Effective With Minimal Side Effects: A Novel Treatment Regimen for Acne Vulgaris Using Multifunctional Ingredients

There are numerous over-the-counter products for treating acne, although many formulations have tolerability issues and lack the cosmetic elegance desired by adult patients.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a non-prescription, active acne regimen in adult patients of all Fitzpatrick skin types.

Thirty-five male and female subjects with Fitzpatrick skin types I-VI were enrolled in this single-site, monadic 8-week study. The acne treatment regimen included a clarifying cleanser, balancing serum, and broad-spectrum sunscreen formulated with synergistic ingredients designed to mitigate acne and reduce post-acne sequelae including post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and post-inflammatory erythema (PIE).

After 8 weeks of use, there was a statistically significant reduction in inflammatory lesions by 63%, non-inflammatory lesions by 41% and investigator global assessment by 51%. Additionally, there was significant improvement in tactile smoothness, visual smoothness, skin softness, and luminosity. Post-acne sequelae including PIH and PIE improved significantly by 27%. No tolerability issues were identified by the investigator and subjects gave the regimen an excellent tolerability rating. 78.5% of subjects agreed that, after 8 weeks of product use, their skin appeared more radiant and looked better than before starting the study.

In this study, a well formulated, cosmetically elegant active acne regimen was found to be highly effective and well tolerated when used by adult acne patients of diverse ethnicities. In addition, the regimen improved cosmetic aspects of the skin including PIH and PIE, which are important when treating adult acne sufferers. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(12):1042-1048. doi:10.36849/JDD.8458.