I have had more than enough time to try out all the products from my Niche Beauty Lab haul back in 2022. In today’s post, I’ll be doing a dedicated review of the much anticipated THERAMID AZID 15% Azelaic Acid Treatment. It is an over-the-counter Azelaic Acid product at 15% concentration! The last time I used Azelaic Acid in my skincare routine was back in 2019. I used up a full tube of Finacea (15% Azelaic Acid) and I also tried the Paula’s Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster + BHA.
THERAMID AZID piqued my interest because the concentration of Azelaic Acid is equivalent to what is given in prescription form (i.e. Finacea). Intrigued, I decided to make a purchase when Niche Beauty was having a sale on their site. I have been rotating THERAMID AZID in and out of my skincare routine ever since. I am now near the end of the bottle, so I thought it was about time I gave a review!
UPDATE 27/04/2023: The rest of the Niche Beauty Lab skincare products have been reviewed:
Niche Beauty Lab Haul Update – Reviewing Purchases 8 Months Later
General Information About THERAMID AZID 15% Azelaic Acid Treatment
“An intensive multi-action treatment with Azelaic Acid to effectively treat and reduce spots, calm redness and unify skin tone and texture. A unique formula for the daily care of reactive, redness and acne-prone skin resulting in a more uniform, smooth and rejuvenated skin in just one step.“
– Niche Beauty Lab website
Price: €34,95
Packaging: Red glass bottle, white plastic pull-off cap and pump
Amount: 30ml
Where to Buy International: Niche Beauty Lab *
* This is an affiliate link. If you click on this link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission. Thank you for your support!
THERAMID AZID 15% Azelaic Acid Treatment Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Azelaic Acid, Glycerin, Propanediol, Glycereth-26, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Carnosine, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Ceramide NP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AS, Ceramide AP, Gallyl Glucoside, Propyl Gallate, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Cell Culture Lysate, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Callus Culture, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sucrose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Dipropylene Glycol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid
Highlighted Ingredients
15% Azelaic Acid – anti-acne, anti-rosacea, anti-inflammatory, lightens pigmentation like PIH and melasma.
1% Carnosine – peptide naturally occurring in the human body. The form in THERAMID AZID is synthetic. Manufacturer studies in-vitro that it has anti-glycation, collagen boosting, protects against infrared radiation. May have antioxidant and wound-healing properties.
1% Colloidal Oatmeal – Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour in the INCI. Has skin soothing, protecting and antioxidant properties like the extract.
I have used a prescription strength Azelaic Acid in the past and at the time it served my skin needs well. It worked well with Differin in keeping my skin clear of active acne. I noticed a brightening effect and my PIH almost never formed.
I’m very skeptical that carnosine is doing anything in this formula. All the benefits are from the manufacturer’s studies A.K.A. biased studies. While a nice-to-have ingredient, it’s most definitely not something I’ll bank on doing anything for my skin.
A soothing ingredient like colloidal oatmeal is always lovely to see in anti-acne actives. When I was younger, I tried washing my face with oats to soothe my very inflamed skin. To my surprise, it helped!
Additional Ingredients
Glycerin – skin-identical humectant.
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2 – peptide that may stimulates skin’s immune defenses, helps skin regenerate.
Ceramide NP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AS, Ceramide AP – skin-identical lipids found in the waxy parts that make up the outer layer of our skin.
Gallyl Glucoside, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside – antioxidants, soothing.
THERAMID AZID 15% Azelaic Acid Treatment Application & Texture
After cleansing, before moisturizing, I dispense 2 pumps of THERAMID AZID, and spread it evenly across my face. The texture is a thin, opaque white milky consistency with no fragrance. When I first started using THERAMID AZID, I applied it on a nightly basis to maintain a bright and even complexion. I then reduced the usage to an as needed basis.
My Experience Using THERAMID AZID 15% Azelaic Acid Treatment
THERAMID AZID on Active Acne
Back then, and still to this day with only a handful of pumps left, I am unable to tolerate THERAMID AZID on a nightly basis. I had to reduce the usage to an as need basis when I was experiencing breakouts. I found THERAMID AZID to be the most helpful on mild acne. A couple of applications did the job at reducing any minor breakouts.
However when it came to active acne cysts, my skin seemed to struggle longer than I’d like. I’m used to Benzoyl Peroxide (BPO) doing the job quickly and effectively – lower inflammation, size, kill the acne bacteria with ease. I found with use of THERAMID AZID, it was almost as if it was teasing the acne cyst. It would calm it a bit, but inflammation would creep its way back. The acne cyst would make it’s presence known, sending an inflammatory message that it would return. This constant tease of inflammation would only stop once I went in with the big guns – BPO and a cica product.
THERAMID AZID on Overall Complexion
As previously mentioned, to this day with little product left, I am unable to tolerate frequent usage of THERAMID AZID. Fortunately, my skin has been maintaining a nice complexion with just a simple skincare routine. When I did try upping the usage, my skin did look smoother. But I found it also looked more red. This again falls back to not being able to acclimate to it. I decide to cut my losses and just have THERAMID AZID on hand when I needed it – mild breakouts and bacne. Even with this once in a while usage, I find it leaves my skin feeling sensitized and irritated, rather than calming.
Final Thoughts on THERAMID AZID 15% Azelaic Acid Treatment
I appreciate Niche Beauty Lab offering an Azelaic Acid product at a fairly high concentration for those of us seeking alternatives to controlling our acne outside of BPO and tretinoin. All in all, my experience with THERAMID AZID 15% Azelaic Acid Treatment was alright. Sure, it helps with mild breakouts and bacne, but I have other products that do the same thing – and do not irritate my skin. Unfortunately, my inability to acclimate to THERAMID AZID and not seeing results different from current skincare I have leads me to not repurchase in the future. Very unfortunate, as I really liked the ingredients list and was hoping to get a similar result to when I used Finacea in the past. I’ll be very jealous to hear from those of you that got on well with THERAMID AZID! I still think it’s a great option on the market for Azelaic Acid. It meets the concentration similar to prescribed products and has a many additional skin-friendly ingredients.
That’s it for this review! As always, I hope you find content like this helpful and informative.
xo, M