Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Ziaja Antibacterial Care versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster .

Last updated on January 04, 2024. Published on March 13, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe facial treatments. They have a total of 9 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, sensitive 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

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 Polish Brand Poland
Facial Treatment American Brand United States

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

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
Exfoliators

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation (2)
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema (2)

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
Join our community

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

Join SkinSort

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.

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

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 1.

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

2
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.

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 2.

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

3
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 5.

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 20.

4
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

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 8.

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

5
What it does: Bleaching, Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing, Soothing
Community Rating: Liked

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.

One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.

Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.

Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.

Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.

Learn more about Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 11.

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 12.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.

Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Learn more about Allantoin

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 12.

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 14.

7
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

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 13.

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

8
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

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 14.

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

9
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Ziaja Antibacterial Care contains this as ingredient number 20.

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster contains this as ingredient number 21.

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

26% are loved or liked
22% have mixed ratings
30% are disliked or very disliked
22% have no rating yet
43% are loved or liked
10% have mixed ratings
43% are disliked or very disliked
5% have no rating yet

Usage

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

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Ziaja Antibacterial Care 23 ingredients

Antibacterial Care hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 21 ingredients

3.7 /5
from 6 ratings
Broke Me Out (1) Doesn't Work (1) Irritating (1)
thesunrising's avatar

thesunrising

23 days ago · Normal Skin
Review

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).

BubbIes's avatar

BubbIes

2 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

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

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 27 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Ziaja Antibacterial Care.

See 27 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 36 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster.

See 36 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...