Between the chlorine-spiked pool water, dank camping-tent air, and endless stream of cold brews (of all varieties), summer tends to do a number on your skin. So if you’re over the age of 25 and are still mostly using one bar of soap to clean and moisturize every part of your body, now is probably a good time to, ahem, expand your repertoire. And a vitamin C serum is a very good place to start.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, a serum is something you use after you wash your face but before you moisturize to give your skin some extra help where it needs it most. Think: acne, wrinkles, and dryness. Vitamin C is a common ingredient in all skin-care products because of its awesome ability to reduce discoloration, stimulate collagen production, minimize fine lines and wrinkles, and protect your skin against future sun damage. Whether you’re spending your summer chilling on a boat or mowing the lawn, this multi-tasker ingredient, in this powerful form, is precisely what your face needs right now.

When it comes to choosing which serum to buy, you can go for one that includes several other skin-loving ingredients with their own benefits for the skin, or make like a dermatologist and splurge on some pure vitamin C (a.k.a. L-ascorbic acid) in a potency of up to 20 percent (a.k.a. the good shit). A multi-ingredient serum, with its more reasonable price, fancy packaging, and general approachability, is probably a good place to start. When you’re ready to blast your face with some serious skin-care sunshine, you can go straight for the strong stuff.

(And keep these little guys in the fridge. As with your skin, too much heat and natural light isn’t good for them.)

Anthony High Performance Vitamin C Facial Serum (1 oz.), $46, available at nordstrom.com

Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% (1 oz), $160, available at dermstore.com

Clinique Fresh Pressed™ Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10% (0.34 oz), $20, available at clinique.com

Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate (1.7 oz), $60, available at kiehls.com

PCA Skin C-Quench Antioxidant Serum (1 oz), $75, available at dermstore.com

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