Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% — Reddit Reviews
by The Ordinary
Updated September 23, 2026
23% L-ascorbic acid for brightening and scar fading; stings hard.
What the community says
A gritty vitamin C suspension with 2% hyaluronic acid spheres that people use for brightness, tone, and acne marks. Best for skin that can tolerate acidic actives; if your barrier is cranky, it burns and can feel greasy.
What this means for you
Backed by 18 threads from r/SkincareAddiction, r/AsianBeauty and 4 more.
Read the threads ↓What people love
- 23% pure L-ascorbic acid punch
- Helps brighten and fade marks
- 2% hyaluronic acid spheres add some slip
Watch out for
Product details
Concerns
Use caution
Skin Type
Key Ingredients
Where to buy
What the science says vs. what Reddit says
Hyperpigmentation
Some evidence
Vitamin C: 7 studies tested it on its own. See all 24 studies
On Reddit: High concentration vitamin C suspension stings noticeably yet helps tackle acne scarring and uneven tone. 5 mentions
What the studies found
- Most studies found vitamin C helped fade dark spots or patches
- In melasma studies, vitamin C on the skin often made patches look lighter over time
- Used with other treatments, vitamin C sometimes faded melasma more than the other treatment alone
- For sun spots, vitamin C showed some fading, but one study had mixed results
- It worked about as well as glycolic acid for fading melasma patches in one large review
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 41 mentions across 18 threads
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% on Reddit, in one place — 18 threads from r/SkincareAddiction, r/AsianBeauty and 4 more, summarized.
“the Ordinary vitamin C wouldn’t be at #5”
Cautionary
“A greasy, stingy mess lol”
Cautionary
“Agreed, I didn’t care for The Ordinary’s vitamin C”
Cautionary
“The Ordinary Vitamim C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%”
Positive
“after i dermaroll i apply my vitamin c, wait 30 minutes, then i apply my night cream :)”
Positive
“i use the ordinary’s Vitamim C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%”
Positive
“I stopped using the vitamin C from the Ordinary because I used too much tret and burned my skin (whoops).”
Cautionary
“With the chemically burned skin, the vitamin C cream burned and was far too abrasive so I stopped using it to let my skin heal.”
Cautionary
“Something in that stuff was definitely setting my skin off.”
Cautionary
“AM routine: vit C (I use one from the ordinary) + sunscreen”
Positive
“No I've only started vit C three days ago but I'm planning on being consistent with it!”
Positive
“Which Vitamin C of ours is this? 😮”
Positive
“I’ve also had good results with vit c and azelaic acid from the Ordinary for uneven tone/pigmentation.”
Positive
“a good vitamin C serum could help your complexion look fresher the fastest.”
Positive
“Vitamin C or tret may help you”
Positive
“then vitamin C suspension. Both from the ordinary.”
Mentioned
“I use Azelic acid from the ordinary at night.”
Mentioned
“In the morning I bought some hyaluronic acid wait a few minutes”
Mentioned
Dupes & Alternatives
Anua
Azelaic Acid Hyaluron Redness Soothing Serum
Better for Hyperpigmentation
4 shared traits
676 mentions
