THE BEST AZELAIC ACID SERUMS AND CREAMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE ORDINARY AND NATURIUM – WHAT IS AZELAIC ACID AND WHAT IS AZELAIC ACID GOOD FOR?
It was a relatively tame week, with the perfect balance of work and play, self care and self control.
It was also the first full week that I went completely vegan. I had been alternating between a fully vegan diet and a pescatarian diet for several weeks now and seen great results. I’ve lost the “quarantine fifteen” and have even seen a calming of my migraines.
(As with just about everything, whether that’s directly related to the diet is beyond my ability to assess.)
While I’ve been wanting to convert to total veganism, I had to be careful about getting the protein my body needs while having to avoid nearly all nuts — a reliable source of protein for vegans.
But for me, nuts and seeds have been risky for a while now. They are nearly always very high in tyrosine, which converts to tyramine in the body — and is a strong migraine trigger. As my body has regained homeostasis, the migraines have subsided significantly and I’ve been able to slowly add things I love back into my life — like coffee, chocolate and, yes, some nuts.
The concept of homeostasis has always struck me as a possible reason why I suddenly began experiencing chronic migraine two years ago. I’ve discussed the possibility with my neurologist, acupuncturist, nutritionist, and even my energy healer. Again, nothing is ever certain with migraines — except uncertainty.
I found a great article on homeostasis on the Scientific American website simply titled, What is Homeostasis? An excerpt from the piece:
“Homeostasis, from the Greek words for ‘same’ and ‘steady,’ refers to any process that living things use to actively maintain fairly stable conditions necessary for survival. The term was coined in 1930 by the physician Walter Cannon. His book, The Wisdom of the Body, describes how the human body maintains steady levels of temperature and other vital conditions such as the water, salt, sugar, protein, fat, calcium and oxygen contents of the blood. Similar processes dynamically maintain steady-state conditions in the Earth's environment.”
If your body is not experiencing homeostasis, or ideal balance, you’re “out of whack” and susceptible to all sorts of health surprises. Like sudden chronic migraine, perhaps?
So, in an attempt to restore balance, I’ve made significant changes to my diet.
My vegan bestie and I have been exploring all kinds of cool vegan restaurants all over the City — from Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn to Harlem in Manhattan and the Bronx.
One of our favorite 100% vegan restaurants is Blossom NYC on Columbus Avenue between 84th and 85th in the Upper East Side.
They have a really extensive menu and it’s always so liberating and stress-free knowing that literally everything is vegan-safe. Nary an egg, slab of butter or chicken wing in sight! Feeling like brunch, we dropped by Blossom later on Saturday afternoon. The French toast with tempeh bacon and coconut cream is literally everything. Tempeh what?
Tempeh has been one of the more interesting vegan experiences for me. I had never even heard of it until recently. It’s like a mystery meat and I had to solve it. So I went googling! I found a great article on the mysterious non-meat titled, What is Tempeh—and How Do You Use It?
Tempeh is a powerhouse food, but it often gets overshadowed by its more popular cousin, tofu. However, tempeh is not just for vegans or health food store shoppers anymore—tempeh is popping up on restaurant menus and in grocery stores everywhere. But how much do you actually know about this plant-based protein?
Tempeh is made from soybeans, although various beans, whole grains, and flavorings are often added as well. (We love Trader Joe’s Organic 3-Grain Tempeh!) To make tempeh, soybeans are cooked and fermented then packed into a brick-like cake.
Tempeh bacon has the texture, feel, and even flavor of actual bacon — and it’s become one of my favorite vegan pleasures.
I actually kicked off the weekend Friday with a manicure and pedicure at my favorite nail salon in TriBeCa, Jin Soon. My usual nail artist has been on what seems like a whole summer vacation so I’ve been less adventurous than usual.
Still, a great manicure is as joy-inducing as a tasty slice of tempeh bacon…
The skincare stuff starts here.
Last week, I published a blog article titled, A Complete Oily Skin Routine From The Ordinary – Best Niacinamide Serum For Oily Skin, Best Oily Skin Mask With Salicylic Acid. In it, I offered a collection of five products which combined to form an ideal skincare routine for oily skin.
To put it together, I hit The Ordinary’s regimen builder on the Deciem website and, well, pretended I had oily skin. The products featured in my article were the result of my online consultation — and what appears to be the best skincare routine for oily skin composed of some of the best products from The Ordinary.
A COMPLETE OILY SKIN ROUTINE FROM THE ORDINARY – BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUM FOR OILY SKIN, BEST AZELAIC ACID SERUM
One of the more intriguing products in the The Ordinary’s oily skin routine was the brand’s Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. I had been planning this article on Azelaic Acid, one of the hottest ingredients in skincare, for several months now.
