The 10 Best Brightening Serums to Get That Glow in 2024

Top 10 Best Brightening Serums 2024

1. Best Overall Brightening Serum: CeraVe Vitamin C Serum With Hyaluronic Acid

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: 10% Ascorbic Acid, Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Fragrance-Free
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No
• Best Time to Use: AM

This brightening serum is a quintessential CeraVe product, which means that it’s reasonably-priced, gentle, and genuinely effective at its main purpose, which is to brighten the skin.

The brightening effect comes from 10% ascorbic acid, which is the most potent form of vitamin C. While the amount isn’t huge, it’s enough to have an effect on hyperpigmentation.

Smaller brands often formulate with higher amounts of vitamin C because they have a harder time keeping it stable. They have to use more to ensure some effectiveness. A larger brand like CeraVe is able to formulate and package their vitamin C in a way that prevents oxidation and keeps it fresh.

Beyond that, the serum is formulated with signature CeraVe ingredients that moisturize the skin and reinforce its barrier functions, like moisture-locking dimethicone, barrier-restoring ceramides, and hydrating hyaluronic acid.

If you’re looking for a serum that can give the skin hydrated luminosity while also targeting pigmentation, this one absolutely fits the bill! If you’d prefer a slightly stronger de-pigmenting product, even if it’ll be less moisturizing, we’d recommend you try SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic.

The blend of ingredients gives it a texture somewhere between a lotion and a serum, which can be especially nice for dry skin, while those with oily skin could use it instead of moisturizer. It comes packaged in a hygienic metal tube that keeps all of the ingredients stable and fresh. Because the formula is dimethicone-based it might ball up if you apply sunscreen too soon after applying the serum.

Because it’s fragrance-free and made with so many reparative ingredients this is one of our favorite skin-brightening serums for sensitive skin. However, if your skin is too sensitive for vitamin C, you can try The Ordinary’s Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA, instead.

2. Best Budget Brightening Serum: The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: Alpha-Arbutin, Hyaluronic Acid
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Fragrance-Free
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
• Best Time to Use: AM or PM

The Ordinary is a beloved budget skincare brand. While they have a ton of different skin-brightening options, we think their alpha-arbutin serum stands out as both unique and quite effective.

The main ingredient in here is alpha-arbutin, a derivative of the much more intense and slightly controversial hydroquinone. It’s a promising pigmentation treatment, and many users find that it helps reduce post-acne marks, melasma, and sunspots. The formula also includes hyaluronic acid, so it gives a boost to your moisturizing routine and adds luminosity to the skin.

Arbutin hasn’t been directly compared to other skin brightening ingredients like vitamin C, but most users find that it’s a little less intense. Visible results can take a few months to show up, but if your skin doesn’t respond well to vitamin C, it’s one of the best alternatives.

It can also be used in combination with other brightening serums! For example, you can use the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum in the morning and alpha-arbutin at night. Some users find that regular exfoliation also increases the efficacy of arbutin, in which case we’d recommend also purchasing the L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum.

The Ordinary also sells vitamin C serums and suspensions, although we find that their texture is often lacking. They’ve released a promising serum that combines arbutin and vitamin C, though the jury is still out on how well it works.

3. Best Premium Brightening Serum: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: 15% Ascorbic Acid, Ferulic Acid, Vitamin E
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Fragrance-Free
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No
• Best Time to Use: AM

This brightening serum is famous for its potent formula and its high price-point. It’s a great option for fading hyperpigmentation and it also has some serious anti-aging benefits.

SkinCeuticals did groundbreaking and expensive research that proved that by combining ascorbic acid with antioxidants vitamin E and ferulic acid at a low pH, the result is a more effective formula that’s also stable for a lot longer. This is why they can justify the high price tag when many other brands can’t.

There are clinical studies backing the efficacy of this specific formula when it comes to repairing photodamage (i.e. sun-induced skin damage), protecting from the aging effects of sun exposure, and lightening pigmentation. While formulas like CeraVe’s Vitamin C Serum are also stable and effective, this one is stronger so you can expect faster results, although you won’t enjoy the same level of moisturization.

This formula is patented so other brands using this combination of ingredients have to reduce the pH to avoid patent infringement. This makes those formulas likelier to irritate the skin.

Because of its simple, lightweight texture and fragrance-free formula, we can safely recommend this brightening serum for all skin types. If you have sensitive skin, we recommend introducing it slowly and gradually to avoid irritation.

As with other vitamin C serums, you can boost results by using this in conjunction with a more intense skin renewer like the L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum or the Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum in the evening.

4. Best Exfoliating Brightening Serum: L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: Glycolic Acid, Glycerin
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Fragrance-Free
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No
• Best Time to Use: PM

This serum from L’Oreal is a little different from the rest of our selection. It’s not an alternative to the other brightening serums on this list, but instead, it’s a complementary serum that can significantly boost their efficacy.

It’s made with 10% glycolic acid, so it’s a fantastic exfoliant. It breaks down the connective material between dead and live skin cells and helps the skin to shed its top layer.

