Niacinamide, Gallic Acid, and Lauric Acid Combo Proves Effective for Treatment of Acne Vulgaris

A combination therapy consisting of niacinamide 4% plus gallic acid 1% and lauric acid 1% was an effective treatment option for acne vulgaris, according to study research published in Dermatologic Therapy.

The study included a total of 90 patients with acne (mean age, 21.81±3.05) from an outpatient dermatology clinic in Turkey. At time of study entry, patients had a mean disease duration of 41.5 ± 31.2 months. All patients had previously used only 1 type of topical agent for their disease.

Patients were randomly divided to either twice-daily benzoyl peroxide 5%, twice-daily benzoyl peroxide 5% plus erythromycin 3%, or twice-daily combination therapy consisting of niacinamide 4% plus gallic acid 1% and lauric acid 1%. The investigators used the global acne grading system (GAGS), the lesion counting (LC), and photographic standard to assess acne severity at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 8.

A statistically significant decrease in baseline GAGS scores was observed from week 0 to week 8 for each group (P =.000). No significant difference was found between the 3 treatment groups in terms of the reduction in GAGS scores from baseline to week 8 (P =.573). The LC scores also decreased from baseline to week 8 for each group (P <.001). Patients were considered to have severe acne by baseline LC but experienced a reduction to moderate acne grade at the end of treatment.

Limitations of this study included its retrospective nature, single-center design, and the relatively small sample size.

Niacinamide, Gallic Acid, and Lauric Acid Combo Proves Effective for Treatment of Acne Vulgaris

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