What Is Azelaic Acid and What Is Azelaic Acid Good for?
Azelaic Acid is one of those hidden gem ingredients that’s been recently repositioned as a highly effective, reliable substance for promoting skin health. It’s not a new ingredient, but it’s newly used in skincare. And like Niacinamide and Salicylic Acid, which are both oily skin essentials, anyone can use Azelaic Acid.
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team,
A type of acid known as a dicarboxylic acid derived from grains that offers numerous benefits when applied to skin. For example, it’s a gentle leave-on exfoliant which helps unclog pores and refine skin texture. Azelaic acid also significantly lessens factors in skin that lead to redness and bumps. Azelaic acid is also an antioxidant.
Research has shown azelaic acid can significantly diminish blemishes, help fade the appearance of post-acne red marks and other discolorations, and reduce the kind of skin sensitivity that leads to redness.
Although azelaic acid can be derived from grains like barley, wheat, and rye, its lab-engineered form is typically used in skincare products because of its stability and effectiveness. Because of this, azelaic acid is considered a synthetic ingredient, but this is a clear case where the synthetic version outperforms the natural version, with no research indicating a risk to skin.
Azelaic acid is available in strengths of 10% or less over-the-counter, and in topical prescription products at concentrations between 15-20%.
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Like Niacinamide, at higher concentrations, Azelaic Acid can have serious benefits for oily skin by helping to moderate sebum production and even calm irritation. Derived from grains like wheat and barley, Azelaic Acid is ideal for controlling surface oil and one of the most vexing concerns of oily skin — acne.
If you’re struggling with oily skin, I encourage you to have a look at my recent blog article on oily skin and some of the best products for your skin type.
For now, let’s have a look at oily skin’s newest BFF with some of the best face creams and serums made with Azelaic Acid…
Paula's Choice | 10% Azelaic Acid Booster
Of course I make no apologies for the fact that I consider Paula's Choice the ideal brand for serious skin treatments. That’s especially the case when it comes to skincare innovations like the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster. There’s simply no brand I trust more to get formulation right when it comes to the newest actives.
Short on hyperbole and long on efficacy, Paula's Choice always nails it. The perfect example is the Paula’s Choice 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment. While brands the world over have been putting Bakuchiol into both new and newly renovated serums and creams, Paula's Choice took a more conservative approach by combining Bakuchiol, the “Retinol-alternative” with tried and true Retinol itself.
PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE 0.3% RETINOL + 2% BAKUCHIOL TREATMENT
Likewise with the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster. When it was introduced five or so years ago, it was the very first Niacinamide serum I’d ever tried — and the first time I’d even heard of Niacinamide. Today, I consider the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster to be the best anti-aging serum available. I go through one bottle of it every three weeks!
The Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster was introduced about a year ago and like those two Niacinamide and Bakuchiol faves of mine, it’s quite a well-formulated treatment. I would expect nothing else from Paula's Choice!
With what appears to be the maximum 10% concentration of Azelaic Acid, the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster is much more than that. By combining a sexy new active with a reliable workhorse, the brand seems to have taken the same approach as with the 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment.
The 10% Azelaic Acid Booster combines Azelaic Acid with Salicylic Acid, surely an oily- and acne-prone skin must.
WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF
PAULA’S CHOICE OMEGA+ - BEST FACIAL SKINCARE POWERED BY OMEGA FATTY ACIDS
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE
What Is Salicylic Acid and What Does Salicylic Acid Do to Your Face?
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, Salicylic Acid is among the best ingredients for promoting skin health and for the maintenance of oily, acne-prone skin:
“Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid, or BHA, which is a desmolytic ingredient. That means it targets certain protein bonds in skin, known as desmosomes, that keep dead cells clinging to skin instead of sloughing off. Skin’s natural shedding process can become faulty due to age, sun damage, and problems like acne and excess oil. Exfoliating helps restore this natural ability.
“Salicylic acid is unique because it not only loosens the bonds between dead skin on the surface but also deep in the pore lining, where spent cells mix with oil and debris, becoming trapped below the surface. Left unchecked, all this buildup leads to dull, rough skin and clogged pores, setting the stage for blackheads and bumps.
“Compared to water-soluble alpha hydroxy acids, this type of acid is oil soluble, so it’s able to get through the oil, thinning it so it can flow freely to skin’s surface where your cleanser washes it away. Its oil-soluble nature makes it preferred for oily, breakout-prone skin, and it’s why medicated salicylic acid products for acne work so well; however, all skin types can benefit from this ingredient.”
Paula's Choice says that the 10% Azelaic Acid Booster is “a potent azelaic-and-salicylic-acid cream that dramatically and visibly clarifies uneven skin tone, fades acne marks, and reduces redness.”
