The Vitamin C 13 Serum
The everyday vitamin C serum in COSRX's line, for a brighter, more even look. 20 ml, worn after toner and before sunscreen.
No reviews yet20ml
$10.50 per 10 ml
- Korean-market formula
- Ships from California or direct from Korea
- Korean barcode and batch code intact
- Suited to
- SensitiveCompromised barrierUneven toneDull
- Helps with
- Barrier weaknessEarly environmental damageUneven tone and dullnessExcess oil
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- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Tracked delivery to your door
How it works
This is the vitamin C step that goes into a morning routine and stays there. It belongs after toner and before moisturizer and sunscreen, on skin that is dry rather than wet. What changes is tone rather than texture: a brighter, more even look that shows after a few weeks of consistent mornings. Sunscreen over the top is the other half of the habit, and a morning routine that includes this step should not skip it. It suits someone who wants one active step in the morning and keeps the evening free for an exfoliant or a retinoid.
How to use
- Use the Vitamin C 13 Serum in the morning, after toner and before moisturizer, on skin that has dried off rather than damp skin.
- Three or four drops covers the whole face and neck. Press it in and let it settle for a minute.
- Toner first, this second, then moisturizer, then sunscreen as the last step of the morning.
- Once a day, in the morning. Do not stack it in the same routine as an exfoliating acid or a retinoid; give those the evening instead.
COSRX The Vitamin C 13 Serum
What makes this a 13% vitamin C serum rather than a lower-strength brightening product?
Ascorbic acid appears second on the ingredient list, directly after water, declared at 13%, which is the number in the product name. A second, more stable vitamin C form, 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid, follows a few entries later, and caffeine and sodium hyaluronate sit in the upper half of the list as well. That combination places this in the direct-acid category of vitamin C serums rather than a milder derivative-only formula.
Will a 20 ml bottle of 13% vitamin C be too intense for my skin?
Direct ascorbic acid at this strength can sting or feel warm on skin that has not used it before, so easing in with alternate nights rather than daily use from the start is sensible. The list carries no fragrance, essential oil, denatured alcohol, silicone, paraben, or added colourant, removing several common irritant categories. Panthenol and allantoin sit mid-list as calming ingredients, though anyone with compromised or actively reactive skin should patch test before applying it broadly.
Does this serum need weeks of use before tone improves?
Ascorbic acid, glutathione, and tocopherol work together as an antioxidant routine that builds over repeated daily applications rather than producing a change overnight. Niacinamide, positioned near the end of the list, adds a further ingredient associated with a more even-looking complexion over time. Applying it every morning for several weeks is the realistic window for judging whether tone and texture have shifted.
Should this go on before or after my other morning serums?
This vitamin C serum is generally applied early in a morning routine, after toner and before heavier creams or sunscreen, since ascorbic acid performs its antioxidant role best close to the skin. Nothing on this ingredient list is known to conflict with a mineral or chemical sunscreen used afterward. Avoid layering it in the same session as a separate strong exfoliating acid, since stacking two direct acids at once raises the chance of irritation.
How do I check that this 20 ml bottle is the real Korean-market formula?
This product's own barcode, 8800311121911, is a genuine EAN specific to this bottle, so matching that number against your box is a useful first check. COSRX also runs its own verification: the batch number and expiration date on your unit are entered on the checking page at cosrx.com, read directly off the packaging rather than from any listing. Using both the barcode and the batch check together is the most reliable way to confirm what you have is authentic.
Not on the ingredient list below: fragrance or parfum, denatured or SD alcohol, essential oils, silicones, parabens, sulfate surfactants, mineral oil or petrolatum and added color.
Full INCI (25): Water, Ascorbic Acid (13%), Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Tromethamine, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Panthenol, Acetyl Glucosamine, Caffeine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Sulfite, Disodium EDTA, Glutathione, Adenosine, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Dextrin, Squalane, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Arginine, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract
Ingredient list read from jolse.com on 9 September 2026.
25 of 25 explained
- Water solvent
- Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
- Ascorbic Acid (13%) antioxidant
- Ascorbic Acid is pure vitamin C, the most researched form and also the least stable: it needs a low pH and airtight packaging to stay active. It is an antioxidant used for the look of dullness and uneven tone.
- Butylene Glycol humectant
- Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
- Dipropylene Glycol humectant
- Dipropylene Glycol is a glycol used as a solvent and a light humectant. Its main job is keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid rather than adding hydration of its own.
- Tromethamine pH adjuster
- Tromethamine neutralises acidic thickeners such as carbomer so they gel, and holds a formula near skin-friendly pH. It is used at a fraction of a percent.
