Redness/IrritationAcne Spot Treatment
Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% — Reddit Reviews
by The Ordinary
Updated September 23, 2026
10% azelaic acid for redness, acne, and PIH; pilling is real.
What the community says
A silicone-heavy 10% azelaic acid suspension for acne, redness, and post-breakout marks. Redditors call it a starter azelaic option, and studies back azelaic acid for acne. The catch is pilling, thickness, and stinging on reactive skin.
What this means for you
What people love
- 10% azelaic acid for acne, redness, and PIH
- Cheaper OTC azelaic acid starter
- Can work under moisturizer on dry skin
Watch out for
Product details
Use caution
Skin Type
Product Traits
Key Ingredients
Where to buy
What the science says vs. what Reddit says
Acne
Strong evidence
Azelaic Acid: 22 studies tested it on its own. See all 31 studies
On Reddit: Silicone-based formula regularly treats cystic breakouts and reduces redness after months of consistent use. 60 mentions
What the studies found
- Most studies found azelaic acid helped clear acne
- It often reduced pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and red, sore spots
- It usually worked about as well as tretinoin and some other common acne treatments
- Some studies found it worked less well than benzoyl peroxide
- The most common side effects were local skin irritation, peeling, dryness, and stinging
Studied at 5–20%this product: 10%
Hyperpigmentation
Strong evidence
Azelaic Acid: 12 studies tested it on its own. See all 15 studies
On Reddit: Silicone suspension texture offers a thick, mattifying finish used nightly to fade old marks and redness over months. 53 mentions
What the studies found
- Most studies found azelaic acid helped fade dark spots or patches
- It faded melasma patches better than a placebo in several studies
- It often worked about as well as hydroquinone, and sometimes better than weaker hydroquinone
- It also helped fade dark marks left after acne in one small study
- The most common side effects were mild burning, stinging, itching, redness and scaling
Studied at 15–20%this product: 10%
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 657 mentions across 28 threads
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% on Reddit, in one place — 28 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare, r/AsianBeauty and 5 more, summarized.
“Infrequent use of their Azelaic Acid”
Positive
“I also have some redness in my cheeks that Azelaic Acid seems to help with”
Positive
“I mainly focus on hydration and sun protection these days when it comes to topicals.”
Positive
“PM: The Ordinary Azelaic acid 3x/wk”
Positive
“Yeah the texture is a little odd.”
Positive
“the way that it mattifies and pills up if you move it too much”
Positive
“sampling the Ordinary's in-store and not liking the texture”
Cautionary
“I also definitely agree with the TO azelaic being very sensorially and cosmetically unpleasant”
Cautionary
“It has a hard time not just pulling with ITSELF”
Cautionary
“I use TO azelaic acid suspension with Stridex max for salicylic acid...”
Mentioned
“The azelaic acid suspension has a conflict with their 2% salicylic acid, so should I not combine azelaic and salicylic acid?”
Mentioned
“Wait wait wait, peptides conflict with azelaic acid??”
Mentioned
“The Ordinary Azelaic acid has done wonders to calm my skin and give me a more even tone. And it’s very gentle.”
Positive
“I was layering niacinamide from TO and then AZ but I realized it wasn’t getting down to my skin so I switched the order and it’s evening out much better.”
Positive
“Paula’s choice Azelaic Acid booster is great and the Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid works well too and is pretty inexpensive.”
Positive
“On non tret days I use the ordinary azelaic acid.”
Positive
“Been using Estée Lauder products, Origins and The ordinary.”
Positive
“I swear by The ordinary products. I use them on non tret days”
Positive
Dupes & Alternatives
Stridex
Daily Care Acne Pads With Salicylic Acid, Maximum Strength
Better for Acne
6 shared traits
127 mentions