There’s also a healthy dose of brightening Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, as well as two known skin soothers beyond skin-calming Azelaic Acid in the form of Allantoin and Bisabolol — the active component of chamomile.
What does 10% Azelaic Acid Booster do exactly? A lot! With the combination of Azelaic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Licorice Root Extract and soothing actives, the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster helps to minimize the look of blemished skin, smooths a rough, bumpy texture, calms irritation and redness and helps to brighten skin and minimize the visible appearance of post-acne marks.
With a super light creamy lotion texture, it’s easily layerable into any skincare routine.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster for $36 here.
The Best Brightening Serums
Naturium | Azelaic Topical Acid 10%
I’ve only recently begun to explore Naturium’s clean, affordable skincare. Even if you haven’t had the chance to try anything from Naturium yet, you’ve probably been seeing it appear all over the place.
What is it?
Well, Naturium is a clean, affordable skincare brand with the kind of “single-note” serums that have been popularized by OG brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List. They offer products similar to The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and the Bakuchiol Cream from The Inkey List — a superb anti-aging cream and one of the best Bakuchiol creams for face with one percent of the Retinol alternative. (Psst…it costs just $9.99 at Sephora in the US.)
I included the Naturium Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2% in a recent blog article on my latest Niacinamide finds. With a concentration of 12% Niacinamide and 2% Zinc, it’s easily among the best brightening serums for oily- and acne-prone skin. If you’re curious, you can read my review of it here.
PRODUCT REVIEW: NATURIUM NIACINAMIDE SERUM 12% PLUS ZINC 2% - BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUM OILY SKIN
I’ve actually been playing around with several of Naturium’s most popular serums and the Naturium Azelaic Topical Acid 10% certainly makes the cut. Yet, unlike the Paula’s Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster and The Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% (reviewed just below), Naturium’s Azelaic Topical Acid 10% is a watery serum and even more easily layered.
I was curious about how and why Paula’s Choice and The Ordinary offer lightweight creams instead of a more watery serum similar to both brands’ Niacinamide offerings. Or how and why Naturium’s Azelaic Topical Acid 10% isn’t in a cream form.
As it turns out, Naturium uses a derivative of the pure Azelaic Acid that both Paula’s Choice and The Ordinary are using in their similar formulations — Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate. My googling led me to the discovery that formulating with Azelaic Acid is actually quite challenging — which may explain the dearth of Azelaic Acid products in the skincare marketplace considering its broad benefits for the skin.
According to the ingredient experts at INCI Decoder, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate is a “derivative of clinically proven, superstar ingredient Azelaic Acid and hydrating amino acid Glycine. Azelaic acid is an awesome ingredient with anti-inflammatory, skin lightening and anti-acne effects, but its insolubility (it’s soluble neither in water nor in oil) makes it difficult to use it in a cosmetically elegant and versatile way.”
The INCI Decoder site goes on to explain that Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate is the near equivalent of Azelaic Acid with similar brightening and “sebum normalizing” activity.
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What Is Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate Used for and What is Azelaic Acid Derivative?
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, the Azelaic Acid derivative Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate is “among the best ingredients for promoting skin health and for the maintenance of oily, acne-prone skin:
Has been studied for soothing sensitive skin conditions, including reducing redness
Known to offer improvement for uneven skin tone
Helps with issues related to excessive oiliness in skin
Water-soluble ingredient obtained from the condensation of azelaic acid mixed with glycine
The glycine component gives it a hydrating/moisturizing effect”
The Paula’s Choice Research Team continues:
Potassium azeloyl diglycinate offers many of the same benefits as pure azelaic acid (including the ability to improve uneven tone), with the advantage that is easier to incorporate into various types of cosmetic formulas due to its increased stability and compatibility. Of significance, potassium azeloyl diglycinate plays a role in reducing the appearance of redness and discomfort associated with sensitive skin.
Potassium azeloyl diglycinate is a water-soluble ingredient obtained from the condensation of azelaic acid mixed with glycine. The glycine gives it a hydrating/moisturizing effect that helps improve conditions for compromised skin.
Simultaneously, potassium azeloyl diglycinate has the ability to normalize and in turn help minimize excess oil in skin. This can help with skin issues associated the overproduction of sebum (think clogged pores, breakouts, etc.).
More research is necessary to determine the concentration range needed to produce optimal results, but from the studies currently available as well as information from ingredient suppliers, we can conclude that a 0.5% concentration is beneficial for soothing skin, while amounts between 2–3% can help fade skin discolorations and influence sebum.
With its watery texture, something I prefer as it allows me to layer multiple serums into my routine, Naturium Azelaic Topical Acid 10% is quite a nice (and yes, elegant!) formula. And like the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster, it’s got much more going for it than its one-note name implies.
