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Brightening serums ranked by vitamin C content, niacinamide levels, and active ingredient strength. Real scores, not marketing claims.
The best serum for brightening is Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum, scoring 9.0/9.8. It leads with hydration efficacy (9.6) and irritation risk (9.5). Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream (9.0) is a close second.
Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum
A-Passioni Retinol Cream
Hyaluronic Multi Peptide PDRN Serum
Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment
Deep Vita A Retinol Serum
Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Serum
No.5 Vitamin-Niacinamide Concentrated Pad
Buffet
Retinol Cica Ampoule
Vitamin C Super Serum Plus
Dive-In Low Molecule Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Ceramidin Serum
Dream Oasis Deep Hydration Serum
Triple Peptide + Cactus Oasis Serum
Retinol Youth Renewal Serum
Atobarrier 365 Hydro Essence
Hello Results Wrinkle-Reducing Daily Retinol Serum-in-Cream
Pore Perfecting Collagen Peptide Serum
Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Acid Serum
T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum
10% Niacinamide Booster
Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
Vitamin C Complex Serum
AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum
Vitamin C Boosting Serum
Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment
Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Serum
C-Niacin Toning Ampoule
Perfect Renew Youth Regenerator
Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum
Madagascar Centella Ampoule
Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum
Cicapair Tiger Grass Re.Pair Serum
Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule
Ceramide Barrier Serum
Sérum Acide salicylique + Niacinamide
Super Serum
A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum
GenOptics Spot Essence
C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum
Madeca Ampoule
IOPE Retinol Expert 0.1%
Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate
Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum
Biolumin-C Serum
No.5 Vitamin-Niacinamide Concentrated Serum
Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Essence
C-Firma Fresh Day Serum
Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Ampoule
Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Capsule Ampoule
Serums deliver concentrated actives directly to the skin — the ingredient list matters more here than in any other category.
The higher an active appears on the INCI list, the more of it the formula contains. Niacinamide, retinol, and vitamin C are the most researched actives.
If an active is listed after preservatives or fragrance, the concentration is likely too low to be effective. Position is everything.
Water-based serums layer well under moisturisers. Oil-based serums should go last. Avoid mixing direct acids with retinol in the same routine.
Good serums pair actives with soothing and hydrating ingredients (like panthenol or allantoin) to reduce irritation risk.
These ingredients appear most frequently across the highest-scoring serum products in this category.
Glycerin
Pentylene Glycol
Niacinamide
Retinol
Sodium Hyaluronate
Butylene Glycol
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Allantoin
Not sure which to pick? Compare them side by side.
Based on our ingredient analysis, Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum scores highest with a 9.0/9.8 overall rating, leading in hydration efficacy (9.6).
The top-ranked serum products in this category commonly feature Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, and Retinol. These ingredients are backed by research and appear consistently in the highest-scoring formulas.
Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum scores 9.0/9.8 across our ingredient-based analysis and sits in the premium price range. The formulation quality justifies the investment for most skin types.
Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum leads with a 9.0/9.8 score, while Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream follows at 9.0/9.8. The key differences come down to their ingredient formulations — comparing them side by side reveals where each excels.
We analyse the full INCI ingredient list of every product, scoring across 5 key attributes: hydration efficacy, irritation risk, active ingredient strength, ingredient transparency, and formulation safety. Scores are algorithm-driven and updated regularly.
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© 2026 Gracie. All rights reserved. Data sourced from Open Beauty Facts (ODbL) and EU CosIng.