APLB Azelaic Acid Peptide Ampoule Serum Versus John Jeff 20% Azelaic Acid Acne Treatment Gel

APLB Azelaic Acid Peptide Ampoule Serum Versus John Jeff 20% Azelaic Acid Acne Treatment Gel

This calming ampoule is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Sh-Oligopeptide-1 to calm redness and fade the look of dark spots.

This acne treatment is formulated around Azelaic Acid to clear breakouts and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Centella Asiatica Leaf Water

Butylene Glycol

Propanediol

Glycerin

Diethoxyethyl Succinate

Azelaic Acid

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Madecassic Acid

Asiaticoside

Asiatic Acid

Squalane

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract

Beta-Glucan

Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract

Nelumbo Nucifera Extract

Artemisia Annua Extract

Oryza Sativa Extract

Saccharomyces Ferment

Dipropylene Glycol

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Allantoin

Cellulose Gum

Disodium EDTA

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Citric Acid

Xanthan Gum

Inulin

Cellulose

Glucose

Fructose

Panthenol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hydroxyacetophenone

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

1,2-Hexanediol

Water, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Azelaic Acid, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Squalane, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Beta-Glucan, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Extract, Artemisia Annua Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Cellulose Gum, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Inulin, Cellulose, Glucose, Fructose, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, 1,2-Hexanediol

Ethoxydiglycol

Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine

BHA

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Lactic Acid

Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Cyclohexane 1,4-Dicarboxylate

Maltodextrin

Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Menthol

O-Cymen-5-Ol

Punica Granatum Pericarp Extract

Totarol

Quaternium-73

Ethoxydiglycol, Azelaic Acid, Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine, Water, Propanediol, BHA, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Cyclohexane 1,4-Dicarboxylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Butylene Glycol, Maltodextrin, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Menthol, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Punica Granatum Pericarp Extract, Citric Acid, Totarol, Quaternium-73

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.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Azelaic acid is a multitasker ingredient that helps treat acne, pigmentation, and irritation. It is a great option for sensitive skin.

What makes it special?

OTC Azelaic acid is usually available in concentrations from 10-15% and anything over requires a prescription.

Here's what each tier does best:

Unlike other acids, azelaic acid will not make your skin more photosensitive/sun sensitive.

Though this ingredient is naturally occurring in grains like wheat, rye, and barley, it is usually synthetically created for cosmetics to ensure stability and effectiveness.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

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.

Hydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.

As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.

Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.

This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.

You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.

Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.

An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.

So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.

Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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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