Geek & Gorgeous is a brand from Hungary that focuses on simple products that are effective and have great formulation. I am a big fan of that skincare approach and I picked up a bunch of their products and among them this serum.
The Geek & Gorgeous aPad 20% Azeclair Serum is a serum containing Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate-PAD which is newer form of azelaic acid - the well known active ingredient. It's water-soluble and it allows the texture of the product to be a lot more lightweight and also oil-free. Azelaic acid is in the AHA family and this product is meant to be used in the serum stage of your routine. It retails for 11 Euros and you get 30ml of product. It's also cruelty-free, vegan, without fragrance and gluten-free.
Azelaic acid in general helps if you have increased sebum production, uneven skintone, sensitivity or redness. This product in particular has very lightweight gel texture so it can be well layered with other products. That is something that is harder to do with some textures. You can use it in the morning/evening as you wish.
With this product I mostly find myself in the redness/sensitivity category. I don't have acne or hyper-pigmentation but I like to experiment with different actives to see if my skin benefits from using them. Just to be said that I'm not probably the most typical target customer for this product.
Try-on
I usually keep my routine very simple and without any actives when I try new products or when I use acids just like this one. After cleansing I applied my hydrating toner, hyaluronic acid serum, niacinamize + zinc serum, 10% peptide serum and went in with the Apad 20% Azeclair serum. I was very surprised because the texture was very lightweight. I've used azelaic acid before and it was more like a thick emulsion but this serum is just a very lightweight gel that sinks right in. On top, I just applied one of my basic night-time moisturizers and called it a day.
The texture gives the product multiple advantages because it's easy to use with any other products as the texture blends well with anything. You can also drop it into your favorite moisturizer to dillute the concentration a little bit if you're just starting with stronger acids. I think the texture is briliant and it doesn't smell of anything which is also a plus to me.
It didn't irritate my face at all, which is to be expected because I am an experienced acid user. My skin looked nice and glowy so I would that the exfoliation absolutelly worked overnight and my skin felt nice. I didn't experience any pilling or texture problems with the product at all.
Final thoughts
I use this product very sparingly, usually when I need extra brightening and surface exfoliation. I find that is works really well as my last serum and I've also used it on top of my night cream when my skin felt more sensitive.
Azelaic acid is a more targeted product so if you're in the group of people who love to use it for one reason or another I would say that this is very much for your. I listed the main concerns it solves above so check it out and if you find yourself there, it's a nice product for you for sure. I would highly recommend it just because of the high concentration you get and also the texture. It amazingly versatile and plays well with anything you put on top. That's a very good quality of an exfoliating serum. It's not super expensive and I would say it's worth every penny if you're looking for a good azelaic acid product and haven't found one yet.
Have you ever used azelaic acid? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!