Niacinamide, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and azelaic acid, each for one job.
Pick your answers and the shelf shows only what fits.
Ten percent niacinamide with zinc PCA in a water-based serum. Cheap enough to try, and sticky enough that owners complain about what it does under the next layer.
Skip it if you hate a tacky finish; owners call it sticky
Several weights of hyaluronic acid with panthenol, now in a reformulated version with ceramides. A cheap water layer, though it pills for some owners and old fans miss the old one.
Skip it if you expect it to replace a moisturizer; some owners stayed dry
Twenty percent L-ascorbic acid with vitamin E and ferulic acid on a short list. It does what it says until it turns orange, and owners say some bottles arrive that way.
Skip it if you will not finish it quickly; owners report it oxidizes
Three percent of a tranexamic acid form with four percent niacinamide, both stated by the maker, for dark spots and uneven tone. Priced so you can finish a bottle, and many owners do and see nothing.
Skip it if you expect results in a few weeks; owners report none after months
A slippery essence that is mostly snail secretion filtrate, with sodium hyaluronate and panthenol. Most owners like the hydration, and a small group reacts within days.
Skip it if you are squeamish about the main ingredient
Ten percent azelaic acid in a thick silicone cream, aimed by the maker at uneven tone and texture. It works for many owners, but the pilling is hard to get around.
Skip it if you layer other products; owners report pilling and flaking
Ten percent niacinamide in a thin, watery liquid you can use alone or mix into a moisturizer. Owners like how fast it absorbs, at $53.00 MSRP for less than an ounce.
Skip it if you want value; this is a small bottle at $53.00 MSRP
The maker's newer ingredient, Melasyl, with 10% niacinamide, sold to visibly reduce the look of dark spots. Some owners see fading; many report no change after months, and the perfume is strong.
Skip it if you want a sure result; owners report no change after months
A 15% vitamin C serum, by the maker's figure, with ferulic acid, in a vitamin powder you mix in yourself so it stays fresh. Clever, sticky, and it smells like it.
Skip it if you want value; $79 MSRP buys 28 ml