What is The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%?

A water-based vitamin C serum combining 8% L-ascorbic acid and 2% alpha arbutin, designed to brighten skin and reduce hyperpigmentation.

Is The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 74%.

What is The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%'s Guru Score?

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% holds a Guru Score of 74%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 10 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%

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.

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Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

~Yay

"That was my favorite vitamin C serum. I used to always talk about it because it had an 8% ascorbic acid, so very gentle, but it also contained alpha arbutin. So, two ingredients that really brighten the skin."

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All 7 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash

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"This serum is hands down one of the best vitamin C's from The Ordinary. You can use it every day, twice a day. It sits nice with other skincare products, you can also use this with sunscreen and makeup, there's no issues with pilling and it absorbs nicely into the skin as well. It really is a great formulation. If you can't use any one of the other vitamin C serums or you're just looking for something that really helps with uneven skin tone, I would say go with this one."

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"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% plus Alpha Arbutin 2% was one formulation that I did enjoy that I did recommend a lot in the past. [...] Unfortunately that serum has now been discontinued so that would be one product that I would have recommended."

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"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% is no longer available. That was one of their vitamin C serums, actually the one that I always recommended here on my channel. It was lovely, and it was actually one of the very first vitamin C serums that I had ever used when I got into skin care. [...] For those that wanted a lower percentage of vitamin C and something that is affordable, I always, always recommended that serum. So it's sad to see that one go."

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"This is one of the best vitamin C serums from The Ordinary in my opinion. I have tried many vitamin C's from The Ordinary and I always go back to this one in particular because of the two main ingredients. If you have that uneven skin tone, that dull complexion, I hope you are going to love this serum. Ascorbic acid as you know is your purest form of vitamin C and I feel like this is the most effective form of vitamin C as well. It works the quickest compared to vitamin C derivatives."

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"The Ordinary only had one vitamin C serum that contained ascorbic acid and that was the ascorbic acid 8% plus alpha arbutin 2%. That serum no longer exists, it has now been discontinued, and actually that was one of my all-time favorite vitamin C serums out of the entire vitamin C category. [...] I loved that pure form of vitamin C and I liked the pairing with alpha arbutin because this ingredient helps to brighten the skin and so does the ascorbic acid."

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"I used to really enjoy the Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%, but unfortunately that serum has now been discontinued as of last year. That was my vitamin C of choice when it came to The Ordinary and it's the one that I always recommended, but unfortunately we just can't purchase it anymore."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

~Nay

"The negatives are that it's got coconut alkanes, which is why it's coming out quite oily. I don't think this is going to be ideal for people with acne. No other antioxidants in this product and it's not in an airless pump. It's fragrance free, which I love, and it's NAF safe, meaning no denatured alcohol, no fragrance, no essential oils. But for me, I'd say it's not really worth your time or your money. Even though it's not that expensive, it's one that I'd avoid."

Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert

55k subs

~Yay

"Right on top of that I'm doing a vitamin C serum, and not just for my face, literally whole body. [...] As I am drip drying I put The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% on. This is not expensive, you guys, and now they made it in a 4 oz bottle. It's very, very watery, so this is what it looks like, I mean it's literally like water. You don't need much, a couple squirts and you rub it on your whole body, everywhere, literally head to toe is how I use this."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Yay

"I also got a vitamin C serum from The Ordinary, which is water-based. It's super light. This is just a nice water-based vitamin C serum to add in. Vitamin C typically makes your sunscreen work better, it helps protect your skin from free radical damaging antioxidants. So using that, I would wash your face, cleanse it or wipe it off, put that on first, then a moisturizer, and then sunscreen."

All 3 takes from No BS Beauty

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"Ascorbic acid is your best friend when it comes to this. There's a lot of other great derivatives and things like that but this is the real deal and this is my absolute favorite product. I've tried probably 100 vitamin C serums and this one is my absolute favorite."

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"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% retails for twelve dollars. This was also a waterless formula so this one is pretty greasy it takes a long time to absorb it's not my favorite. I think that's the problem with some of the Ordinary products is they're very affordable but they're not very fun to apply and use because texture is an issue or sometimes the absorption's an issue or sometimes they're pilling and things like that."

Mad About Skin

731k subs

~Yay

"It seems simplistic with aloe and niacinamide, there's not a whole lot going on in here, but there doesn't need to be when you formulate with high quality potent actives. You don't need a whole lot of filler and I definitely think this is one of the best recent launches from the ordinary and worthy of that number one position. [...] I've never been without it in the past 12 months in my skincare routine."

