer that can irritate the skin, as we documented in our Skinbetter Science reviews article.

Overall, we consider CeraVe Vitamin C Serum likely to improve skin quality, to have an anti-aging effect and to have a moisturizing effect. 

We don’t currently recommend this product due to the two inactive ingredients highlighted above.

We Tested CeraVe Vitamin C Serum

One of our Product Testers named Amy Lau tested CeraVe Vitamin C Serum for a month.

Here's her experience:

The serum comes in a metal tube and is very easy to dispense and apply. The lightweight gel texture spreads smoothly across the skin with no issues during application.

The formula has a very faint, slightly nutty scent, but is largely odorless. The scent did not cause any discomfort or irritation.

Here's my headshot before using this product for a month:

The serum was effective in brightening my skin and helping even out overall tone. With consistent use, I noticed improvements in skin radiance, texture, and mild elasticity across my face, neck, and décolleté. 

Here's my headshot after using this product for a month:

It also functioned well as an antioxidant product in my routine and appeared to support healing in areas where I had previously removed small skin tags. Additionally, it helped calm mild irritation and reduce redness.

I have previously used higher-priced liquid Vitamin C serums from Drmtlgy and SkinCeuticals, both of which deliver strong collagen-supporting and brightening benefits and tend to absorb quickly due to their liquid consistency. Those products, however, do not include hyaluronic acid or vitamin B5.

While this serum's gel texture may not penetrate as aggressively as some liquid formulations, it is easier to control during application—particularly when used on larger body areas.

I have also used La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Baume (B5-focused), which is more expensive and does not contain Vitamin C or hyaluronic acid.

From a value standpoint, CeraVe offers broader functional benefits in one product than those similar serums I've tried.

I did not experience any adverse reactions or side effects.

Overall, I would purchase CeraVe Vitamin C Serum again, and I rate it 8/10. 

I will still continue to use higher-potency liquid Vitamin C serums when seeking more dramatic or faster results.

CeraVe vs. Popular Vit C Serums

Here's how CeraVe Vitamin C Serum compares to other popular vitamin C serums in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Vibriance Super C Serum

This serum contains a synthetic preservative called ethylhexylglycerin which is clinically shown to potentiate the toxic effects of phenoxyethanol.

We consider this preservative combination to be more unhealthy than phenoxyethanol alone, for this reason.

Winner: CeraVe Vitamin C Serum

RoC Vitamin C Serum

RoC Vitamin C Serum contains both fragrance and artificial dye; two compounds considerably less healthy than anything in CeraVe's serum.

CeraVe wins from a health perspective.

Winner: CeraVe Vitamin C Serum

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic

Like CeraVe's formulation, this product contains research-backed active ingredients (including vitamin C) and two inactive ingredients we consider mildly unhealthy.

Winner: Tie

Our Clean Skincare Pick

MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.

It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.

This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."

This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

CeraVe Vitamin C Serum Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Many research-backed ingredients
• Should reduce wrinkles
• Should improve skin barrier
• Should increase skin hydration
• Affordable
• Healthier than most competitors
• Our Product Tester liked the aesthetic effects

Cons:

• Doesn’t appear clinically tested
• Contains phenoxyethanol
• Contains sodium hydroxide

Conclusion

Like every CeraVe product that we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health, we consider this serum likely to be effective for its intended purpose: it should have an anti-aging effect, hydrate the skin and improve skin quality in most customers.

We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of phenoxyethanol and sodium hydroxide, although we do not consider this product likely to be harmful.

Our Product Tester tried CeraVe Vitamin C Serum for a month straight, and appreciate the functional effects. 

She says that she would purchase this product again.

We consider CeraVe Vitamin C Serum to be healthier than vitamin C serums sold by Vibriance and RoC, and we consider this product equivalently formulated to SkinCeuticals' vitamin C serum.