Love Me Some Azaleic Acid

Glycolic acid can be a bit harsh, especially for someone with eczema, rosacea, or otherwise sensitive skin. After years of aggressively peeling my face (I’ll tell you about the time I gave myself a second degree burn later), I wanted something a bit gentler. Enter azaleic acid, a naturally occurring acid produced by yeast and my new favorite acid to use. Here’s why:

1) It’s so gentle that it can be used twice a day without any burning or redness.

2) It’s effective! My skin is peak level smooth, soft and glow-y without any hints of irritation or peeling.

3) Besides being an excellent exfoliator, it does wonders lightening up dark spots (fun science fact: for anyone with tinea versicolor, azaleic acid produced by Malassezia yeast bleaches your skin, leaving behind white spots).

4) It’s safe to use for breakouts in pregnancy (seems like everyone is popping out little ones these days).

I’ve been using The Ordinary’s 10% azaleic acid suspension and I have been blown away with the results. I mix a dab with a little swipe of Cetaphil cream and I wake up with baby soft skin. Give it a whirl and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!