Deciem The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%

Oh how I wanted to like this stuff! I have used prescription azelaic acid (Finacea) and it was great for my skin, but the co-pays are obscene. So hoping that this lower strength formula would work for me. Unfortunately the formulation is very very drying. It seems to have mattifying agents in it, unlike the Finacea gel formula. It felt very uncomfortable on my face despite being 10% vs. the 15% in the Finacea gel.

If you have really oily skin you might like this formula, but if you are using it with rosacea prone normal to dry skin, beware. I wish The Ordinary would make this in a formula that is not so drying!

My skin: combination/dehydrated with hormonal and sometimes stress-related acne that I have a hard time not picking at.

Now, to preface, I'm not sure exactly what combination of products I'm using is actually doing the work at the moment. I have an idea, of course, but I think it's a combination. Either way, I haven't had skin this nice and clear since I got a severe infection, bordering on sepsis, a couple of years ago and was put on massive amounts of antibiotics. That cleared my skin completely for a while, but it was no fun and antibiotics are HARSH. For the last month or two, though, it's been consistently almost that good, without the side effects.

I think this gem of a product, in combination with a few other things, is what does the magic. All the other products I use have been in my rotation at least slightly longer, but I also feel that a few of them help my skin deal with this product much better, so they're important.

Cleanser: MAC Cleanse Off Oil, sometimes followed with or occasionally alternated with the La Roche-Posay Effaclar hydrating cleanser.
Toner: a generic pharmacy brand hydrating glycerin toner, important, but any will do.
Treatment: Wooden Spoon Troubled Skin Serum, a combination of tamanu oil and marula oil with a few essential oils that helps calm down irritation and helps my skin heal faster, I find. This makes a big difference, without it my skin becomes a little irritated by the azelaic acid product.
Treatment: this, after the oil.
Moisturizer: Avene Skin Recovery Cream.
When needed: Cosrx Pimple Master Patches.

In the morning I just wipe my face with hydrating toner on a cotton pad, spray on some more toner, apply sunscreen (Skin 79 Non-Chemical Sunblock, that one also makes a difference, it seems chemical sunscreen breaks me out a little) and then do my make-up.

I use this most nights, and my skin mostly tolerates it, especially when used with an oil or a moisturiser as a buffer, so to speak. Every now and then I need to give my skin a break, though, and just use very mild, bland products - once or twice a week or every other week, perhaps.

So. Would I recommend this? Yes. It has significantly reduced my hormonal acne. Would I repurchase? Already have. Azelaic acid really works for my skin, it seems.

I'm not sure if I see any results. What I'm sure about - don't try to layer other products on this. I did and it piled up pretty badly.

For reference I have combo normal to dry skin, with an oily nose. I suffer from papulopustular rosacea on both cheeks that I self manage.

This is a lightweight silicone based lotion that applies and absorbs quickly. I use this with the Hylamide Sensitive Skin serum and have found that with religious use every day (no skipping!) unless I directly do things that cause flare ups (be outside in full sun for extended periods) my skin will not have any inflamed pustules. I still have slight texture problems (bumps) but they never get out of control. In the winter my skin has been looking the best it has ever looked without taking drugs.
On a side note, if I just use the Azelaic acid without the serum, I find the texture of my skin feels a bit rougher - the bumps feel a bit more pronounced but still not fully inflamed or showing signs of fluid. If I don't use the acid, and the serum only the skin texture feel smoother and not not as rough, but bumps sometimes show inflammation. I think it's definitely the combination of the two that work for me.

I’m in complete skin heaven! This is a miracle. My skin was breaking out, had red acne scars, and an uneven skin tone. In two weeks, my skin is absolutely amazing from Azelaic acid. The Ordinary does a great job with this product. My skin handles nothing well and I am stunned. I keep looking in the mirror. I finally understand the term brightening. My acne has disappeared and the redness is fifty percent gone. I use a ten step Korean skin care routine. Son and Park Beauty Water and this product are my holy grails. I use a hydrating essence and moisturizer after using The Ordinary. I’m beyond grateful and happy. Try it!

The first time I used this on bare, dry skin after showering at night, the skin near my eyes broke out in hives, an actual rash of irritated skin. My left eye also got kind of red. But this was my first time using any kind of acid on my skin, I've never used anything but rose hip oil and spf on my skin, so I think my skin just wasn't ready. The second time I used a tiny bit and mixed it with coconut oil (I have combination/dry skin), and that went on fine without any side effects. After 2-3 uses I think my skin does look brighter. I and can also see slight clearing up of minor hyper pigmentation on my cheek. My whiteheads have also decreased a lot, including those annoying tiny bumps in the crease of my nose. Bear in mind I have been using this with the Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA. This is just my first week of use.

Compared to Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid, I definitely prefer The Ordinary Azelaic Acid. I have very sensitive rosacea and acne prone skin. I recently repaired my rosacea and acne by applying The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid every morning and night as a first step. This has cleared up most of the acne and rosacea, but by adding azelaic acid I have been able to get rid of the extra breakouts and notice that my skin immediately stops being red and bumpy. I have tried it without the hyaluronic acid and it is then irritating and itchy feeling. I prefer it to Paula’s Choice because Paula’s Choice is more irritating possibly because Paula’s has BHA in it. The Ordinary leaves my skin much smoother. I only use this at night maybe every other night.

After having a baby last summer my skin went crazy. I've been battling acne, melasma, bouts of oilyness followed by dryness and an overall hormonal hot mess. I've had some success with the granactive retinoid in squalane and SA from this line and wanted to add a few products so that I had a more comprehensive routine for AM and PM. I mix a pea size amount in with either the Moisturizing factors or my sunscreen from EltaMD with niacinamide as well as a drop of squalane in the morning. Yes it may dilute my sunscreen but my skin can only absorb so many layers of products so I do what works for me . This mix applies easily, absorbs quickly and wears well under makeup. No pilling or other issues with texture when I use it this way. On it's own it's a creamy silicone based formula that's thicker than a primer with less slip. I did knock a lippie off for being so cone heavy but so far it hasn't been a problem. I did experience a bit of purging the first few days but my overall skin tone is brighter, clearer and less red around my nose and cheeks. This does cause some slight irritation when applied on its own but it goes away quickly and doesn't cause redness or itching. My only frustration with Deciem in general is that they use a lot of cone, glycerine or castor oil bases that can clog up my skin and will cause more breakouts if I layer on too many of their products. So I have to really pick and choose which ones I think my skin can handle. Some serums with glycerine high up in the ingredient list I won't even try like the buffet. This has been a good addition to my skincare routine though and I'll continue to use it . The dirt cheap price is also great

I really wanted to like this line. It has a great marketing approach, price points, variety and ingredients. But I had to stop using it when the Niacinamide 10% nearly ruined my skin after one use. It took so much to get it back in shape from the rough textured, tiny raised weezing bumpy mess it turned into, that it's made me leary on the rest of the line. I'd already ordered several products so I decided not to cast away an entire line due to one bad apple. The Azelaic Acid has similar though less disruptive results to my skin but enough for me to quite while I'm ahead. There are too many good items on the market to keep using one that fails you. I'll be giving this away to my niece but I don't think the line is bad, quite the contrary. I just think it's not compatible with my skin for some reason and the results are the same with each product, despite being different items. I'm thinking it's one ingredient that I can't quite single out. Oh well.

It calms inflammation (especially when I use it after a retinoid), it's effective and cheap but I'm not crazy about the silicony feel of it. Still, I would and have repurchased it.