Versus

The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% Versus Menarini A-Ret Tretinoin Gel 0.025%

Serum
Prescription
Canadian Brand Canada
Italian Brand Italy

Updated on June 07, 2024

Overview

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

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

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

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Buffering, Emulsifying, Masking

Triethanolamine is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.

As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.

PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.

Learn more about Triethanolamine

When to use

2,941 Routines
42% use in am
58% use in pm
86% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
569 Routines
3% use in am
97% use in pm
58% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% 17 ingredients

2.9 /5
from 38 ratings
Pilling (18) Great Value (14) Works Well (12)
Elapidae's avatar

Ela

3 months ago
Review

It’s a great starter product with azelic acid.
The price is relatively cheap, the tube will last you long time and it delivers what it should - azelic acid.
However, despite people’s suggestions here I personally would not use it as last step. It does not say it on their homepage but azelic acid has usually low ph. Thus adding it as last step might cause damaged skin barrier on a long run! Show more

#great value
#drying
#works well
anniec's avatar

anniec

1 year ago
Review

Hate
I have rosacea and perioral dermatitis so I thought this would heal my skin but I HATE it. It’s silicone based so it dries matte and you can’t apply sunscreen or any makeup on top. You also can’t reapply because it’ll start pilling. Don’t even think about touching your face after putting this on because it’ll pill. It also stings really bad which is the opposite of what you need for rosacea Show more

#irritating
#heavy
#pilling

Menarini A-Ret Tretinoin Gel 0.025% 11 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 2 ratings
Light (1) Works Well (1)
nadinekerosene's avatar

Nadine

10 days ago
Review

Between tretinoin and adapalene, adapalene is generally gentler since it's a synthetic retinoid designed to mimic the effects of retinoic acid while being more stable and less irritating. But because I don't like waiting too long for results, I chose to use tretinoin instead; starting with a low percentage of course, since I didn’t want to go through a prolonged purging phase. It's been four weeks Show more

louib's avatar

Loui b

7 days ago
Review

BESTTT Tretinoin to buy. You can tell it works even after a week because your skin will be glowing flawlessly. Ive not even noticed a purge from using this one despite having acne prone skin (it will dry your skin slightly though so start slow).

#light
#works well