★★★★★ 5
I think this will help my rosacea redness!
Update: after using this 2 months, I will be reordering. The rosacea redness to my cheeks and nose have drastically reduced. I use it every other day. I tried a routine of on alternating mornings using vitamin c one day and this Anua azelaic acid the next. Cleanse, tone, azelaic acid, and then whatever I'm doing next (including SPF if I'm going outside). I don't use it at night, preferring a different routine with actives at night.
I don't use the hypochlorous acid on my face very often at all now so the Anua is doing the work of hydrating and helping calm my skin.
Note that I have aging skin that likely could be prone to dryness but I am meticulous about my skincare so my skin isn't dry - so though they advertise it's for blemish-prone skin, I use it for rosacea redness, and alternating plus hydrating before and after azelaic acid is what works for my skin.
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The first time I tried this over my entire face, it made my face immediately red so I considered returning it. However, I had used other serums and thought maybe it was just too much at once for my rosacea-prone skin, and that I used too much as well. (I will add that I did a small patch test along my jawbone and let that absorb for hours - always do a patch test of an unfamiliar product!)
After a couple of days, I tried it again, and I am impressed! This time, I hadn't used my tretinoin the night before - since I just went up in strength, my skin has been reactive. This time I cleansed my face using Thayer's milk cleanser, which is very soothing, and in fact is one of the only non-Korean beauty products in my skincare routine. Then I used my TirTir milky toner. I waited 5-10 minutes, then I applied just a little bit of this Anua Azelaic Acid over my entire face.
I was very surprised that there was no burning or irritation. And also surprised that a few minutes later some of the redness on my cheeks were calmed down--nothing earthshaking but there was a slight difference.
I let that absorb/sit for about 10 minutes and then I applied my Cosrx ceramide booster serum, which is very hydrating, and after letting that absorb for 5 or 10 minutes, I applied my Cosrx snail music to further hydrate. I'll be applying another moisturizer to seal it all in.
I tried it again the next day and had similar results - again, not using my tret the night before or the C the same morning.
This likely, at least at first, won't be a part of my daily routine as I think it could be too strong for my skin along with the other actives I use. For example, I won't use it when I apply my vitamin C until I lower the strength or until my skin is used to the azelaic acid, and I definitely wouldn't use it right before or right after tretinoin. I will do as they suggest and at first use it maybe 2x a week, so on weekends when I don't use my tretinoin or vitamin c, I will use this Anua azelaic acid. After doing this for a couple weeks, I may experiment and start using it more often --perhaps alternating this and my vitamin c since my vitamin c is really strong. As well I may consider lowering my vitamin c strength, and go back to the lower strength tret. (Update: I was out of town so I took a 4-day break from tret and vitamin c and tried this every morning after toning with hypochlorous acid (I let the HA dry completely first), and this didn't irritate my skin at all, and in fact, helped the redness. I am going to find a way to add it to my routine maybe by alternating days using this and vitamin c.)
This is fragrance free, which is a must for me. The consistency is thin but not overly watery - glides on easily. I bought mine on Spring Sale so I'm happy about that.
I will also add that I use Metrocream, and hypochlorous acid spray (Prequel) on my skin a few times a week and that helps the redness as well.
It's an experimental process to find what will be right for my rosacea and aging skin.
I am hoping with regular use my redness will calm even more as I hate the flushing across my cheeks and nose that I've dealt with for many years.
I'm hopeful!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2026
