The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% for acne-prone skin
Azelaic Acid
Dimethicone
Tocopherol
Chlorphenesin
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
High
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Highly suitable for your combination skin, this formula leverages azelaic acid to combat acne and blemishes with its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, while dimethicone provides balanced emollience without clogging pores.
- The presence of tocopherol offers antioxidant benefits, further supporting your skin's health and resilience.
- This product is safe for your acne-prone skin, as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that could cause irritation.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine and start 3x/week before working up to daily use.
- Apply this treatment after cleansing and toner, and before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product on clean, dry skin to help manage your breakouts safely.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 4.5k+ reviewsWhile many users report clearer and brighter skin within weeks, a significant portion of reviewers struggle with the formula's tendency to pill under makeup or other skincare layers. This summary is based on a very large amount of data and should be definitely taken into account.
Highlights
Reduces redness Mostly Mentioned
- “calms down the redness immediately”
- “decreases both redness and acne-like bumps”
- “saved my skin from constant flushing”
Pills under makeup Mostly Mentioned
- “crumbles and piles under moisturizer”
- “balls up immediately”
- “cannot layer anything over it”
- “pills hella bad”
- “rolls off my face”
Clears acne Often Mentioned
- “scars and hormonal acne faded”
- “keeps acne at bay”
- “cleared up my chin breakouts”
- “stopped new pimples from forming”
- “great for fungal acne”
Smoothes texture Often Mentioned
- “skin looks smoother and brighter”
- “tiny bumps are gone”
- “texture feels much softer”
- “got rid of closed comedones”
- “face feels like glass”
Fades dark spots Sometimes Noted
- “helped lighten post-acne scars”
- “hyperpigmentation is fading”
- “acne marks are less visible”
- “brightens dull skin tone”
- “spots are much lighter”
Matte finish Sometimes Noted
- “leaves skin feeling matte”
- “good for oily t-zone”
- “dries down to a powder finish”
- “controls oil production”
- “non-greasy finish”
Causes stinging Sometimes Noted
- “stings really bad upon application”
- “itchy tingly feeling”
- “burned my sensitive skin”
- “felt like ants crawling”
- “severe burning sensation”
Drying formula Sometimes Noted
- “incredibly drying”
- “made my skin flaky”
- “sucked the moisture out”
- “too drying for daily use”
- “left dry patches”
Thick texture Sometimes Noted
- “hard to spread”
- “feels like a thick paste”
- “heavy silicone feel”
- “doesn't absorb well”
- “sits on top of skin”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “smell is unbearable”
- “weird chemical smell”
- “smells like glue”
- “earthy scent is off-putting”
- “has a funky odor”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, sephora.co.uk, theordinary.com, influenster.com, lookfantastic.ie, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension a great fit for acne-prone skin?
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is a great fit for acne-prone skin because it uses azelaic acid to help clear breakouts and soothe redness without clogging pores. It also includes vitamin E to support overall skin health and resilience.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This cream is a great fit for acne-prone skin because it uses azelaic acid to fight breakouts and reduce redness, while dimethicone provides a smooth feel without clogging pores. Tocopherol also adds antioxidant support to keep your skin healthy and strong.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2023
What does Azelaic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Azelaic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by fighting bacteria and calming redness, while also fading dark spots left behind by breakouts. It targets multiple causes of acne at once to keep your skin smooth and even-toned.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015Postepy Dermatologii I Alergologii, 2023
What does Dimethicone do for acne-prone skin?
Dimethicone forms a light, breathable layer on the skin that helps hold in moisture without feeling heavy or greasy. It is generally safe for acne-prone skin, though it does not treat acne itself.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine, as treatments with active ingredients are used at night for simplicity and extra safety around sun exposure. It is safe for your acne-prone skin and helps fight breakouts without clogging pores or causing irritation.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment alongside retinol, applying the treatment after your cleanser and toner in your evening routine, and keeping the retinol for a separate night to prevent irritation. This formula helps calm breakouts with azelaic acid while keeping skin balanced and safe.
How often should I use this cream?
This treatment fits your acne-prone skin well and is used in the evening routine. You can start using it once a week, and if your skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you may carefully use it more often.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This treatment is a great fit because azelaic acid helps clear breakouts while dimethicone gives balanced softness without clogging pores. It is very unlikely to cause breakouts or purging, and it has a safe profile that avoids harsh ingredients.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Azelaic acid nanocrystal hydrogel 10% achieved a higher success rate and greater lesion reduction than azelaic acid cream 20% in patients with mild to moderate facial acne.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Application of 15% azelaic acid gel significantly reduced post-inflammatory erythema and hyperpigmentation, decreased hemoglobin and melanin content, improved quality of life, and contributed to acne improvement in patients with mild to moderate acne compared to placebo.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2024Topical application of a dermocosmetic containing Myrtus communis extract and azelaic acid reduced acne relapses and helped maintain remission compared to a light moisturizing cream in adult females in the acne maintenance phase over 16 weeks.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2023A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Topical administration of 20% azelaic acid cream and 5% tranexamic acid solution comparably improved acne-related postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in patients with acne vulgaris, while tranexamic acid demonstrated a significantly better safety profile at week 4.
Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2023Azelaic acid 15% gel showed comparable efficacy to adapalene 0.1% gel in reducing lesions, severity, and Dermatology Life Quality Index in women with adult acne, with significantly lower dryness and scaling, and demonstrated superiority during maintenance compared to no further treatment.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2015Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Dimethicone, Azelaic Acid, Dimethicone Bis-Isobutyl Ppg-20 Crosspolymer, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polysilicone-11, Isohexadecane, Tocopherol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Triethanolamine, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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