As skincare experts, we love to talk about the ingredients that make our products shine. And this month, there’s a new hidden hero we can’t get enough of: azelaic acid. Maybe you’ve heard of it already and maybe you haven’t until now, but trust us when we say you’ll want to get to know this underrated ingredient immediately. From calming, to smoothing, to targeting hyperpigmentation, it’s a true multitasker in the Haruharu Wonder Rose PDRN Soothing Serum. Here’s everything you need to know about your new favorite skincare ingredient.
What is azelaic acid?
Azelaic acid is a multitasking skincare ingredient shown to target everything from redness, to rough texture, to acne and hyperpigmentation. It’s derived from grains like barley and wheat, although the form you’ll find in skincare products like ours is engineered to enhance its benefits.
Once more common at the dermatologist’s office than on skincare shelves, it’s now showing up more and more in your OTC serums and moisturizers. Dermatologists still commonly prescribe it in higher concentrations for certain skin conditions, which is why you may have heard about the benefits of azelaic acid for rosacea or hyperpigmentation. But even at lower, non-prescription concentrations, it can still do a lot for your complexion, no matter your skin type.
Azelaic Acid Benefits for Skin
What does azelaic acid do that makes it stand out from other popular soothing ingredients like Centella asiatica or aloe? While we love all three of the above, azelaic acid has an especially wide range of applications you typically won’t get from other soothing superstars.
Visible redness: This ingredient can help visibly reduce redness from multiple causes, including heat, rosacea, sensitivity, and breakouts. So whatever’s causing your face to flush, azelaic acid can probably help.
Uneven tone and dark spots: This additional benefit comes from azelaic acid’s antioxidant properties. It acts like a messenger that blocks your skin from producing tyrosinase, the enzyme that sparks melanin production and in some cases, hyperpigmentation. That means azelaic acid is great for both active breakouts and the dark spots they tend to leave behind, as well as for boosting all over radiance.
Rough texture and bumps: If that wasn’t enough, you also get bonus exfoliating effects from its ability to gently boost skin cell turnover and refine pores. Its antibacterial properties also help fight against breakouts and keep skin clear.
Not only does this ingredient have proven calming effects, it also boasts anti-inflammatory, mild smoothing, and antioxidant properties. So while you’re visibly reducing the appearance of redness, you can also get a glow boost similar to what you’d expect from a vitamin C serum, plus gentle resurfacing and pore-clearing effects. It’s also tolerated well by a wide range of skin types, from dry, to oily, to sensitive and blemish-prone. And it plays well with other ingredients, too, including exfoliants (like AHAs and BHAs) and antioxidants.
Because we’re all about the science, we also clinically tested our azelaic acid serum to make sure it could deliver those benefits to your daily routine. In testing, our Rose PDRN Soothing Serum was clinically proven to improve skin moisturizing by 88.93%, skin texture (roughness) by 11.02%.* It also showed an improvement in skin redness on heat-damaged skin of 21.84%.*
*According to a clinical study conducted on 20 subjects after one application.
How to Use Azelaic Acid in Your Skincare Routine
Now that non-prescription azelaic acid skincare is gaining fame, we knew it was time to put our personal Haruharu Wonder spin on it. So we paired it with another trending Korean skincare ingredient for our take on a K-beauty azelaic acid serum: vegan PDRN from damascus rose. This duo gives you collagen-boosting, plumping effects from rose PDRN, paired with a calming, smoothing, redness-reducing kick from the azelaic acid. It’s truly designed for all skin types and all routines.
If you want to get the most out of azelaic acid’s benefits in your everyday skincare routine, you can pretty much pair it with anything you want. From your favorite vitamin C serums, to soothing face masks, to exfoliating toners, it plays well with them all without overwhelming your skin. Our team has personally tested it with everything from our range, and we’ve found a few favorite skin combos we’ll share below.
Want to keep pores clear and double up on its smoothing results? Start your day with our Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel, then follow with morning and evening applications of Rose PDRN Soothing Serum. This dream team will give you smooth, soft skin in the gentlest way possible, so you don’t need to worry about stripping your skin or damaging your moisture barrier. If you’re dealing with breakouts, consider layering a few drops of this serum under our 5% Niacinamide Radiance Gel Cream. These formulas will both help target breakout-causing bacterial and redness with different ingredients, all without drying out your skin or further irritating it. And if you want to focus on the soothing aspect of the formula, we also love to pair it with our other sensitive-skin friendly best sellers like our Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner for Sensitive Skin.
Once you add azelaic acid to your routine, we’re so sure that you’ll get the hype. Ready to upgrade your skincare routine with our best azelaic acid serum? Grab it below, paired with the essentials we swear by to boost its soothing, renewing, texture-targeting effects.
Meet the Author
Haruharu Wonder contributor Sarah Y. Wu has a decade of experience in the industry as a beauty editor, copy director, and brand consultant. Her bylines have appeared in outlets including Teen Vogue, Forbes, Allure, Marie Claire, Glamour, NYLON, Bustle, The Zoe Report, Vogue, WWD, and Byrdie. She’s also the copywriter and copy director for some of your favorite skincare, fragrance, and makeup brands. While she’s tried thousands of products over the course of her career, she’ll always save a spot in her beauty routine for Haruharu Wonder’s Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream and Centella Sunflower Makeup-Melting Cleansing Balm. Connect with her on Instagram @say.wu.
