Brighten up and calm down: azelaic acid's many benefits. Image: Giorgio Armani
As th e January sales continue, you may be tempted by skincare ingredients you’ve never tried before. Azelaic acid gets less ink than hyaluronic acid or one of the many alpha, beta, and polyhydroxy acids used as exfoliants, but it’s still fascinating stuff, especially if you feel your skin lacks radiance or you suffer from acne, brown spots, or rosacea.
Dr Sam Bunting, a Harley Street dermatologist with a popular YouTube channel, calls it her “most-loved acid”. I am especially happy to recommend it to a broad audience because it is so gentle.
What is azelaic acid and who can it help?
Azelaic acid develops naturally from a type of yeast that lives on the surface of our skin, but the kind used in cosmetics is olive oil or cereal based. It is frequently used as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent against acne and rosacea. It is a scavenger of harmful free radicals, helping skin to fight oxidative stress throughout the day.
It is mildly keratolytic, which means it will gently exfoliate and refine skin’s surface (though don’t expect a glycolic peel-like transformation) and unplug pores.
It is generally well tolerated, even by sensitive skin. It will not help you fade freckles or moles, just the spots caused by sun damage. It is pregnancy safe and helpful in tackling melasma, as well as pigmentation changes that happen during menopause.
It is thought to influence only those melanocytes that are problematic (ie causing your dark spots) and will not itself cause any discolouration. Azelaic acid was approved for use in US skincare in 1985 and almost all the azelaic acid skincare available to Irish customers over the counter is from US brands.
It disrupts emerging problems before they reach the skin’s upper layers. Azelaic acid effectively ‘tells’ the cells in the upper skin layers how to behave better, which results in a smoother and visibly healthier skin, regardless of age, skin type, or skin problems.
It works well with a wide variety of ingredients and has been found to work more effectively on hyperpigmentation when combined with niacinamide. In short, azelaic acid prevents new melanin (brown pigment) production while niacinamide prevents the melanin already produced from changing the colour of your skin cells, creating a double dose of brightening.
Dr Sam Bunting describes distributing a fingertip-sized amount all over the face, massaging it in thoroughly to optimise absorption.
Follow with moisturiser and sunscreen to complete morning routine. She recommends using it twice a day when treating melasma, acne, or rosacea.
The number of fragrance and alcohol-free products with this ingredient is small but relatively affordable. Paula’s Choice Skincare 10% Azelaic Acid Booster, €37 at paulaschoice-eu.com, combines the star ingredient with salicylic acid — great for people with normal, oily, or combination skin but not ideal for dry types, as the pair work to regulate sebum production in a way dry skin does not really need.
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%, €7.20 at Boots, combines it with a little vitamin E and is a better dry skin option. The Inkey List, perhaps The Ordinary’s closest competitor, sells an azelaic acid serum but only in the US. Dr Bunting makes her own azelaic acid serum but her representatives tell me it’s not shipping to Ireland right now.
Azelaic acid’s insolubility in both water and oil makes it difficult to use it in a cosmetically elegant way. Occasionally a brand will say a product contains azelaic acid when it really uses the derivative potassium azeloyl diglycinate.
This isn’t a bad thing; you just need to check the concentration (usually by emailing the brand) to understand what you’re getting. From studies available, as well as information from ingredient suppliers, it seems that a 0.5% concentration of potassium azeloyl diglycinate is beneficial for soothing inflammation, while amounts between 2%-3% can help fade hyperpigmentation.
Over-the-counter products containing pure azelaic acid tend to use about 10%, which can make a big difference to both issues. Niod Re:Pigment Multi-Pathway Brightening System, €34 at deciem.com, uses potassium azeloyl diglycinate, diglucosyl gallic acid, and other ingredients to improve hyperpigmentation.
Read MoreHow to start using retinol on your face and the best products for every skin type
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