Anua Azelaic Acid 15+ Intense Calming Serum Versus Geek & Gorgeous aPAD 20% Azeclair Serum

Anua Azelaic Acid 15+ Intense Calming Serum Versus Geek & Gorgeous aPAD 20% Azeclair Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Centella Asiatica Extract to calm redness and clear breakouts.

This calming serum is formulated around Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate to calm redness and balance excess oil.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propylene Glycol

Azelaic Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

1,2-Hexanediol

Centella Asiatica Extract

Dipropylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Panthenol

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Glycerin

Ethylhexylglycerin

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Salicylic Acid

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Allantoin

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

Succinic Acid

Totarol

Beta-Glucan

Dextrin

Theobroma Cacao Extract

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Centella Asiatica Root Extract

Madecassoside

Asiaticoside

Asiatic Acid

Madecassic Acid

Tocopherol

Squalane

Zinc PCA

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Ceramide NP

Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Hyaluronic Acid

Potassium Hyaluronate

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Water, Propylene Glycol, Azelaic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Salicylic Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Succinic Acid, Totarol, Beta-Glucan, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Root Extract, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Tocopherol, Squalane, Zinc PCA, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate

Propanediol

Methyl Gluceth-20

Xanthan Gum

Citric Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Allantoin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.

This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.

This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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