This gets rid of damaged or pigmented skin cells and allows other brightening serums to penetrate more deeply into the skin. Using a brightening serum like the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum or The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA will brighten the skin slowly, but adding this glycolic acid serum to the mix will speed the process.

Even if you’re just dealing with dull skin, this serum is still a great choice. Dead skin build-up makes the skin look dull, so exfoliation can brighten it quickly. Glycolic acid also has moisture-attracting effects (boosted by the addition of glycerin), which is another way that this serum helps to increase glow.

Glycolic acid makes the skin a little more sensitive to the sun so make sure to use a good sunscreen in the daytime. Exfoliating too frequently can irritate the skin, so while this serum might be fine on a daily basis, those with sensitive skin should only use it a few times a week.

Introduce it into your routine gradually to see what works for you. If your skin can handle really intense exfoliation, you can go even stronger and choose the Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum, instead.

5. Best Brightening Serum for Dark Skin: Cos De BAHA Azelaic Acid 10% Serum

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: Azelaic Acid, Niacinamide
• Best Time to Use: AM or PM
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Eucalyptus
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes

Those with darker skin are often more prone to hyperpigmentation than light-skinned folks. While we still recommend vitamin C serums for their protective and anti-aging effects, many people of color find that they’re not effective for countering hyperpigmentation.

Instead, one of the best skin brightening ingredients for shoppers with dark skin to use is azelaic acid. It’s also a fantastic treatment for those dealing with acne, rosacea, and skin sensitivity.

The reason why we azelaic acid works well for darker skin is its unique method of action. It has a selective effect on abnormal melanocytes, so it brightens hyperpigmentation without changing the overall skin tone.

We love that this serum also includes niacinamide which boosts its brightening action and offers antioxidant protection from external aggressors. It also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid and panthenol that give the skin a general glow.

If you heave hearty, non-sensitive skin, you can combine this serum with renewing treatments like the Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum (one in the day, one in the night) for faster results.

One minor drawback is that the serum can crystalize in cold weather, which is a sign of an overly-minimalist formulation. It’s easy to fix by submerging the serum in warm water, but we know that a serum from a larger company wouldn’t have such issues. It also includes a few essential oils that make it inappropriate for those with fragrance sensitivity.

It’s not easy to find good azelaic acid serums (especially not at such a low price) which is why we’re willing to overlook these small issues. If money isn’t a factor for you, Paula’s Choice makes a more elegant but also pricier azelaic acid product.

6. Best Brightening Serum for Acne: Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: Retinol, Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Tea Tree
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
• Best Time to Use: PM

This is a skin-renewing and brightening serum that also targets acne and premature aging, especially for those with oily, non-sensitive skin.

It features retinol, an ingredient that increases the skin turnover rate while encouraging the shedding of dead skin cells. It’s particularly helpful for improving skin texture and reducing fine lines, but it also has anti-pigmentation effects. There’s also niacinamide, which has its own mild brightening effects.

The final ingredients worth noting are salicylic acid, an acne-fighting exfoliant, and tea tree oil which has some antibacterial effects (but gives a strong medicinal smell). Because of these, this serum simultaneously combats breakouts while fading the pigmentation that pimples can leave behind.

While there is vitamin C in here, it’s a stabilized form that has antioxidant and anti-acne effects but doesn’t reduce existing pigmentation.

Putting so many potent compounds in one tiny bottle is an ambitious endeavor, and it resulted in a powerful skin-renewing product that has the potential to irritate.

We always recommend allergy-testing new skincare on a small patch of skin, but with this product, this safety measure is even more important. We also suggest only using it a few times a week at first, to prevent over-exfoliating the skin. The retinol and essential oils in here can make the skin more sensitive to the sun, so it’s also important to be religious about sunscreen use.

For best results, use this at night while using a gentle melanin-inhibitor like the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum in the daytime. If you love the idea of skin renewal but don’t want to use something so strong, you can try the L’Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid Serum, instead.

7. Best Natural Brightening Serum: TruSkin Vitamin C Serum

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Botanical Polysaccharides, Vitamin E
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz. or 2 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Mildly Floral
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
• Best Time to Use: AM

If you’re an avid fan of natural, vegan-friendly cosmetics you may like this natural brightening serum. It’s made with 72% organic ingredients in a very lightweight formula that can work especially well for combination and oily skin.

As far as the brightening effects of this serum go, this is not the most powerful serum on our list. It won’t fade hyperpigmentation, but it can prevent it while giving your skin a glow and countering dullness. The formula is very hydrating thanks to plant-derived polysaccharides that pull water into the skin and make it look bouncy and healthy.

This formula is made with a not-so-potent but still helpful derivative of vitamin C. Sun exposure and pollution can cause the skin to misbehave and produce melanin in an irregular manner, but the stabilized vitamin C offers antioxidant protection that prevents this damage. This ingredient is also helpful for preventing acne breakouts, so we’re happy to recommend this serum for acne-prone skin. However, if your skin is more on the dry side then you might prefer Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop, instead.

