Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster Versus Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel

See how these products line up with your preferences

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster versus Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on April 03, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe facial treatments. They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Try a different comparison

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel

Facial Treatment American Brand United States

Facial Treatment Irish Brand Ireland

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Price

Shop

Buy 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

Shop

Buy Flawless Neutralising Gel

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 21 ingredients

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel 11 ingredients

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 21 ingredients

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel 11 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Benefits

Hydrating

Good For Oily Skin

Redness Reducing (2)

Reduces Irritation (3)

Reduces Large Pores (2)

Anti-Aging

Dark Spots (2)

Scar Healing (4)

Acne Fighting (2)

Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying

May Worsen Oily Skin

Acne Trigger

Irritating

Rosacea

Eczema

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Benefits

Hydrating

Good For Oily Skin

Redness Reducing

Reduces Large Pores (2)

Dark Spots

Scar Healing (2)

Acne Fighting (2)

Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying

Irritating

Rosacea

Eczema (2)

Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 21 ingredients

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel 11 ingredients

Water • Azelaic Acid • C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride • Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate • Glycerin • Cetearyl Alcohol • Glyceryl Stearate • Dimethicone • Salicylic Acid • Adenosine • Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract • Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract • Allantoin • Bisabolol • Cyclopentasiloxane • Xanthan Gum • Sclerotium Gum • Propanediol • Butylene Glycol • Phenoxyethanol

Water • Propylene Glycol • Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate • Azelaic Acid • Squalane • Salicylic Acid • Glyceryl Stearate • Disodium EDTA • Peg-100 Stearate • Sodium Hydroxide • Bakuchiol

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Water

What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 1.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel contains this as ingredient number 1.

Azelaic Acid

What it does: Buffering, Masking

Community Rating: Loved

Azelaic acid is a naturally occurring acid that is derived from grains. However, the lab-created form is typically used within cosmetic products as it has better shelf-stability.

It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of acne, rosacea, and other skin conditions. Azelaic acid helps reduce the growth of bacteria that cause acne and helps to reduce inflammation.

It also helps to improve the appearance of skin by reducing the production of sebum and unclogging pores.

Azelaic Acid also has antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.

One of the main benefits of azelaic acid is that it is gentle and well-tolerated by most people. It is also non-comedogenic, meaning that it will not clog pores.

Learn more about Azelaic Acid

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 2.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel contains this as ingredient number 4.

Glyceryl Stearate

What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying

Community Rating: Disliked

Glyceryl Stearate is a mix of glycerin and stearic acid.

Glyceryl Stearate is used to stabilize the mixing of water and oil ingredients. By preventing these ingredients from separating, it can help elongate shelf life. It can also help thicken the product's texture.

As an emollient, it helps soften skin and supports barrier-replenishing ingredients.

In cosmetics, Glyceryl Stearate is often made from vegetable oils or synthetically produced. The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 8.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel contains this as ingredient number 7.

Salicylic Acid

What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 10.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Neutralising Gel contains this as ingredient number 6.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.