What Exactly Does Azelaic Acid Do in Skincare?
As skincare experts, we love to talk about the ingredients that make our products shine. And this month, there’s a new hidden hero we can’t get enough of: azelaic acid. Maybe you’ve heard of it already and maybe you haven’t until now, but trust us when we say you’ll want to get to know this underrated ingredient immediately. From calming, to smoothing, to targeting hyperpigmentation, it’s a true multitasker in the Haruharu Wonder Rose PDRN Soothing Serum. Here’s everything you need to know about your new favorite skincare ingredient.
What is azelaic acid?
Azelaic acid is a multitasking skincare ingredient shown to target everything from redness, to rough texture, to acne and hyperpigmentation. It’s derived from grains like barley and wheat, although the form you’ll find in skincare products like ours is engineered to enhance its benefits.
Once more common at the dermatologist’s office than on skincare shelves, it’s now showing up more and more in your OTC serums and moisturizers. Dermatologists still commonly prescribe it in higher concentrations for certain skin conditions, which is why you may have heard about the benefits of azelaic acid for rosacea or hyperpigmentation. But even at lower, non-prescription concentrations, it can still do a lot for your complexion, no matter your skin type.
Azelaic Acid Benefits for Skin
What does azelaic acid do that makes it stand out from other popular soothing ingredients like Centella asiatica or aloe? While we love all three of the above, azelaic acid has an especially wide range of applications you typically won’t get from other soothing superstars.
Visible redness: This ingredient can help visibly reduce redness from multiple causes, including heat, rosacea, sensitivity, and breakouts. So whatever’s causing your face to flush, azelaic acid can probably help.
Uneven tone and dark spots: This additional benefit comes from azelaic acid’s antioxidant properties. It acts like a messenger that blocks your skin from producing tyrosinase, the enzyme that sparks melanin production and in some cases, hyperpigmentation. That means azelaic acid is great for both active breakouts and the dark spots they tend to leave behind, as well as for boosting all over radiance.
Rough texture and bumps: If that wasn’t enough, you also get bonus exfoliating effects from its ability to gently boost skin cell turnover and refine pores. Its antibacterial properties also help fight against breakouts and keep skin clear.
Not only does this ingredient have proven calming effects, it also boasts anti-inflammatory, mild smoothing, and antioxidant properties. So while you’re visibly reducing the appearance of redness, you can also get a glow boost similar to what you’d expect from a vitamin C serum, plus gentle resurfacing and pore-clearing effects. It’s also tolerated well by a wide range of skin types, from dry, to oily, to sensitive and blemish-prone. And it plays well with other ingredients, too, including exfoliants (like AHAs and BHAs) and antioxidants.
Because we’re all about the science, we also clinically tested our azelaic acid serum to make sure it could deliver those benefits to your daily routine. In testing, our Rose PDRN Soothing Serum was clinically proven to improve skin moisturizing by 88.93%, skin texture (roughness) by 11.02%.* It also showed an improvement in skin redness on heat-damaged skin of 21.84%.*
*According to a clinical study conducted on 20 subjects after one application.
How to Use Azelaic Acid in Your Skincare Routine
Now that non-prescription azelaic acid skincare is gaining fame, we knew it was time to put our personal Haruharu Wonder spin on it. So we paired it with another trending Korean skincare ingredient for our take on a K-beauty azelaic acid serum: vegan PDRN from damascus rose. This duo gives you collagen-boosting, plumping effects from rose PDRN, paired with a calming, smoothing, redness-reducing kick from the azelaic acid. It’s truly designed for all skin types and all routines.
If you want to get the most out of azelaic acid’s benefits in your everyday skincare routine, you can pretty much pair it with anything you want. From your favorite vitamin C serums, to soothing face masks, to exfoliating toners, it plays well with them all without overwhelming your skin. Our team has personally tested it with everything from our range, and we’ve found a few favorite skin combos we’ll share below.
Want to keep pores clear and double up on its smoothing results? Start your day with our Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel, then follow with morning and evening applications of Rose PDRN Soothing Serum. This dream team will give you smooth, soft skin in the gentlest way possible, so you don’t need to worry about stripping your skin or damaging your moisture barrier. If you’re dealing with breakouts, consider layering a few drops of this serum under our 5% Niacinamide Radiance Gel Cream. These formulas will both help target breakout-causing bacterial and redness with different ingredients, all without drying out your skin or further irritating it. And if you want to focus on the soothing aspect of the formula, we also love to pair it with our other sensitive-skin friendly best sellers like our Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner for Sensitive Skin.
Once you add azelaic acid to your routine, we’re so sure that you’ll get the hype. Ready to upgrade your skincare routine with our best azelaic acid serum? Grab it below, paired with the essentials we swear by to boost its soothing, renewing, texture-targeting effects.
Meet the Author
Haruharu Wonder contributor Sarah Y. Wu has a decade of experience in the industry as a beauty editor, copy director, and brand consultant. Her bylines have appeared in outlets including Teen Vogue, Forbes, Allure, Marie Claire, Glamour, NYLON, Bustle, The Zoe Report, Vogue, WWD, and Byrdie. She’s also the copywriter and copy director for some of your favorite skincare, fragrance, and makeup brands. While she’s tried thousands of products over the course of her career, she’ll always save a spot in her beauty routine for Haruharu Wonder’s Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream and Centella Sunflower Makeup-Melting Cleansing Balm. Connect with her on Instagram @say.wu.