When I first visited the DECIEM store in NYC last April, I picked up a bottle of The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% upon the store associate’s recommendation. I’ve been using a pea-sized amount every morning for months now, per instructions from The Ordinary customer service team (I emailed them for help). In this post, I’ll finally be sharing my honest thoughts on The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% (spoiler alert: this post is categorized under “disappointing products”).

The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% Ingredients

According to the website, this product has a pH between 4 and 5. The ingredient list is heavy on silicones like dimethicone, dimethicone/bis-isobutyl ppg-20 crosspolymer, and polysilicone-11. I do like that, like other The Ordinary products, you can see the exact concentration of the key ingredient: this particular product contains 10% azelaic acid. The problem is that this ingredient is suspended in silicones that lend a thick and somewhat waxy texture that won’t suit all skin types.

Before we get into my impressions of this product, let’s first explore the intended benefits of an ingredient like azelaic acid. What is it, and why should you be interested in it?

Azelaic acid studies

Azelaic acid is indicate that this ingredient should be effective at treating acne, hyperpigmentation, and inflammation. However, many studies witness these positive effects at 20 percent concentration (see this and this). In another study, 15 percent azelaic acid gel combined with oral doxycycline was shown to help improve inflammation levels in rosacea patients.

It’s interesting to see that these studies involved higher concentrations of azelaic acid, ranging from 15% to 20%. The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension includes 10% concentration, but it also incorporates other ingredients like silicones, which has led many people to complain about pilling (especially if you combine it with other products like foundation or sunscreen on top of this product). The main complaint about this product probably has to do with its texture. I didn’t witness excessive pilling, but I did feel like it was a bit too thick and waxy for my liking. If your skin typically breaks out when it comes in contact with silicone-heavy products, I’d stray away from using this product and opt for an azelaic acid gel instead.

All in all, I found it this particular formula too silicone-heavy and didn’t witness any substantial positive effects after months of regular use. I probably won’t be purchasing it again.

My latest thoughts on The Ordinary

Now that I’ve been using a handful of products, I think I’ve mostly separated the keepers from the leave-behinders, for the most part. The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% joins The Ordinary Serum Foundation in the latter category, while other products like The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% are keepers. I’m still undecided on The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA.