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The Inkey List

Azelaic Acid Serum.

The Inkey List Azelaic Acid Serum
Serums

About this product

A lightweight serum containing azelaic acid designed to calm redness, reduce breakouts, and improve skin texture and tone.

Best for

Sensitive skinAcne-prone skin
Serums

The Guru Index verdict

80%

Approved

✓Approved · 80%
6Reviewers
6Approved
0Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

The gurus who reviewed it praise the serum for calming redness, cutting down breakouts, and fading dark spots, with particular note of its unusually smooth formula that applies without grittiness. The 10% concentration sits at the maximum strength available over the counter, and experts found it works well for sensitive, rosacea-prone, and acne-prone skin alike. One thing to keep in mind: those with very sensitive skin layering it with other actives like retinol may want to patch-test first, since stacking multiple actives can sometimes trigger irritation.
Synthesized from 6 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Azelaic acidFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Aqua (Water/​Eau), Azelaic Acid, Propanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/​Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Allantoin, Glycerin, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Polylysine

Where to buy

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.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Sincerely Miss Ash
Sincerely Miss Ash
194k subs · 4k devotees
✓Approved
"The Inkey List has a 10% azelaic acid. Azelaic acid is an ingredient that is calming and soothing, great for those that have sensitive skin. If you have redness, rosacea, azelaic acid is usually prescribed to those that have rosacea. And this is also another ingredient that is great for acne prone skin as well. I have been using azelaic acid all summer long. I actually started late spring and I've been using it ever since in both my morning and nighttime skincare routines because this has really helped to keep my skin clear. Do I still break out with azelaic acid? Yes, I do. Not as much though. This really cuts down on the breakouts, but it just keeps my skin so soft and it gives a brighter complexion. There is a mild exfoliation with azelaic acid, but it's not meant for exfoliation. It's very calming and soothing. And I absolutely love this."
All 2 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
TOP 5 ANTI-AGING SKINCARE INGREDIENTS | WRINKLES, DARK SPOTS AND MORE | THESE ACTUALLY WORK!
"The Inkey List has an azelaic acid serum. I like a lot of different types of azelaic acids and you can find a lot of options over the counter. The one from The Inkey List is a serum, whereas The Ordinary's is a cream base. Since being consistent with azelaic acid, I have seen the biggest difference with my skin. I am somebody that has a little bit of redness to my skin naturally, and azelaic acid has really reduced a lot of that rosiness that I was experiencing on my cheeks and my chin. I am also breakout prone, and azelaic acid has really decreased my breakouts. This ingredient is going to really help soften those dark spots, it's going to give you that brighter complexion in time, and hopefully this will improve your redness as well."
5 ULTIMATE TRETINOIN PAIRINGS TO LIMIT SKIN IRRITATION AND SIGNS OF AGING | MAXIMIZE YOUR RESULTS!
"The Inkey List has a 10% azelaic acid. Azelaic acid is an ingredient that is calming and soothing, great for those that have sensitive skin. If you have redness, rosacea, azelaic acid is usually prescribed to those that have rosacea. And this is also another ingredient that is great for acne prone skin as well. I have been using azelaic acid all summer long. I actually started late spring and I've been using it ever since in both my morning and nighttime skincare routines because this has really helped to keep my skin clear. Do I still break out with azelaic acid? Yes, I do. Not as much though. This really cuts down on the breakouts, but it just keeps my skin so soft and it gives a brighter complexion. There is a mild exfoliation with azelaic acid, but it's not meant for exfoliation. It's very calming and soothing. And I absolutely love this."
Mad About Skin
Mad About Skin
720k subs · 10k devotees
✓Approved
"I recommend the Azelaic Acid Serum from The Inkey List all the time. This contains that 15% azelaic acid. It's one of my absolute favorites. But it also contains carnosine again in the required strength to deliver the results. So if you're already using the Azelaic Acid Serum, you can stop right now. You've got your carnosine fix in your skincare routine, you don't need to add anything else."
All 3 takes from Mad About Skin
BREAKTHROUGH ANTI AGING DISCOVERY - New Ingredient 3x More Collagen
"I recommend the Azelaic Acid Serum from The Inkey List all the time. This contains that 15% azelaic acid. It's one of my absolute favorites. But it also contains carnosine again in the required strength to deliver the results. So if you're already using the Azelaic Acid Serum, you can stop right now. You've got your carnosine fix in your skincare routine, you don't need to add anything else."
Ultimate ANTI AGING SERUMS 2025 - Firmer Skin / Fewer Wrinkles FAST
