The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% for oily skin
Azelaic Acid
Dimethicone
Tocopherol
Chlorphenesin
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily skin; a few serums fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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
- Offers moderate exfoliation and brightens skin tone for your oily skin due to the presence of azelaic acid, which also helps control oiliness and reduce shine.
- Dimethicone provides a non-comedogenic, mattifying finish, making it highly suitable for your oily skin type.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this serum in your PM routine. Start by applying it 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but right before your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin. Let it absorb ⏱ for a minute before applying the next product.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive and you want to target oily shine. This helps control excess oil throughout the night.
- Avoid the delicate eye area and do a patch test before using the serum for the very first time.
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 oily skin?
This product is a great fit for your oily skin because azelaic acid helps control oiliness and reduce shine while gently exfoliating. Dimethicone also gives it a non-comedogenic, mattifying finish, and the formula has an excellent safety profile without harsh ingredients.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily skin?
Azelaic acid makes this cream a great fit for your oily skin because it helps control oiliness and reduce shine while gently smoothing the surface. Dimethicone also works well by providing a nice, mattifying finish without clogging your pores.
What does Azelaic Acid do for oily skin?
Azelaic acid helps calm acne and clear out pores without changing how much oil your skin makes. It targets multiple causes of breakouts and helps fade dark spots left behind by pimples.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Acta Dermato-venereologica. Supplementum, 1989
What does Dimethicone do for oily skin?
Dimethicone helps protect skin and lock in moisture, though it may have limited performance compared to petrolatum. For oily skin, a product of this type needs a lightweight, oil-free formula that hydrates without clogging pores.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine, after cleansing and toning and before moisturizing, starting once a week and using it more often if your skin tolerates it well.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying your retinol first and following it with this cream. This product is unlikely to cause irritation when combined thoughtfully, but using both strong ingredients at once may be too much for your skin if you are new to them.
How often should I use this cream?
Start using this treatment once a week in your evening routine, and if your skin feels comfortable and looks good, you may carefully use it more often. Azelaic acid and dimethicone help control oiliness and reduce shine with an excellent safety profile that is unlikely to cause irritation.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores because it has dimethicone which provides a mattifying, non-comedogenic finish. Azelaic acid also helps control oiliness and reduce shine without causing breakouts for oily skin.
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, 2023Topical 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
How does it fit your skin?
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