Top 5 Pregnancy-Safe Vitamin C Serums, Vetted by Beauty Experts

Pregnancy is a period of significant change in your body and mind. Therefore, it’s important to take care of your skin during this time. But skincare during pregnancy could be tricky if you don’t know which skin care products you need to add to your skincare regimen. Besides must-haves like a facial cleanser and moisturizer, adding a Vitamin C serum to your pregnancy skincare routine can have numerous benefits. Not only do Vitamin C serums help relieve pregnancy acne, dullness, or fine lines, but they are also great for improving your skin’s overall complexion. Moreover, they can help exfoliate and brighten your skin tone.

However, not all Vitamin C serums on the market are safe for pregnancy. Even some of them might contain a high concentration of toxic ingredients such as retinol, salicylic acid, sulfates, etc. Apart from the varying ingredients, different types of serums serve different purposes. We know how hard it can be to find skincare products that work well with your changing skin. Thankfully, our experts have evaluated dozens of Vitamin C serums on the market to put together this list of the best pregnancy-safe Vitamin C serums. Let’s check them out.

Best Pregnancy-Safe Vitamin C Serums

Our Top Picks

InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum

Our experts are impressed with InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum for several reasons.

Starting with the ingredients, this Vitamin C serum is made from Ascorbyl Phosphate and Hyaluronic acid. The combination makes the skin more receptive to Vitamin C penetration without drying out your skin or leaving it feeling greasy. Most users found it helpful to fade their fine lines and dark spots without triggering irritation or pregnancy breakouts.

What’s unique about this Vitamin C serum is that it also contains Ferulic acid, which helps relieve skin inflammation and even out skin tone. Plus, it contains Sea Buckthorn Oil and Plant Stem Cells that support natural cell rejuvenation while improving overall skin tone. 

Another thing we like about InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum is that it’s almost fragrance-free. You will love the light citrus aroma. Also, thanks to the bottle design, you’ll be able to use every drop of the serum without wasting any.

We also appreciate that this Vitamin C serum is cruelty-free and vegan. That means InstaNatural did no animal testing with the ingredients or the finished product. Additionally, it’s gluten-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, mineral oil-free, lanolin-free, GMO-free, and formaldehyde-free.

It’s rare for any Vitamin C serum to cause skin irritation or breakouts, even if you have sensitive skin. Thanks to the organic and natural ingredients, this serum is also suitable for most skin types! Considering its affordable price, it is worth a try.

Skin Benefits: Brightening, Hydrating, Replenishing | Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, Ferulic Acid, Sea Buckthorn Oil | Scent: Citrus

Tree of Life Glow Vitamin C Serum

The Tree of Life Glow Vitamin C Serum is another excellent option to consider if you are looking for safer options. With more than 30,000 5-star reviews on Amazon,  it’s popular among users for its effectiveness in fading fine lines and dark spots, and evening out skin tone. 

Unlike the InstaNatural Vitamin C serum with hyaluronic acid, it has aloe and vitamin E to soothe the skin. Also, Tree of Life has utilized a few other beneficial natural extracts, including jojoba oil, argan oil, rosehip seed oil, and green tea extracts to keep the skin moisturized and supple.

Better yet, this serum is infused with Vitamin C ester, making it much more effective at brightening the skin and preventing discoloration. As a result, Tree of Life Glow Vitamin C serum works well for pregnancy acne treatment. Many pregnant women have also found the formula very effective for reducing pregnancy stretch marks while paired with other pregnancy-safe skincare products!

In addition to being completely free from harmful ingredients, this serum is also vegan and cruelty-free! Unfortunately, Tree of Life glow serum is not alcohol-free like the InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum. However, it’s still one of the safest Vitamin C serums you can try during pregnancy for a healthy glow without worrying about any breakouts!

