Topical clindamycin 1% vs. linoleic acid-rich phosphatidylcholine and nicotinamide 4% in the treatment of acne: a multicentre-randomized trial

It has been shown that topical linoleic acid rich-phosphatidylcholine seems to be effective in normalization of follicular hyperkeratinization, whereas nicotinamide has an interesting anti-inflammatory effect. However, little is known about their combined effect on acne. A multicentre, double-blind, 12-week randomized vehicle and parallel-active control study was conducted by clinical and biophysical non-invasive measurements to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and safety of a 4% nicotinamide-phospholipidic (N-PHCL) emulsion vs. 1% topical clindamycin phosphate applied once daily. Four percentage N-PHCL cosmetic treatment resulted slightly superior to topical clindamycin with all the parameters studied for its better compliance and the global clinical improvement.