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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on June 25, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 5 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, oils, parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain silicones

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

Facial Treatment American Brand United States
General Moisturizer French Brand France

Facial Treatment

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

General Moisturizer

All-purpose moisturizers hydrate the top layer of skin cells.

Price

Shop

Buy 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

Shop

Buy Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant 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

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
Exfoliators
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting (3)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (3)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
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.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 6.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
What it does: Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Dimethicone is a silicone used for making products smooth and silky. It also has the added benefit of sealing in hydration. The amount of dimethicone found in beauty products is considered safe and non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores.

Dimethicone has been found increase absorption in skin, boosting the benefits of other ingredients. While there is concern for the safety of dimethicone, the levels used in skincare are safe for use.

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 9.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur contains this as ingredient number 3.

4
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.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur contains this as ingredient number 28.

5
What it does: Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 17.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur contains this as ingredient number 25.

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

43% are loved or liked
10% have mixed ratings
38% are disliked or very disliked
10% have no rating yet
33% are loved or liked
7% have mixed ratings
37% are disliked or very disliked
23% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 21 ingredients

3.7 /5
from 6 reviews
BubbIes's Avatar'
Mar 13, 2024

Paula's Choice at it again with cetearyl alcohol high up on the ingredient list. I'm disappointed by their ingredients fairly consistently now.

Paula's Choice at it again with cetearyl alcohol high up on the ingredient list. I'm disappointed by their ingredients fairly consistently now.

Broke Me Out
Irritating
thesunrising's Avatar'
Apr 22, 2024

Did nothing for my fungal acne. Actually did nothing at all.
(Compared to my cheap no-name Russian brand Azelaic acid cream which worked wonders).

Did nothing for my fungal acne. Actually did nothing at all.
(Compared to my cheap no-name Russian brand Azelaic acid cream which worked wonders).

Doesn't Work

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur 30 ingredients

3.4 /5
from 7 reviews
MariamAlghussein_930's Avatar'
Jan 13, 2023

Broke me out!
After applying the product my skin immediately turned red and irritated and started feeling itchy. My skin never reacts this way! Dont recommend for dry skin

Broke me out!
After applying the product my skin immediately turned red and irritated and started feeling itchy. My skin never reacts this way! Dont recommend for dry skin

GabriellaTsoukalas's Avatar'
Aug 22, 2023

Good, but wouldn't repurchase it again
I bought it after SOOO many reviews on tiktok. I tried it and it was really good and matte on my skin. I didn't felt that I needed that (cause I was using the effaclar serum too) so I didn't...

Good, but wouldn't repurchase it again
I bought it after SOOO many reviews on tiktok. I tried it and it was really good and matte on my skin. I didn't felt that I needed that (cause I was using the effaclar serum too) so I didn't repurchased again. Would recommend for someone with acne prone skin, looking for a matte gel that feels like a moisturizer.

Hubayobi's Avatar'
Dec 9, 2023

It’s fine
Been using this product as a spot treatment for my breakouts. It didn’t really do much to it. The texture is nice and lightweight but as a moisturizer it’s drying, honestly I wouldn’t repurchase this product again.

It’s fine
Been using this product as a spot treatment for my breakouts. It didn’t really do much to it. The texture is nice and lightweight but as a moisturizer it’s drying, honestly I wouldn’t repurchase this product again.

Expensive
Drying
Light
Absorbs Well
Light Scent

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 34 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 8 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) SkinCorrecteur.

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