If this is your first time trying a serum and you’re a little nervous, this is a very beginner-friendly option. It might not be strong, but it’s not likely to irritate the skin. The only thing that prevents this serum from being truly appropriate for everyone is the addition of some floral essential oils that can be irritating for some.

8. Best Brightening Serum for Stubborn Pigmentation: PCA SKIN Pigment Gel

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: 2% Hydroquinone, Lactic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Kojic Acid
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Fragrance-Free
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
• Best Time to Use: PM

Like the Eva Naturals Skin Clearing Serum, this is another intense brightening serum that we recommend with a few caveats. You should only use it if you have very stubborn pigmentation that hasn’t budged in the face of any other serums.

The key ingredient in this serum is hydroquinone, which is a pigmentation-reducing medication with a ton of research proving its effectiveness. At 2% it’s available over-the-counter, but any higher and it requires a prescription. It is the fastest-acting and most powerful option for reducing pigmentation, although it can also have side-effects like irritation.

We love this specific hydroquinone formulation because it’s incredibly comprehensive, and features other skin brighteners that support its action, like azelaic acid and kojic acid. There is also lactic acid which exfoliates and speeds up the overall effects of this serum.

We don’t recommend using this along with other exfoliating serums, but it’s fine in conjunction with a gentle serum like the CeraVe’s Vitamin C Serum. Once you achieve the results you want you can keep using the gentle brightening serum for maintenance.

Because of the lactic acid, it’s extremely important to use sunscreen diligently while using this serum. Be aware that hydroquinone is usually not recommended for those with darker skin tones (especially not without the oversight of a doctor) because overuse can lead to ochronosis. Finally, it also cannot be used during pregnancy.

9. Best Korean Brightening Serum: Dear, Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: 5% Ascorbic Acid, Centella Asiatica, Botanical Extracts
• Quantity: 1.18 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Faint Citrus
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
• Best Time to Use: AM

K-beauty always offers something fun and exciting, and this also applies to brightening serums! This brightening serum, in particular, is a good entry-level option that will introduce you both to vitamin C serums and to Korean skincare.

The main skin brightening ingredient in this serum is ascorbic acid, which is used at 5%. While it’s a fairly low amount, there is still research showing that it’s effective at improving the appearance of sun-damaged skin, and it still gives the skin an important antioxidant boost.

Users find that Klairs helps with pigmentation, but maybe not as quickly as higher-percentage serums like the CeraVe Vitamin C Serum.

There are a ton of other useful ingredients in here for overall skin luminosity, clarity, and hydration! Centella asiatica, for instance, is a powerful skin soother that improves overall skin tone and may also help with pigmentation. Otherwise, there are lots of hydrating agents and antioxidant-rich plant extracts that make the skin just generally bouncy and glowy.

This serum contains natural orange and lavender fragrances which make it quite pleasant to use, but add a small sensitivity risk.

There is one other drawback to this product. It comes in a clear dropper bottle that doesn’t do a great job of keeping the serum stable. We’d love to see Klairs switch to a dark, airtight container. The brand recommends keeping it in the fridge to keep it fresh for longer, but even then it can oxidize (i.e. turn brown and lose its efficacy) within 4-6 months of opening.

10. Best Glowy Brightening Serum: Neutrogena Bright Boost Illuminating Serum

Quick Facts:

• Key Ingredients: Acetyl Glucosamine, Tetrahydrocurcumin
• Quantity: 1 Fl. Oz.
• Fragrance: Clean Scent
• Cruelty-Free/Vegan: No
• Best Time to Use: AM

This serum generates some mixed feelings for us. We usually love Neutrogena for offering simple, affordable skincare without over-the-top claims. This serum, while not a bad choice, doesn’t quite measure up to their usual standards.

It’s claimed to be a serum that can target pigmentation while also giving the skin a glow. However, the depigmentation ingredients Neutrogena chose, though promising, are also under-researched. It seems to us as though they prioritized having an exclusive and easy-to-stabilize formula over having the same well-researched ingredients all the other brands use.

So it’s not that this serum is bad: the key ingredients in it may help fade discoloration, and they certainly have antioxidant and skin-soothing effects. The issue is that they’re not as well-studied as more proven ingredients like ascorbic acid or even the relatively mild arbutin. In practice, this serum doesn’t give the same results with long-term use.

If you do decide to try this serum, we recommend giving the acetyl glucosamine in it a better chance to work by also using a serum with niacinamide, like the Cos de BAHA Azelaic Acid 10% Serum, since the two ingredients have a synergistic effect.

While we’re not super impressed, this serum does give the skin an immediate glowy look that some shoppers may like. The glow comes from reflective mica pigments. Paired with moisturizing glycerin and dimethicone, it doubles as a skin-illuminating primer that gives a dewy look whether it’s worn alone or under makeup. It can work for all skin types, but those with oily skin may find that it makes them look greasy rather than dewy.

We usually don’t want our skincare to also act like makeup, but if all you want is some instant glow then there’s nothing wrong with choosing this serum.