Glow Maker Vitamin C Serum — Reddit Reviews
by Maelove
Updated September 30, 2026
15% L-ascorbic acid dupe for CE Ferulic; breaks some people out.
What the community says
A 15% L-ascorbic acid serum with glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, ferulic acid, and tocopherol. People use it as a CE Ferulic-style vitamin C step before moisturizer and sunscreen. Reactive skin may get itchy, dry, or break out.
What this means for you
What people love
- 15% L-ascorbic acid dupe energy
- Layers cleanly under moisturizer and SPF
- Includes ferulic acid plus tocopherol
Watch out for
- Can trigger breakouts and itchy dry patches
- Not kind to sensitive or redness-prone skin
- Antioxidant serum, so YMMV if your barrier is already cranky
Product details
Skin type data limited
Where to buy
What the science says
Hyperpigmentation
Some evidence
Vitamin C: 7 studies tested it on its own. See all 24 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found vitamin C helped fade dark spots or patches
- Most studies in melasma found it made patches look lighter over time
- It worked about as well as glycolic acid in one study
- One study found only weak fading, and one dark-spot measure did not beat a placebo
Studied at 0.2–30%this product: 15%
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 4 mentions across 2 threads
Maelove Glow Maker Vitamin C Serum on Reddit, in one place — 2 threads from r/40plusskincare and r/30PlusSkinCare, summarized.
“Maelove, Geek and Gorgeous, Timeless, and Paula’s Choice are decent dupes”
Mentioned
“for the gold standard SkinCeuticals”
Mentioned
“Dr Dray has a good video on YouTube about dupes for CE Ferulic”
Mentioned
“For me, vit c serum and tretinoin.”
Positive
“For vit c serum I use Maelove's the glowmaker vit c serum”
Positive
“and for tretinoin, 0,025 prescribed on Amazon pharmacy.”
Positive
