What is azelaic acid in skincare?
Azelaic acid is a dicarboxylic acid found naturally in grains such as barley, wheat and rye, and produced on the skin by yeast that lives there. Cosmetic products use 10%; prescription strengths are 15% and 20%.
It is unusual among actives in doing several jobs at once – it is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, mildly keratolytic and a tyrosinase inhibitor – while remaining gentle enough for reactive skin and safe in pregnancy.
What skin concerns does azelaic acid treat?
A systematic review found evidence for azelaic acid across acne, rosacea, melasma and skin ageing – a range few single ingredients cover.
That makes it especially useful where concerns overlap: inflamed breakouts plus the brown marks they leave, or rosacea redness plus uneven tone. Its mechanisms include normalising follicular keratinisation and scavenging reactive oxygen species.
What ingredients are best paired with azelaic acid?
Niacinamide is an excellent partner for redness and sebum control. It also layers well with hyaluronic acid, ceramides and squalane, and can be combined with retinoids or salicylic acid if introduced gradually.
Expect a mild tingle for the first week or two. Because it is one of the few actives considered safe during pregnancy, it is often the substitute of choice when retinoids have to be paused. Take our Skin Quiz.
What is dry skin?
Dry skin – xerosis in clinical terms – is a skin type that lacks oil rather than water. It feels tight after cleansing, looks flaky or rough, may show fine cracking, and often reads dull because the uneven surface scatters light.
It is worth separating dry skin from dehydrated skin: dryness is a lack of lipids and is usually lifelong, while dehydration is a temporary lack of water and can happen to oily skin too. Many people have both at once.
What causes dry skin?
At the root is a compromised moisture barrier. When ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids and natural moisturising factors run low, water evaporates out of the skin faster than it can be replaced.
Age, genetics, cold weather and low humidity, long hot showers, harsh surfactants, over-exfoliation, some medications, and conditions such as eczema and psoriasis all deplete those lipids. Consistent moisturising is the single intervention with the strongest evidence behind it.
What ingredients are best for dry skin?
Rebuild in layers. Humectants such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, urea and panthenol draw water in; emollients such as squalane, jojoba oil and shea butter smooth the surface; and occlusives seal the whole thing in.
Ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids are the priority, because they replace exactly what a dry barrier is missing, with niacinamide helping the skin make more of its own. Apply to damp skin, and swap foaming cleansers for cream or oil-based ones. Take our Skin Quiz to find the right combination for your skin.
