If you’re trying to fade dark spots, chances are azelaic acid and niacinamide have both made their way onto your radar—or, more than likely, your FYP. I know they have for me. As someone who deals with breakouts and the angry marks they leave behind, I’ve reached for both ingredients at different points with the same pursuit in mind: clearer, more even-looking skin.
“Both can help with dark spots, but they take slightly different routes to get there,” says board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD. That’s also what makes choosing between them a little confusing. They overlap just enough to seem interchangeable, even though they don’t actually work in quite the same way.