"The Inkey List Azelaic Acid Serum is one of the best. Affordable price point, perfect strength of azelaic acid, and honestly, the nicest, smoothest formula you will ever try. Sometimes azelaic acids can be a little bit grainy and quite hard to formulate with, so they can come across a bit sandy on application, which we don't want. This is the smoothest azelaic acid you will ever try and trust me it is a game changer. I love it and this is the one having tried just about everyone on the market that I think I settle on most frequently when it comes to my own skincare routine. It fades my hyperpigmentation, makes my other actives apply so much easier, and it helps minimize any acne-causing bacteria."
Ultimate EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE - Boost Collagen FAST
"This is the azelaic acid from The Inkey List, a great brand. I use this in the morning routine and it's appearing again in the nighttime one. Azelaic acid by reducing inflammation will help protect collagen, so it's definitely a great anti-aging product. A lot of people ask can I use azelaic acid alongside peptides and growth factors? Absolutely you can. I know there's a common misconception you can't, but take it from me, you can. It's fine and it's all good."
The Budget Dermatologist
The Budget Dermatologist
718k subs · 7k devotees
✓Approved
"Here is an example by The Inkey List. This is right around $20. It is 10% azelaic acid, right around the strongest you can get over the counter. It also has allantoin in this which is very soothing."
No BS Beauty
No BS Beauty
89k subs · 2k devotees
✓Approved
"It's got 10% azelaic acid, pretty simple formula, pretty affordable. This one's really nice. You can use it in your evening routine. Typically I use azelaic acid in my evening routine, it just seems to work best there, and then in my morning routine I can focus on vitamin C and antioxidants."
All 4 takes from No BS Beauty
Q+A Skincare Azelaic Acid Balancing Serum With Zinc PCA and Antioxidants Review, How to, and Dupes
"It's a really nice serum. I wish I knew the exact percentage because it would be easier to compare it apples to apples to other serums, but some other serums have 15%, some have 10%, some have less, some have 20%. It's hard to really compare. With a 10 being a perfect score, this one's a 10. I can't really think of any issues with it, so it's worth checking out, and at 13 bucks, you can't beat it."
Azelaic Acid - Why You Need Azelaic Acid in Your Skincare - The Best Azelaic Acid Products & How to
"It's got 10% azelaic acid, pretty simple formula, pretty affordable. This one's really nice. You can use it in your evening routine. Typically I use azelaic acid in my evening routine, it just seems to work best there, and then in my morning routine I can focus on vitamin C and antioxidants."
The Best Redness Reducing Skincare Products- Serums & Treaments for Facial Redness & Rosacea
"This product is great for sensitive eczema and rosacea prone skin. It does contain a small amount of gardenia flora extract, so technically while this product is unscented it's not technically fragrance free, but you don't notice any scent and most people don't have an issue with the gardenia flora. This one's got 15% azelaic acid."
The Best Azelaic Acid Skincare Serums & Treatments & Why You Should Try Azelaic Acid!
"This one I love it's also got oatmeal in here and ceramides. It's fragrance free, it's got a wonderful lotion texture. This stuff is really wonderful and it's currently one of my absolute favorites."
Dr. Jenny Liu
Dr. Jenny Liu
316k subs · 5k devotees
✓Approved
"The Inkey List actually has a 10% azelaic acid from their Super Solutions Line. I really like it because it has this green tint that may help to reduce some redness, so if you're struggling with skin barrier damage and looking for something to calm the skin, this lightweight cream is really ideal. It has 10% azelaic acid that may help with uneven skin tone and skin barrier repair and doesn't really have a lot of other added ingredients that may potentially add irritation."
Dr. Daniel Sugai
Dr. Daniel Sugai
716k subs · 23k devotees
✓Approved
"The Inkey List makes azelaic acid. I'm fine with those. I haven't seen my patients get irritation with those azelaic acid formulations."
All 2 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai
Unlocking The Secrets Of Layering Skincare Serums: Dermatologist's Layering Serums 101 Guide
"For example, Nutrium has come out, The Ordinary, The Inkey List have come out with azelaic acid serums, and I've talked about Ca de Ja, that's a K Beauty brand with azelaic acid up to 10%, 15% and up. I prescribe in clinic, but 10% the max you find over the counter. You can layer that with retinol, yes you can. You can apply say a serum or an emulsion of azelaic acid first and then your retinol over it. That's totally fine. If you do have sensitive skin, be very careful with that because the more actives you put on your skin, you can get an irritant contact dermatitis."
Dermatologist Explains: Ten Ways to Manage Melasma!
"The Inkey List makes azelaic acid. I'm fine with those. I haven't seen my patients get irritation with those azelaic acid formulations."
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