In addition to 10% Azelaic Acid, the Naturium formula contains two other power brighteners, Niacinamide and Ethyl Ascorbic Acid — a stable, water-soluble Vitamin C derivative that is metabolized into Vitamin C upon penetration of the skin. There’s even a smattering of Coffee Seed Extract for a solid antioxidant defense when combined with the Niacinamide and Vitamin C in the formula.
I have to say I’m super impressed with Naturium so far and the Naturium Azelaic Topical Acid 10% is easily one of my favorite new skincare discoveries of 2021.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Naturium Azelaic Topical Acid 10% for $20 here.
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The Ordinary | Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
True skincare innovations are not nearly as common as you’d think, given the number of new products and brands that launch every year. And when it comes to ingredients, it’s even more rare. Ingredient complexes, blends, combinations, sure. But new skincare ingredients are few and far between.
What’s more common when it comes to skincare actives is the repurposing of ingredients and their use at higher concentrations. It wasn’t that long ago that Niacinamide was relatively unknown. When I was working at Kiehl’s, we had it in a few products at low levels, but no one knew what hidden gem it was. Of course, as a form of Niacin, or Vitamin B3, it’s been around since the dawn of time, like Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin A — all skincare superstars.
Introduced in or around 2015, the 10% Niacinamide Booster serum from Paula’s Choice put Niacinamide on the map. With its ability to protect, maintain and restore skin health, it quickly became one of the best anti-aging serums in the world.
PAULA’S CHOICE NIACINAMIDE 20% TREATMENT - THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUM TO TREAT CLOGGED PORES
Then, in 2019, the brand introduced the Niacinamide 20% Treatment — with double the Niacinamide potency of the original. At a 20% concentration, Niacinamide not only delivers effective antioxidant defense, brightening of the complexion, and skin barrier strengthening, but a surface retexturizing that rivals direct acids like Lactic Acid.
Until rather recently, it wasn’t widely known or accepted that ingredients like Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid and Azelaic Acid were particularly useful for moderating oily skin. Azelaic Acid is the new kid on the block and if you’re really oily or acne-prone, you shouldn’t overlook this unsung hero.
As I said earlier, the lack of dedicated Azelaic Acid products in the marketplace seems to be a result of the fact that Azelaic Acid is difficult to formulate with. The Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster is a perfectly well-rounded creamy treatment that delivers a compound of pro-skin health actives for oily- and acne-prone skin. And The Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% has a similarly light, creamy texture.
For oily skin, The Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is seeing some real time in the light — and justifiably so. It’s the perfect layering treatment that’s easily incorporated into any skincare routine.
With the light creamy texture of a face lotion, it could easily be mistaken for a moisturizer. It is not. Unlike the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster, though, there are no reliable skin-replenishing ingredients in the Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% — aside from a small amount of Vitamin E. That’s not going to feed skin the replenishment it needs from a good moisturizer.
The Ordinary says its Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% “visibly brightens the skin tone, improves the evenness of skin texture, reduces the look of blemishes, and offers antioxidant support.” If your skin tends to be irritated — and many oily- and acne-prone skins are — then The Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is the perfect treatment for rebalancing and soothing your reactive skin.
For the price ( just $7.90!), it’s an excellent option for boosting the pro-skin health benefits of your routine and adding in some calming, rebalancing, sebum-controlling Azelaic Acid.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% for just $7.90 here.
That’s it, guys! No matter your skin type, I hope you’ll consider incorporating Azelaic Acid into your routine to step up your skincare game.
See you next week…
💟 Carmine @skincarma
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The Ingredient List of the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster:
aacne|so|buff, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate emo|amic, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate emo|emu, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Glyceryl Stearate emo|emu 0 1-2, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Salicylic Acid exf|aacne|so|pres, Adenosine 
cci, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract so|sb, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Allantoin so 0 0, Bisabolol so, Cyclopentasiloxane emo|solv, Xanthan Gum vc, Sclerotium Gum vc, Propanediol solv|h, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Phenoxyethanol presThe Ingredient List of the Naturium Azelaic Topical Acid 10%:
sb|aacne|so, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 vc, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid aox|sb, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Phenylpropanol perf|solv, Phenoxyethanol pres, Citric Acid buff, Potassium Chloride vc, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Chlorphenesin pres|amic, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Potassium Sorbate pres, Sodium Benzoate presThe Ingredient List of The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%:
aacne|so|buff, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer emo|vc, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Polysilicone-11, Isohexadecane emo|solv, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate chel, Isoceteth-20 emu|surf, Polysorbate 60 emu|surf, Triethanolamine buff 0 2, Ethoxydiglycol solv|h|perf 0 0, Phenoxyethanol pres, Chlorphenesin pres|amic
