Finacea

15% Azelaic Acid Gel.

Serums

About this product

A prescription-strength gel containing 15% azelaic acid, designed to treat rosacea, acne, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and reduce redness and inflammation.

Best for

Sensitive skin Acne-prone skin

Type

SerumsGel

Key actives

Azelaic acid

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Azelaic Acid (15%), Benzoic Acid, Carbomer, Disodium Edetate, Lecithin, Polysorbate 80, Propylene Glycol, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Guru Score

79%

Approved

7 experts · Strong agreement

7Gurus

6Approved

0Mixed

1Skip

What the gurus are saying

The 15% strength is the clinical sweet spot for rosacea and earns praise for reducing redness, inflammatory lesions, and uneven skin tone, though results take around 12 weeks to show. Most gurus favour it for its multi-tasking power, particularly on skin of colour where it helps prevent post-inflammatory darkening, and note it layers well with other actives like tretinoin and vitamin C. The main catch: it can irritate and dry the skin, so start low and go slow, and always follow with moisturiser. One reviewer found it caused significant peeling and prickling when over-applied, a caution worth keeping in mind.

Synthesized from 7 expert reviews · most recent take April 2026

Where to buy

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How it works Independent by design. Every take comes from a creator we have no relationship with. We do not ask anyone to review, and affiliate links never move a score.

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Dr. Aleksandra Brown

133k subs

✓Approved

"This is Finacea Gel. The active ingredient is 15% azelaic acid. This is in United States at least only available by prescription. Also comes as a foam. Foam tends to be a little bit less irritating and better for more sensitive skin. That being said, the gel we can get in the generic form now, so it's easier to get covered by insurance. This percentage of azelaic acid is backed by multiple randomized control trials for rosacea. In these randomized control trials, which are like the big studies, it demonstrated significant improvement in things like redness and inflammatory lesions within 12 weeks. Now, make a note 12 weeks is not very fast, so works pretty slow, but it works well. The key ingredients in the gel is azelaic acid 15% which is the clinically proven anti-inflammatory and pigment reducing compound."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.71M subs

✓Approved

"The prescription is 15% which is the sweet spot, and I don't know how the prescription is formulated but it's so elegant. Finacea is so elegant. Azelaic acid at that percentage, when you're using it for rosacea, you really want to be at 10% or above, but above that is prescription and prescription is 15%."

Top Pick: azelaic acid gel

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

✓Approved

"If you're using azelaic acid on its own and you are consistent with this ingredient, your skin is super bright and it really helps to address that uneven skin tone and it can help to reduce redness as well. I love pairing this up with my prescription tretinoin in my evening routine. If you love azelaic acid and you do have some redness and you're acne prone, then this ingredient is great to pair up with vitamin C."

Dr Sam Bunting

240k subs

✓Approved

"My go to is azelaic acid, this powerful anti-inflammatory multitasking ingredient really is the mainstay of my clinical practice when it comes to treating people in the clinic with perioral dermatitis. My preference is using Finacea, which is 15% Azelaic Acid Gel, on prescription."

Dr. Somji Skin

358k subs

✓Approved

"The prescribed version, the 15% gel, in my opinion is quite an impressive formulation. Azelaic acid is a fantastic ingredient for reducing acne type lesions. It's got the added benefit that is something called a tyrosinase inhibitor, it inhibits melanin production, and therefore for people of skin of color such as me it also helps post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. So when I get a spot I don't go red, I go darker, so it will help all skin types in that whole journey of a spot from the beginning all the way to the end. It can be combined with other skincare ingredients slowly. Don't start too high, start low, go slow, and you can work up. You've got to be a bit careful about maybe not damaging your skin barrier because it can dry out the skin a little bit, so you've got to moisturize afterwards."

Cassandra Bankson

2.45M subs

✓Approved

"Finacea Gel is literally prescription azelaic acid it usually comes at higher percents. Azelaic acid is a pretty friendly ingredient if you wanted to layer it with other things or mix it with other things. It really plays well with other things and there aren't any major concerns when it comes to putting it into your routine. I would recommend it in leave-on products and not in rinse-off products, for example an azelaic acid cleanser might be okay but might not be the best use of your money. I would get it in a serum or a moisturizer type of formula that you could leave on the skin and that gives it the chance to penetrate and work. Yes, it can work in as little as 60 days."

Lab Muffin Beauty Science

858k subs

✓Skip

"I tried Finacea, which is the 15% drug version, which has a pretty nice texture, but then it burnt the crap out of my skin. It's in an aluminium tube, and so every time I squeezed it, a bit too much came out, and I didn't want to waste it, so I would just put all of it on my face. Not the smartest because the prickling sensation would just keep me up. And then the peeling I got was actually worse than with tretinoin."

Frequently asked.

What is Finacea 15% Azelaic Acid Gel?

A prescription-strength gel containing 15% azelaic acid, designed to treat rosacea, acne, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and reduce redness and inflammation.

Is Finacea 15% Azelaic Acid Gel worth it?

Mostly yes. 6 of the 7 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 79%.

What is Finacea 15% Azelaic Acid Gel's Guru Score?

Finacea 15% Azelaic Acid Gel holds a Guru Score of 79%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 7 independent expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.