Skin Benefits: Brightening, Hydrating, Smoothening | Skin Type: Normal | Key Ingredients: Aloe, Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil | Scent: Unscented

TruSkin Vitamin C Serum

TruSkin is well-known among women who look for healthy skincare products. From serum to night cream, TruSkin Naturals has a variety of Vitamin C-based skincare products designed for women with various skin problems regardless of their skin type.

TruSkin’s plant-based formula not only helps brighten and moisturize the skin but can also be super helpful in minimizing redness and discoloration due to acne breakouts. Besides, this serum helps make the skin soft and supple by evening out skin tone without irritating sensitive skin or causing breakouts.

What we love the most is that this vitamin C serum has a soothing, cooling effect on the skin when applied, rather than stinging like other vitamin C products.

Like other pricey options, this affordable Vitamin C serum is also rich in antioxidants. Also, the formula contains jojoba oil, aloe vera, and hyaluronic acid. As expected, Vitamin C is the key component in this vitamin C serum. Instead of L-ascorbic acid, this serum uses sodium ascorbyl phosphate, which is a milder and less powerful variant of vitamin C, well-known for neutralizing free radicals, increasing collagen synthesis, and evening out the skin tone.

Unlike the Tree of Life glow serum, this serum is alcohol-free. It means it’s safe, even if you have sensitive skin. However, if you have oily or acne-prone skin, it is best to avoid this product since it includes Vitamin E, which is comedogenic. We felt that individuals with normal to dry skin would benefit the most from this serum.

Skin Benefits: Brightening | Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, botanical Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil | Scent: Unscented

Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Serum

For beauty enthusiasts, skincare often feels effortless when a brand promises to miraculously remove all of the flaws with just a few droplets of a supposed miracle-working essence. Are they worth the splurge for the sake of healthy, radiant skin?

With Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Serum, you might think it is. This skincare treasure has gathered rave reviews online from regular and pregnant women alike for its effectiveness and overall quality. 

As claimed by the brand, this product is made entirely of practical and clean components. Its low toxicity score on EWG’s Skin Deep database surely validates the claim. The formula contains Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, and Pinus Pinaster for moisturizing your skin without breaking it out or making you feel greasy. Happy customers who bought this product found it helpful for preventing skin discoloration by smoothing and brightening their complexion!

Its main selling points are its anti-aging effects and the ability to target skin flaws. It contains 15 percent pure vitamin C, which works in tandem with active components such as hyaluronic acid to increase elasticity in your skin. While it is fragrance-free and claims to be sensitive-skin friendly, some of our testers weren’t a fan of its funky sunless-tanner smell.

Skin Benefits: Brightening | Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid | Scent: Aloe

CeraVe Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid

The Vitamin C Serum from CeraVe will be a great addition to your skincare routine. This serum fights the signs of aging by brightening your skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and minimizing discoloration. 

Speaking of ingredients, CeraVe Vitamin C Serum has a great mix of 10% ascorbic acid along with ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids that help to increase collagen levels and improve moisture, clarity, texture, and general skin tone. This vitamin C serum improves hydration by employing vitamin E to erase scars and fine lines while promoting radiance.

This skin-friendly composition makes it appropriate for sensitive skin. When tested and observed for a certain period, users reported significant skin improvements and decreased dark spots without experiencing any irritation or breakouts. One woman even crowned it as a “magic serum” for pregnancy as it helped her fight the acne battle.

Better yet, the CeraVe products are made in the United States and are vegan-friendly. The company offers a full refund to those who don’t enjoy using this serum.

Skin Benefits: Hydrating | Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: 3 Essential Ceramides & 10% Pure Vitamin C | Scent: Unscented

Summary

The best Vitamin C serum should be the one that is most effective for your skin and fits your budget. These pregnancy-safe Vitamin C serums have a lot of benefits and use. Many pregnant women swear by these products and mention that they have helped them with their skincare routine during pregnancy.

These pregnancy-safe Vitamin C serums can help reduce skin discoloration, even out your complexion, moisturize your skin, fight aging signs, and soothe your skin if it is irritated or dry from being pregnant.