
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
Welcome to our explanation of everything that you need to know about The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. Let’s get started!
- vegan and cruelty-free serum that contains vitamin e.
- it doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens or sulfates.
- it does contain silicones.
- it is reef safe.
- it is not fungal acne (malassezia) safe.
At a glance
Notable Ingredients

This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits

This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:

This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:

This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:

This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:

This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Concerns

This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Ingredient Info

Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉

Contains Silicon
Ingredients in this product that are types of silicon:

Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉

Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉

Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉

Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉

Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:

Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉

Eu Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉

Vegan
This product is vegan 🎉

Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% Ingredient List (17)
Water • Isodecyl Neopentanoate • Dimethicone • Azelaic Acid • Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl Ppg-20 Crosspolymer • Dimethyl Isosorbide • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Polysilicone-11 • Isohexadecane • Tocopherol • Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate • Isoceteth-20 • Polysorbate 60 • Triethanolamine • Ethoxydiglycol • Phenoxyethanol • Chlorphenesin
Ingredients Explained
This product contains 17 ingredients. Click on any ingredient to learn more about it
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's there to help 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!
We don't have a description for Isodecyl Neopentanoate.

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.


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.
We don't have a description for Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl Ppg-20 Crosspolymer.
Dimethyl Isosorbide is a solvent and helps deliver actives into your skin. It is created from sorbitol.
As a solvent, dimethyl isosorbide helps dissolve other ingredients. This helps ensure even distribution of an ingredient. It may also be used to decrease the thickness of a product.
Studies show dimethyl isosorbide is able to penetrate skin to deliver other ingredients into the skin, making them more effective.
This is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Isohexadecane is added to enhance texture, emulsify, and to help cleanse. It is an isoparrafin. It is a component of petrolatum.
Due to its large size, Isohexadecane is not absorbed by the skin. Instead, it sits on top and acts as an emollient. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by trapping moisture within.
Isohexadecane is often used in products designed to help oily skin. It is lightweight and non-greasy while helping to moisturize. When mixed with silicones, it gives a product a silky feel.






Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also provides some UV protection by reducing the damage caused by UVB rays. Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Vitamin E aids in stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.

Isoceteth-20 comes from Isocetyl Alcohol. It is an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
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.
Triethanolamine helps improve the texture of products. As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating. This can help elongate shelf life. It also adds volume and thickness to a product.
The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin. This is why Triethanolamine is used as a pH adjuster.
Ethoxydiglycol is a synthetic solvent.
Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.
Ethoxydiglycol also helps deliver other key ingredients into the skin.

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.

Chlorphenesin is a synthetic preservative. It helps protect a product against bacteria in order to extend shelf life. In most cases, Chlorphenesin is paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol.
Chlorphenesin is a biocide. This means it is able to help fight the microorganisms on our skin. It is also able to fight odor-releasing bacteria.
Chlorphenesin is soluble in both water and glycerin.
Studies show Chlorphenesin is easily absorbed by our skin. You should speak with a skincare professional if you have concerns about using Chlorphenesin.
Beautiful widgets for your website
Here's what our community thinks of the 17 ingredients in this product ✨
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
Directions
Apply to face AM and/or PM to improve visible brightness and the appearance of skin texture. Avoid contact with eyes and mouth. Use sun protection during the day. If irritation occurs, cease use and consult a physician. Use only as directed on...
Show all directions
unbroken skin. Patch testing prior to use is advised.
When to use
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 12 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to this product.
See 12 alternativesCompared With
Here are some products that The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is often compared with.
Want to compare it with a different product? Head on over to our comparisons tool and you can!
Compared 4,926 times
Compared 4,390 times