THE BEST AZELAIC ACID SERUMS @ ULTA (as a licensed esthetician)

Azelaic acid is all over TikTok recently… It’s one of my favorite ingredients and I’ve been speaking about it on this platform for years! Which one should you avoid and which one should you use? No shade to this creator, I'm sure she is a lovely person, but being an ace person and giving correct accurate information are two different things. Don't combine them. Keep those separate. Another extremely important point I really need to stress here is that just because you like it or just because it feels good doesn't make it a good product. Let's stop confusing those. Because Anua claimed it's 10% azelaic acid. So it may not be as strong as a traditional 10% formula. What that's called there is false marketing. That happens a lot in marketing. It's a 2% peptide. It's a 2% peptide complex. Complex means made up of other added ingredients then just the main active. That's very different than a 2% peptide. It's their dream fade. Discoloration rescue serum. It's their dream fade. It's not the bubble. Bubble lore runs deep on this page if you don't know. Well, add Bubble skincare into the same group as Naturium because their founders/CEOs can't have basic human empathy. Good Molecules. 10% Azelaic Acid Treatment. Oh my god, we're getting worse. This is not an esthetician I would trust with anything on my skin. She doesn't really understand product formula or these would not be her recommendations. "Azelaic Acid 10%" to mean it contains 10% free azelaic acid, plus the derivatives (PAD and Azelamide MEA). The derivatives are listed separately in the INCI, so they are additional ingredients rather than being counted as "azelaic acid". Brands usually do not disclose the percentages of PAD or Azelamide MEA, so we can't know how much of each is present. VS RX - They're designed with different goals: - Prescription 15-20% azelaic acid = a drug intended to treat conditions like rosacea and acne, with strong clinical evidence. - This SKIN1004 formula = a cosmetic serum that aims to provide some of the benefits of azelaic acid while improving tolerability by combining it with soothing ingredients and gentler derivatives. So which one should you choose? If you have moderate to severe cases of rosacea, hyperpigmentation, melasma, so many different uses, usually OTC is going to be very little side effects. Even people with sensitive skin can tolerate this like me. My personal favorites is the SKIN1004. I like that they don't have fluffy marketing. Their ingredient deck on this one is actually going to help. It's a very smart formulation for a very affordable price. You can actually get results from this one. Sensitive, you can absolutely tolerate this. If you're oily combo, it's pretty much good for any skin type. Major Ingredients: Water, Azelaic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Disodium Phosphate, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Maltodextrin, Azelamide MEA, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Beta-Glucan, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract. From the ingredient list: 1. Azelaic Acid - the primary active. 2. Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate (PAD) - a water-soluble azelaic acid derivative that is gentler and known for helping with: - Oil control - Brightening - Redness - Hydration 3. Azelamide MEA - another azelaic acid derivative marketed for sebum regulation, skin tone, and barrier support. It also contains several soothing ingredients: - Panthenol - Centella Asiatica - Allantoin - Beta-glucan - Hyaluronic acid - Licorice root extract Back it up with PAD. This is a water-soluble azelaic acid derivative that is gentler and known for helping with oil control, brightening, redness, hydration. And Azelamide MEA, another azelaic acid derivative that is marketed for sebum regulation, skin tone, and barrier support. My favorite part, especially for someone with sensitive skin, is the panthenol, the beta-glucan, the Centella asiatica, the allantoin, the beta-glucan, the hyaluronic acid and the licorice root extract. Actual derivatives have a function and they make up that 10%. Very important that you really vet the people you're taking skincare advice from. I just think they simply don't know. The thing is a lot of them want to be paid by these brands and therefore it's going to make their reviews very biased. I hope this helps. Thank you so much for watching. Mwah!