The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%, Vitamin C Serum
by The Ordinary · skin_care
Editor's Take
Good vitamin C math here: 12% Ascorbyl Glucoside with delivery solvents that help it show up, but the clean-beauty crowd will side-eye the support crew.
Four-pillar formula scores
- Efficacy: 7.8 / 10
- Modern Tech: 6.0 / 10
- Clean Beauty: 5.0 / 10
- Sustainability: 7.5 / 10
The Verdict
For brightening, this has solid efficacy alignment: 12% Ascorbyl Glucoside, plus Dimethyl Isosorbide and Ethoxydiglycol to keep the active moving through the formula. Technology lands in Some Modern Features rather than sci-fi, which fits a focused water-glycol serum from The Ordinary. The rub is clean, where Triethanolamine and Isoceteth-20 pull it down to 5 and leave COSMOS alignment Limited, while sustainability still sits Good because it avoids silicones and sulfates. Worth it for a low-drama vitamin C step, not a natural-certification shopper’s trophy.
Full INCI list
Aqua (water), Ascorbyl Glucoside, Propanediol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Triethanolamine, Isoceteth-20, Xanthan Gum, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ethoxydiglycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, 1,2-hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol.