Dermorepubliq 5% Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate + 2% Niacinamide + Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Nineless A-Control 10% Azelaic Acid Serum

Dermorepubliq 5% Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate + 2% Niacinamide + Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Nineless A-Control 10% Azelaic Acid Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate and Niacinamide to calm redness and fade the look of dark spots.

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate

Propylene Glycol

Niacinamide

Centella Asiatica Leaf

Extracts

Snail Secretion Filtrate

Glycerin

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Sodium Hyaluronate

Allantoin

Water, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Propylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Centella Asiatica Leaf, Extracts, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin

Azelaic Acid

Dipropylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Sodium Hydroxide

1,2-Hexanediol

Panthenol

Butylene Glycol

Propanediol

Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Water, Azelaic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propanediol, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate

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.

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.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

Snail Secretion Filtrate (the slimy mucus that garden snails produce) is a multitasking ingredient that shows up in "skin repair" formulas.

This ingredient works because it's a grab bag of skin-friendly stuff like:

In a formula, it acts as a humectant and barrier-supporting soother and the research backs this up as well.

A 2025 systematic review of human clinical trials found that snail-derived ingredients improved signs of aging, increased skin hydration, decreased transepidermal water loss, and improved healing after radiation therapy/fractional laser treatment.

Lab studies have also shown the secretion promotes the proliferation, migration, and survival of the cells that rebuild skin (keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts).

There's also a placebo-controlled study where a serum containing it helped with mask-related acne.

Overall, this is a gentle, water-based multitasker that works great for hydrating and supporting the skin barrier. However, please see the section below if you have dust mite or shellfish allergies.

You'll see snail filtrate listed at very different percentages depending on the product. Some Korean serums list it near the top of the ingredients at 90% or more while other products use just a few percent.

This doesn't mean the high-percentage ones are far stronger. Raw snail filtrate is mostly water to begin with so using a lot of it isn't the same thing as using a lot of the active ingredients.

Other products use a concentrated version so a small amount goes a long way. Either approach can work well. Just know the percentage on the label isn't a reliable way to judge how effective a snail product will be.

Being cruelty-free means a brand does not experiment on animals. If you're worried about the well-being of the snails, we recommend looking more into the company of the product. Many brands claim to have developed humane methods to collect snail mucin.

There is much debate on this subject. On one hand, this ingredient comes from an animal. On the other hand, many will argue the ingredient is naturally secreted (like a natural by-product) and therefore vegan. If you have reservations, you can look into Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate or Centella Asiatica Extract as alternatives.

This ingredient is fungal acne safe. Its core composition lacks the fatty acid/ester triggers that Malassezia depends on.

True allergy to Snail Secretion Filtrate is uncommon and most documented cases are linked to a dust mite allergy.

Snail proteins (including Tropomyosin) are similar enough to dust mite proteins that the immune system can confuse them.

In most documented cases, the dust mite was the original trigger and tropomyosin turned out to be only a minor player in some studies (so this has not been fully confirmed).

Another thing to know is that nearly all the evidence comes from eating snails or inhaling the protein and not from cosmetics.

However, the allergenic proteins can survive filtration into a finished product; a topical reaction is biologically plausible but there's little published evidence of it actually happening.

People who are allergic to dust mites (or sometimes shellfish) are the most likely to react.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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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