- 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid antioxidant
- 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is a stable vitamin C derivative that skin converts to ascorbic acid. It survives in a formula far better than pure vitamin C and works at a gentler pH, so it suits skin that finds the pure acid uncomfortable.
- Panthenol humectant
- Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.
- Acetyl Glucosamine active
- Acetyl Glucosamine is the sugar unit hyaluronic acid is built from. It is used as a humectant and, at higher levels, for the look of uneven tone, often paired with niacinamide.
- Caffeine active
- Caffeine constricts small blood vessels near the surface, which is why eye products use it for the look of puffiness and shadow. It is water soluble and works only while it is on the skin.
- Sodium Hyaluronate humectant
- Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
- Sodium Sulfite antioxidant
- A reducing agent used to stop vitamin C and other easily oxidised ingredients from browning in the bottle.
- Disodium EDTA chelator
- EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
13 more explained
- Glutathione antioxidant
- Glutathione is a small peptide the body uses as one of its main antioxidants. In skincare it is used as an antioxidant and for the look of dullness; it is unstable in water, so formulas that carry it are usually built around protecting it.
- Adenosine active
- Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated.
- Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract plant extract
- Gardenia Fruit Extract is the traditional East Asian yellow dye plant. In skincare it is used as an antioxidant extract, and it can tint a formula.
- Allantoin active
- Allantoin is a comfrey-derived compound used to condition skin and soften the outer layer so it feels smoother. It is one of the standard additions to a formula built for easily irritated skin.
- Dextrin thickener
- Dextrin is a starch fragment used to thicken and to give a formula a light, powdery finish. It is also a common carrier for powdered extracts.
- Squalane emollient
- Squalane is the stable, saturated version of squalene, a lipid human skin already makes. It is a light emollient that absorbs quickly, does not oxidise, and is one of the few oils widely considered safe for blemish-prone skin. Most cosmetic squalane is now from sugarcane or olive rather than shark.
- Tocotrienols antioxidant
- Tocotrienols are the other half of the vitamin E family, usually from rice or palm. They are oil-soluble antioxidants used alongside tocopherol.
- Tocopherol antioxidant
- Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
- Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil emollient
- Palm Oil is a rich emollient high in palmitic and oleic acids. In skincare it is more often a source material for esters and emulsifiers than an ingredient on its own.
- Arginine amino acid
- Arginine is an amino acid that does two jobs here: it holds water in the outer layer of skin, and it neutralises acidic gelling agents, which is why it often stands in for a synthetic pH adjuster.
- Niacinamide active
- Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.
- Pentylene Glycol humectant
- Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
- Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract plant extract
- Licorice Root Extract carries glabridin and liquiritin. It is one of the classic plant ingredients used for the look of uneven tone and redness, and it appears in almost every brightening formula that avoids synthetic actives.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8800311121911
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 20ml
- Category
- Serum & Ampoule / Vitamin C Serum
- Actives
- Adenosine, Allantoin, Caffeine, Glutathione, Licorice Root, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Vitamin C
- Ships from
- California or Korea
Orders ship from California or direct from Korea with tracked delivery to your door, and both routes carry the same Korean-market release. Shipping is free on orders of $100 or more. Returns are accepted for 30 days, by mail.
We split shipments free, so one out-of-stock item never holds up the rest of your order.
Where this unit came from
- 1Seoul
Bought as Korean-market stock - 2Barcode
Listed against the Korean barcode on its box - 3California or Korea
Ships to you from either, as the same Korean-market release
We stock the version of a formula that is sold in Korea, not the release a brand prepares for another market under the same name. The barcode in the specification above is the Korean-market one and it is printed on the box you receive.
Every unit keeps its original barcode and batch code intact, so the unit in your hands can be checked against the brand’s own records.
Every order ships from California or direct from Korea, and returns run for 30 days.
Every claim on this page traces to the unit in the box, the barcode, the batch code and the price you can read for yourself.
Key benefits
- Ascorbic acid is declared at 13%, matching the name.
- Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is another, more stable vitamin C form on the list.
- Caffeine and sodium hyaluronate sit in the top ten of the list.
- Niacinamide, glutathione and licorice root extract round out the formula.
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
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COSRX The Vitamin C 13 Serum
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COSRX, Korean-market original
Vitamin C 13% Serum, 20 ml, with Niacinamide.
Verify your unit when it arrives
Verify your unit when it arrives
Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.
COSRX verifies units itself. Find the verification page on cosrx.com and enter the batch number and expiration date printed on your unit. Read them off the package rather than from us, which is the point.
Source: COSRX FAQ
On the unit itself
- The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
- The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.
정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock
What professionals say
What professionals say
What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.
Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
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