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The INKEY List

Azelaic Acid Serum.

The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum
Serums

About this product

A lightweight serum containing 10% azelaic acid designed to calm redness, reduce breakouts, and even skin tone for acne-prone and sensitive skin.

Type

Key actives

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Guru Score

85%

Approved

7 experts · Strong agreement
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus
7Gurus
7Approved
0Mixed
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What the gurus are saying

This serum's smooth, non-grainy texture stands out among azelaic acid formulas, which gurus praise for making it genuinely pleasant to apply. Experts found it calms redness, fades hyperpigmentation, and cuts down breakouts, with the 10% strength hitting the sweet spot for over-the-counter potency; it also includes soothing actives like allantoin and carnosine. The formula works well in an evening routine, and those with rosacea or sensitive skin tend to tolerate it without irritation.
Synthesized from 7 expert reviews · most recent take September 2025
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 takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
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!
"Azelaic acid really is great for all of those skin concerns. I like a lot of different types of azelaic acid, and the INKEY List has an Azelaic Acid Serum. But since being consistent with azelaic acid, honestly 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, but also I am 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 it 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."
Approved
"I recommend the Azelaic Acid Serum from The INKEY List all the time. This contains 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 INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum, you've got your carnosine fix in your skincare routine, you don't need to add anything else."
Top Pick: azelaic acid serum
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 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 INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum, 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
"It also helps minimize hyperpigmentation and it fights acne causing bacteria. If you're someone like me that's trying to tackle adult acne and breakouts alongside anti-aging, then azelaic acid is your number one ingredient and your best friend. For me, the very best of the best is always going to be The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum. 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, they're quite hard to formulate with and 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 gamechanger. 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. Fades my hyperpigmentation, makes my other actives apply so much easier, and it helps minimize any acne causing bacteria. For me, true skincare bestie is azelaic acid, and this one by The INKEY List is worthy of a place on this list."
Ultimate EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE - Boost Collagen FAST
"I use 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. I try to keep my morning and evening routine as similar as possible in terms of the ingredients and products I use, so the azelaic acid will go on there. A lot of people ask can I use azelaic acid alongside peptides and growth factors like in The Ordinary of Skin, and absolutely you can. There's a common misconception you can't, but you can, it's fine and it's all good."
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."
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. I will say it does contain a small amount of gardenia floral 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 floral. It's got 15% azelaic acid."
The Best Azelaic Acid Skincare Serums & Treatments & Why You Should Try Azelaic Acid!
"This one is 15% azelaic acid. Typically in the US, if things are made in the US, you're going to find 10% and under unless it's a prescription, but if you buy something overseas, like this brand is from Spain I believe, sometimes you get things a little bit stronger. I love it. 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."
Approved
"The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum, that's 10% azelaic acid, and I also 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, looking for something to calm the skin, this lightweight cream is really ideal. It's 10% azelaic acid, which may help with uneven skin tone and skin barrier repair, and it doesn't really have a lot of other added ingredients that may potentially add irritation."
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
"The INKEY List has come out with an Azelaic Acid Serum. Ten percent is the max you'll find over the counter. You can layer that with your retinol, you can apply the Azelaic Acid Serum first and then your retinol over it, that's totally fine. But if you have sensitive skin, be very careful with that, because the more actives you put on your skin, the more 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."
Approved
"If we talk about the branded version then you get this in Inkey List or The Ordinary or Plum or A Doctor's Shade or Drunk Elephant"
Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum?

A lightweight serum containing 10% azelaic acid designed to calm redness, reduce breakouts, and even skin tone for acne-prone and sensitive skin.

Is The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum worth it?

Yes. All 7 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 85%.

What is The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum's Guru Score?

The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum holds a Guru Score of 85%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 7 independent expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

Who is The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum best for?

The INKEY List Azelaic Acid Serum is generally suited to sensitive skin and acne-prone skin.

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