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Is azelaic acid on your radar? If not, it absolutely should be. It’s a multi-tasking ingredient that pretty much everyone can use (even pregnant women) – and benefit from. Talking about it at the end of 2023, skin doctor, Dr Sam Bunting predicted that it would go ‘stratospheric’ in the next few years and even had the potential to challenge retinoids as the must-have ingredient for achieving glowing skin.
So why is it such a powerhouse? Not only does it reduce pigmentation and redness, but it also clears clogged pores and minimises the appearance of blemishes. Basically, whether you’ve got rosacea, spots, hyperpigmentation or simply want brighter, more radiant skin, it should be in your regime.
While labelled an acid, it’s generally not considered to be as harsh on skin other acids such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin A (retinoic acid) and, while it’s available on prescription at 15 per cent and 20 per cent, at the ten per cent level you’ll find in most over-the-counter creams, it’s still effective and unlikely to cause irritation — although, as with anything, introduce it gradually if you’ve not used it before.
Azelaic acid can be used daily in the morning or evening, or both, all over the face
Azelaic acid also plays nicely with other actives so can be formulated with ingredients such as vitamin C and niacinamide to complement its effects. And as for those effects, if you really want to see what it can do, give it at least a month and be consistent. Using daily – you can use it morning or evening, or both – all over the face will give the best results. So where can you find it? Here are five over-the-counter products that capitalise on the wizardry of azelaic acid…
Best for rosacea
Since its launch in 2020, this has become something of a cult product — and with good reason. It’s a clever combination of ten per cent azelaic with five per cent niacinamide and two per cent ascorbic glucoside, a gentle form of vitamin C, plus one per cent bakuchiol — often referred to as an alternative to retinol, because it has similar effects, calming blemishes and reducing signs of ageing. Loved by rosacea sufferers and pregnant women alike (who are advised not to use retinol) for being effective at improving skin appearance and texture while also being kind to sensitive skin.
Best newcomer
This is the latest launch from the beauty mogul who debuted it this week in a blaze of publicity. While the combination of vitamin C and ten per cent azelaic acid isn’t unique, the brand claims the way that they’ve managed to package the high level of vitamin C in a slow-release format, together with a special delivery system for the azelaic, is groundbreaking. Used daily, it has been clinically proven to transform skin – evening tone, boosting radiance and reducing redness — in just 14 days.
Trinny London launched the latest new product with azelaic acid this week
Best budget buy
The back to basics skincare brand offers this no frills option if you’re happy with the rest of your routine and just want to add in some azelaic acid. Those with rosacea and breakouts describe it as a game changer, but if you’re cocktailing your own skincare, be careful about using it with other strong ingredients – such as acids or retinoids – at least until your skin has got used to it. If you love this cream formulation, it’s also available in a 100ml version for £27.40.
Best for sensitive skin
While you can get prescription strength azelaic from their prescription by post service (see below), if you don’t want to commit to that, this dropper serum that contains ten per cent azelaic acid could be worth trying.
As the name suggests, it’s specifically formulated to deliver the benefits of azelaic to sensitive skin types and, as such, contains calming peptides alongside a number of ingredients known to soothe and calm skin, such as bisabolol, panthenol, ectoin and allantoin.
Best for blemishes
Designed especially for blemish-prone adult skin (as too often products aimed at spots dry skin out too much) this combines ten per cent azelaic acid with salicylic acid, known for its efficacy when it comes to cleaning out pores and controlling oil, and hyaluronic acid. The idea is that the hyaluronic plumps and hydrates skin so you zap the spots but don’t leave skin desiccated and wrinkly.
Want something stronger but don’t have the time or money for a dermatologist? Check out Skin & Me (skinandme.com), Dermatica (dermatica.co.uk) and Klira (klira.skin) who all offer prescription by post skincare and can prescribe you azelaic acid at strengths up to 20%.