Haruharu Wonder Rose PDRN Soothing Serum Review | Azelaic Acid for Radiance
Started in 2018, Haruharu Wonder celebrates the natural ritual of skincare and in place of dramatic skincare routines, delivers gentle and nourishing formulas to improve skin health ‘Day by Day.’ It was created by an artist, Jae Jeong, and has become a widely trusted and beloved skincare brand (especially for damaged or sensitive skin). They are most famous for their Black Rice line, which integrates fermented rice into the skin for probiotics, rich antioxidants and refreshing hydration. Haruharu is so famous for this in fact, that it’s rare to see them step outside their safe zone of nourishing, healing formulas.
The combination of rose-extracted PDRN and azelaic acid is perhaps the most out-of-the-box that Haruharu has been since its inception. Almost all its products before had been so gently formulated that they are instant hits with sensitive skin, that this one is by far the riskiest we’ve seen from them. Azelaic acid is an exfoliating acid used to treat acne. It’s a wonderful treatment of spots and oily skin, due to its ability to not just exfoliate skin, but also to reduce acne-causing bacteria and cool redness and inflammation.
Blending this with healing PDRN is clever, as it can help exfoliate dull and dehydrated skin on the outer layer, whilst infusing ingredients for a deeper, rosy glow. And this was the design of Haruharu’s Soothing Serum. Formulated to help boost radiance and natural glow of a variety of skin types; from acne-prone, sensitive, hyperpigmentation or dull textures. Balanced with Japanese Mountain Yam extract, hydrating panthenol and hyaluronic acid – is this new line from Haruharu worth the buy? Let’s test it out!
What's In The Bottle?
Niacinamide: brightening vitamin B3 that helps reduce the appearance of dark spots and even skin tone for a balanced glow.
Panthenol: soothing vitamin B5 is a rich molecule that helps calm and hydrate damaged, dry or irritated skin; for a stronger and repaired barrier.
Japanese Mountain Yam extract: deeply moisturizing and soothing extract that is medicinally added to skincare to support regeneration and cool inflammation.
Adenosine: boosting skin molecule that improves hydration, fine lines and boosts collagen and skin elasticity.
Centella asciatica: improves skin healing, cools redness and swelling and improves natura hydration for refreshed skin appearance.
Fig extract: rich in cooling antioxidants to refresh dry, irritated or flaking skin and improve texture and firmness. Reduces cell stress to environmental pollutants.
Ceramides: small molecules that help fill cracks in skin barrier to improve hydration and soften skin texture.
PDRN: small DNA fragments that help improve skin healing and heal energy pathways in cells for youthful, natural glow.
Hyaluronic acid (multiple weights): powerful water humectant that helps draw moisture into skin barrier and plump, refresh fine lines.
Azelaic Acid: exfoliating acid that helps heal acne and refresh skin barrier, whilst reducing redness and irritation.
Who Should Avoid?
This gently formulated serum is designed for almost all skin types. It’s gently hydrating, but safe for acne-prone skin, whilst also improving radiance and fine lines of dull and dry skin. It’s generally safe for use in all skin types, but might be lead to less exciting skincare results in oily or really acne-prone skin types. If you are after more dramatic results, this gentle formula is less likely to be exciting for you; but it provides one of the gentlest azelaic acid serums on the market.
The Results
This serum is lightweight, gentle and deeply nourishing to a variety of skin types. I have sensitive skin, that can get dull and was looking for a gentle exfoliating serum that would help refresh and improve my skin texture. The Haruharu Soothing Serum is a blend of rose-extracted PDRN and azelaic acid, but actually doesn’t contain any direct rose extract, which is an interesting choice. Rose extract has a variety of skin-adjacent benefits, including deep hydration, treating fine lines and restoring a nice radiance to skin. However, rose extract is typically not recommended for rosacea (whereas azelaic acid is fabulous for rosacea), which might explain why it was left out of the final serum.
I used it morning and night, as it was very gentle and it helped improve exfoliation without dramatically drying or irritating skin. It was easy to incorporate into a routine and works well even with out exfoliants or acid serums. It absorbs incredibly quickly, melds well with skin and infuses a gentle shine to skin.
Here is the before-and-after from two weeks. Being incredibly gentle, it won't lead to overnight changes, but does infuse a subtle glow and helps reduce general redness. It helped boost hydration, cooled redness and provided a nice and gentle support for sensitive skin.
Final Thoughts
This serum is a great addition for any skin type, but best used for sensitive or fragile skin that requires the gentle touch of Haruharu Wonder's formulas. You can use with oily or combination skin, but you are less likely to see results due to the light formula. It's a great serum to lightly heal and refresh skin and begin healing (with the rose PDRN).
Looking for gentle, nourishing skincare? Check out the wonderful range of Haruharu Wonder on Arktastic! With vegan formulas and no irritants, its the perfect place for any sensitive skincare journey.
Want to explore more great reads? Check out our guide to caring for sensitive skin (for all the best tips!) or check out our review of another great azelaic acid serum (which is perfect for oily/combination skin).
