A milky, lightweight facial serum from Allies of Skin that combines azelaic acid and kojic acid, designed to brighten the skin and fade dark spots and post-acne marks.
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Guru Score
The Guru Score: every expert's verdict on a product, in one simple number.
Under the score you'll see how many experts weighed in, or "Early verdict" while only a few have. Paid takes count for half in the score.
Guru Certified means at least 6 experts, a score of 85% or more, and almost no Nays.
How we score →Yay
5 experts · Moderate agreementWhat the gurus are saying
Milky and smooth with no grittiness, this serum is often praised for fading dark spots quickly and calming redness and acne-prone skin. It pairs well with tretinoin, though some find twice-daily use intense, so for some people, once a day may suit better. The one thing to keep in mind: not every take was glowing, as visible results didn't show for everyone and the price, about 100 dollars, keeps some from using it as often as they'd like.
What they liked
What they flagged
The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.
“So just an overall good formula for dark spots.”
Doctorly, watch at 12:11
“It has 10% azelaic acid, which is great for acne-prone skin and also for rosacea and facial redness, and it helps with texture, blackheads, and oily skin.”
Sincerely Miss Ash, watch at 4:14
“You've got a blend of beautiful calming and soothing ingredients, and some others are designed to mattify and reduce the oil levels in the skin.”
Mad About Skin, watch at 3:53
“This one is great if you have post acne marks, dullness, as well as redness.”
Sincerely Miss Ash, watch at 5:52
“It has 10% azelaic acid, which is great for acne-prone skin and also for rosacea and facial redness, and it helps with texture, blackheads, and oily skin.”
Sincerely Miss Ash, watch at 4:14
“This one is great if you have post acne marks, dullness, as well as redness.”
Sincerely Miss Ash, watch at 5:52
“It has 10% azelaic acid, which is great for acne-prone skin and also for rosacea and facial redness, and it helps with texture, blackheads, and oily skin.”
Sincerely Miss Ash, watch at 4:14
“This is hands down the best azelaic acid pairing to use alongside retinoids because the formula is going to help to minimize the risk of purging, breakouts, and sensitivity.”
Mad About Skin, watch at 8:54
Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.
Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.
A milky, lightweight facial serum from Allies of Skin that combines azelaic acid and kojic acid, designed to brighten the skin and fade dark spots and post-acne marks.
Mostly yes. 4 of the 5 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 75%.
Allies of Skin Azelaic & Kojic Advanced Clarifying Serum holds a Guru Score of 75%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.
Allies of Skin Azelaic & Kojic Advanced Clarifying Serum is generally suited to acne-prone skin.
In their reviews, experts say Allies of Skin Azelaic & Kojic Advanced Clarifying Serum is good for dark spots and post-acne marks (4 experts), breakouts and acne (2 experts), clogged or visible pores (2 experts), excess oil and shine (2 experts), redness (1 expert) and rosacea (1 expert).
4 experts who reviewed Allies of Skin Azelaic & Kojic Advanced Clarifying Serum say it is. Doctorly put it this way: “So just an overall good formula for dark spots.”
Lower-priced serums the gurus still rate highly, versus this luxury pick.
See how they stack up →Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.
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