Acne: 5-component cream shows benefit in pilot study

Takeaway

• A cream formulation containing benzoylperoxide 4%, pure retinol 0.05%, palmitate retinol 0.5%, mandelic acid 1%, and glycyrrhetinic acid was clinically effective and well tolerated in patients with mild acne, according to a small, open-label trial.

Why this matters

• This study provides preliminary evidence that combining active ingredients may optimize treatment of acne, which affects >90% of adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years.

Key results

• Treatment was associated with a 39% reduction in Global Acne Grading System score at 4 weeks and a 69.20% reduction at 12 weeks (P<.05).
• Comedonic lesion count was reduced by 44% at 4 weeks and 65% at 12 weeks (P<.05).
• Papular lesion count was reduced by 49.4% at 4 weeks and 62% at 12 weeks (P<.05).
• Pustular lesion count was reduced by 43% at 4 weeks and 80% at 12 weeks (P<.05).
• At 12 weeks, tolerability was considered excellent by 70% of subjects, good by 25% of patients, and fair by 5% of subjects.
• No severe adverse effects were reported.

Study design

• 20 patients aged 13-30 years with mild acne self-applied the cream twice daily for 12 weeks before outcome analysis.
• Funding: None.

Limitations

• Open-label study without comparator.
• Small patient sample size.