Helloskin vs The INKEY List
The INKEY List's SuperSolutions 10% Azelaic is a genuinely nice budget serum — a true 10% azelaic in a clean water base with allantoin and a green tint that instantly counters redness, fragrance-free and around $30. Credit there. But it's 10% (half our dose), with no niacinamide and no BHA. We run a true 20% with 10% Niacinamide. Here's the breakdown — no spin, just chemistry.
A clean, likeable 10% with a clever redness-tint — but half the dose, no niacinamide, no BHA.
The two formulas, side by side.
Every spec that matters — including where The INKEY List genuinely wins.
A clean 10%, or a full 20%?
The INKEY List did the 10% serum well — a proper water-based solution (not a suspension), fragrance-free, with a clever green tint that counters redness the moment you apply it. It's a likeable starter. We go to a true 20% and add the actives it leaves out.
clean & clever
A true 10% azelaic in a light, fragrance-free serum with allantoin and green-tint particles for instant redness cover. Well-made and affordable — but half the dose, with no niacinamide, no BHA and no antioxidants.
full-strength
A true 20% azelaic with 10% Niacinamide, a salicylic-acid assist and Ferulic Acid + Vitamin E — double the dose and a fuller active line-up.
Credit where it's due: the fragrance-free base and the redness-cancelling tint are genuinely nice touches, and it's cheaper. We trade the tint for double the azelaic, niacinamide and a BHA.
What each label delivers.
Both true azelaic. Dose and extras differ.
The INKEY List is a clean, cheap 10% with a clever tint. But we give double the azelaic plus niacinamide, a BHA and antioxidants — a fuller serum for about ten dollars more.
Prescription-strength azelaic, without the prescription.
Dermatologists prescribe azelaic acid at 15–20% (Skinoren is 20%, Finacea 15%). Most over-the-counter serums stop at 10% — half. We run a full, true 20%, on the shelf, no script.
True azelaic acid — the prescription ceiling
The same 20% concentration a dermatologist prescribes as Skinoren, in a cosmetic serum you can just buy — paired with 10% Niacinamide and a salicylic-acid (BHA) assist.
Dissolved, not suspended or "derivative"
Real azelaic acid, carried in a light Undecane/Tridecane serum base that spreads clean — not a gritty silicone suspension, and not a milder Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate stand-in.
Azelaic acid is dose-dependent and a higher percentage is stronger — it can also be more active on sensitive or rosacea-prone skin, so patch-test and build up slowly. Not medical advice; azelaic acid at these levels is a cosmetic ingredient here, not a substitute for prescribed treatment.
All 15 categories. Scored fairly.
Helloskin wins 10, ties 2, cedes 3. The INKEY List genuinely wins on being fragrance-free, its redness-tint and price. On dose and actives, we win.
Every ingredient. Both labels, side by side.
The INKEY List keeps it simple: true 10% azelaic (2nd), allantoin to soothe, gardenia for the green redness-tint. No niacinamide, no BHA, no antioxidant — and half our dose.
What The INKEY List gets right.
A fair amount for the money. The INKEY List's 10% is a proper water-based serum (not a suspension), fragrance-free, with allantoin to soothe and a green tint that visually cancels redness the instant you apply it — a genuinely clever touch — at around $30. As an affordable, gentle, likeable starter azelaic, it's a good buy.
Where we pull ahead is dose and actives. Theirs is 10%; ours is a true 20%. Theirs is azelaic, allantoin and a tint; ours adds 10% Niacinamide, a salicylic-acid assist and Ferulic Acid + Vitamin E. Double the azelaic and a fuller formula for about ten dollars more. The honest trade: they're fragrance-free, cheaper, and that redness-tint is a nice everyday perk.
What people actually ask.
Is The INKEY List a suspension like The Ordinary?
What's the green tint for?
Why pay more than The INKEY List?
Which should I choose?
How we stack up against the rest.
Every comparison is the same honest, ingredient-level breakdown. No marketing, just chemistry.
Helloskin vs The Ordinary
A cult 10% azelaic — but a silicone suspension that can grit and pill, with no niacinamide.
Helloskin vs Azclear
The AU pharmacy 20% azelaic — same strength as ours, but a bare medicated lotion with no niacinamide or BHA.
Helloskin vs Paula's Choice
The most elegant, fragrance-free 10% azelaic + 0.5% SA — beautifully soothing, but half the dose and ~$52.
Helloskin vs Naturium
A gentle serum whose "azelaic" is Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate — a derivative, not the real acid.
Helloskin vs ANUA
A lovely K-beauty 10% azelaic in a full cica + ceramide base — gentle and cheap, but half the dose.
Helloskin vs Facetheory
The closest on strength — a true 15% azelaic with oat and rosehip — but below 20%, with no niacinamide.
Helloskin vs NINELESS
Astonishing-value true 10% azelaic with cica and snail — but half the dose across a 30+ ingredient list.
Helloskin vs Geek & Gorgeous
Sold as "20%" but it's a Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate derivative (~6% azelaic-equivalent), not the real acid.
Double the azelaic, plus the actives it skips.
A true 20% azelaic with 10% Niacinamide, a salicylic-acid assist and antioxidants — twice the dose of the tidy 10% serums. Australian-made. $39.99.
Shop Azelaic 20% Serum — $39.99→