All 8 takes from Mad About Skin

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"When we talk about oxidized vitamin C, people say why is it important to have fresh vitamin C? Well, because if the vitamin C is oxidized it's going to be less effective. If you look at this, this is The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8%, can you see that coloration there? This is slightly oxidized, this isn't even properly oxidized, it's just on the turn. [...] The less oxidized the more performance."

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"This is the Holy Grail. The one thing I say is don't stock up on this, buy a couple of bottles max because with all vitamin C's it will oxidize quickly so the shelf life on this is 6 months. I would say buy two maximum even with that sale on because I'd hate for you to have to use oxidized product which isn't going to give you the best results. [...] It's just a great staple vitamin C that everyone can use."

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"Alpha Arbutin is really gentle pigment corrector to use alongside your vitamin C. I would always just recommend The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%. It's like eight or nine pounds so affordable, ridiculously cheap. I'd say if you're using a standalone vitamin C serum switch to this, which has lots of extra hyperpigmentation fighting, which just kicks it up a notch, elevates it. Great, great for hyperpigmentation."

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"If your skin can tolerate it, reach for the ascorbic acid and alpha arbutin option. That's because the ascorbic acid will start to fade that hyperpigmentation, give you some great antioxidant protection, and the alpha arbutin is one of the most effective pigment-reducing ingredients in skincare. So it's like a double whammy. Not everybody can tolerate this though, ascorbic acid can be sensitizing on the skin."

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"The ascorbic acid 8% plus alpha arbutin 2%, this is going to be my vitamin C and I love this for a number of reasons. In winter I tend to go for a lower strength vitamin C just because I'm minimizing irritation and inflammation in the skin. I found that 8% just works the best for me. Some people might still want to maintain a 15 or a 20% and that's fine, but in winter I find my skin is a little bit more redness prone and [...] irritation prone, so the 8% is just great."

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"If you can't get your hands on the Boots ingredient vitamin C which is my favorite in this category you could try The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%. It's not stabilized the way that the Boots version is but still because they could create it in such high volumes you get it really fresh and so I still find that this has roughly a six month shelf life on it too. Both amazing products in that low strength category that'll get you great results minimum irritation."

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"I declared this to be the best vitamin C of 2023 and I stand by that. [...] It gives you a great mid-strength vitamin C for your skincare routine and pairs alongside the alpha arbutin which will dial up the results and help fade your hyperpigmentation that little bit quicker. Best thing is it does so in a super gentle way so it's applicable for almost all skin types."

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Dr. Somji Skin

360k subs

~Yay

"If you've got pigmentation that's a little bit more apparent or a little bit more severe then you can use the Ascorbic Acid 8% and Alpha Arbutin 2% so it's double the strength but also it's mixed with vitamin C. We know that vitamin C is fantastic for pigmentation too because it's got some effect on tyrosine as well. Now if you combine the two you're going to get more of an effect."

Beyond50Skin

32k subs

~Yay

"The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin is around $10 and I love it. It's a very simple formula, very affordable. Alpha arbutin is lightening and brightening, and vitamin C is great for boosting your sunscreen protection and just giving you a brighter complexion. This is the one I started with because it's at 8%, a fairly low percentage entry level vitamin C at a great price."

All 3 takes from Beyond50Skin

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"Today I have all Dermatology skincare on, except for the vitamin C formula, because I was out of vitamin C, so I used The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% instead."

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"I actually started off with 5% ascorbic acid from Curology and then I moved on to 8% L-ascorbic acid from The Ordinary with Alpha Arbutin. This is a beautiful classic gold standard vitamin C formula, 8%, and it's in an anhydrous, water-free formula. Even though it doesn't contain oil, it does feel a little bit slippery on the skin, so if you have oily skin you're probably not going to like this formula. You're going to want to go for a more water-type formula."

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April Basi

72k subs

~Yay

"If you're on a budget, The Ordinary 8% Ascorbic Acid Plus Arbutin is a great one. Arbutin is actually a plant derived version of hydroquinone."

Nipun Kapur

412k subs

~Mixed

"If you're using The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%, don't use another vitamin C on top of it, there'll [...] be too much on your skin. Or just get the alpha arbutin separate and then use the other vitamin C. It'll be very drying otherwise."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

~Yay

"This is my first and favorite one, this is ascorbic acid and alpha arbutin, and this is only $10 but it works like a $200 option. This one actually has fragrance and I don't recommend this for a lot of people because their skin can't handle fragrance, but you mentioned that you love it. This is also a slightly different texture. This one's a little bit more like a cream, very fresh, and very very lightweight on the skin."