Is Neutrogena Collagen Bank 15% Vitamin C Serum worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 70%.

What is Neutrogena Collagen Bank 15% Vitamin C Serum's Guru Score?

Neutrogena Collagen Bank 15% Vitamin C Serum holds a Guru Score of 70%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is Neutrogena Collagen Bank 15% Vitamin C Serum best for?

Neutrogena Collagen Bank 15% Vitamin C Serum is generally suited to mature skin.

Neutrogena

Neutrogena Collagen Bank 15% Vitamin C Serum.

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Serums

About this product

A Neutrogena vitamin C serum from its Collagen Bank line, containing 15% ascorbic acid and a peptide, designed to brighten skin and help with the look of aging.

Full ingredients

Propanediol, Water, Ascorbic Acid (15%), Gluconolactone (2%), Acetyl Dipeptide-31 Amide, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide

Guru Score

70%

Mixed

6 experts · Strong agreement

What the gurus are saying

Many vitamin C serums sting or turn skin orange, but this one is praised for being gentle, with no orange tint left after a full bottle. Reviewers also find the peptide promising for wrinkles and sagging skin, while the more critical takes feel the formula could be better made. One thing to know is the scent, an orange-peel, toasty smell that lingers all day for some and goes unnoticed by others.

Synthesized from 6 expert reviews · most recent take March 2026

What they liked

Great value at around $20
Gentle enough for beginners

What they flagged

Strong lingering orange-peel smell
Small bottle runs out quickly
Stability concerns with ascorbic acid formulation

Best for

Mature skin

Type

SerumsDrops & dropper

Key actives

Vitamin C Peptides

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Ulta → Amazon → Google → iHerb →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Yay

"I recently reviewed a vitamin C serum from Neutrogena. I get along well with it and think it's a good option if that's something you're interested in."

All 8 takes from Dr Dray

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"As with many ascorbic acid serums I have found over the years, including the expensive CE Ferulic from Skin Ceuticals, they all for me when I wear them, I smell a little smell very similar to when you peel a bunch of oranges and you take a whiff of your fingers. That smell, it's lingering on your face all day while you're wearing this. It does not fade. It's kind of like, did I smell orange juice all over my face? Yeah, it's that kind of aroma, which for some people, you may not even notice."

Would I Buy It Again? Derm Empties Review

"I normally find ascorbic acid serums burn, sting, and they get oxidized over time. They turn the skin kind of this orangey hue. They end up being really irritating for me. And I'd never experienced that with this. I finished the entire bottle, got no orange discoloration, didn't stain things. It does have that kind of toasty ascorbic acid serum aroma to it, similar to if you are using a tanning product."

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"A ascorbic acid serum I have come to rather enjoy myself personally and I also really like the price point is actually the Neutrogena Collagen Bank Vitamin C Serum. I like this because a I tolerated it and b it also has a micropeptide in it that shows some promise as far as peptides go. Another cosmetic ingredient for improving not only the appearance of wrinkles but also the appearance of sagging skin on the lower face in particular. I find that very interesting."

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"I have tried out and reviewed many of them. As a matter of fact, check out my recent video reviewing Neutrogena's new ascorbic acid serum."

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"I've been really impressed with Neutrogena. [...] The collagen banking in this formula is about that micropeptide which may help with collagen production and it's also about the ascorbic acid. The collagen in the product is just in there as a hydrator. We actually have some studies on human patients with visible aging skin and showing improvement. For cosmetics, this is actually pretty compelling, especially for a peptide where a lot of times we're just like, if you say so, if you say so."

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"I've tried out a lot of ascorbic acid formulas over the years and recommended several to you guys who are interested in this ingredient. This year, I tried out Neutrogena's newer 15% vitamin C serum in the collagen bank line. I actually really got along well with this. It did not irritate my skin or turn it orange like many ascorbic acid serums have been known to do. For me, it has a micropeptide in it as well, which they developed. They've been working on it for about 15 years."

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"I find ascorbic acid irritating, but I did get along really well with the Neutrogena Collagen Bank vitamin C serum, and it has that jazzy micropeptide."

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"I recently reviewed a vitamin C serum from Neutrogena. I get along well with it and think it's a good option if that's something you're interested in."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

722k subs

~Yay

"I've recently have liked Neutrogena's collagen bank with [L-ascorbic] acid"

All 3 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai

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"I've recently have liked Neutrogena's collagen bank with [L-ascorbic] acid"

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"So, you get some peptides with your vitamin C. Consider those in the morning."

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"So we have depeptide technology for collagen boosting. You have vitamin C which is 15% ascorbic acid and you got 2% gluconolactone or PHA which is a gentle exfoliant. So you're getting some exfoliative properties as well as brightening properties and some collagen boosting. So I love this vitamin C serum so far and very affordable. This Neutrogena vitamin C serum is great for beginners or for people who want to try out a higher percentage [...] vitamin C serum."

Mad About Skin

731k subs

~Nay

"The vitamin C, it's fine, but it's an ascorbic acid serum that I think could be formulated a little bit better in order to maximize the benefits you're going to get from that vitamin C. There's nothing in here that I think is groundbreaking beyond that peptide. I think there are far better vitamin C serums out there."

208SkinDoc

2.10M subs

~Yay

"It's a small bottle so you'll run out faster if you use it on your arms and legs, but it's twenty dollars on Amazon and Walmart, compared to a similar stack of ingredients in CE Ferulic that retails at a hundred eighty five dollars, so I think this is a very worthy contender. I'm impressed with the ingredients and I think this is a very compelling product for the skincare routine of anybody who's interested in preventing the signs of aging and preventing collagen loss."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Mixed

"We all know ascorbic acid is pretty unstable. This formula contains water and then propanediol, so it doesn't look like it's a water-based serum, per se. I'm more curious to buy it just to see if it's already oxidized or not by the time I get it. That's really if I buy it, it's probably the only reason I'd be buying it just to see if it's fresh or not. I don't see any reason to change because I love my Geek and Gorgeous Seaglow, [...] but that one does look interesting."