Topical Icariin on Acne and Acne Scars

NCT07076784 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: SNUH-ICARIIN
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 25
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether topical application of icariin can improve acne and atrophic acne scars in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does icariin reduce the number of facial acne lesions and acne scars?
• What histological changes occur in acne or scar tissue after using icariin? Researchers will compare icariin to a vehicle control (3% ethanol solution) to assess its relative efficacy. Participants will:
• Apply icariin or control solution to each side of the face twice daily for 2 months
• Visit the clinic every 4 weeks for checkup
• Receive skin biopsies before and after the study period, if they consent to this procedure

Conditions

Acne; Acne Scars

Keywords

Icariin

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change from baseline in the total number of acne lesions and scars at 8 weeks

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Investigator's global assessment for acne (IGA)

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Scar global assessment (SGA)

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Change from baseline in ECCA scar grading scale at 8 weeks

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Change from baseline in the number of acne lesions and scars by size and type at 8 weeks

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Icariin

EXPERIMENTAL

3% icariin

Drug: Icariin

Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

3% ethanol

Drug: Vehicle Control

Interventions

Icariin DRUG

Topical application of 3% icariin solution

Icariin

Vehicle Control DRUG

Topical application of 3% ethanol solution

Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 39 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 19 to 39 with inflammatory acne and atrophic acne scars on both sides of the face

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosis of acne conglobata or acne fulminans
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Presence of systemic diseases or use of medications that may affect acne or scarring
• Presence of psychiatric disorders
• Recent use of isotretinoin within the past 4 months
• Use of other oral or topical acne treatments or anti-acne cosmetics within the past 2 weeks
• Receipt of procedural treatment for acne scars (e.g. chemical peels or energy-based devices) within the past 4 weeks

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Seoul National University Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Seoul National University Hospital

Seoul, South Korea

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Acne Vulgaris

Interventions

icariin

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Acneiform Eruptions; Skin Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Sebaceous Gland Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: QUADRUPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Split-face study

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2025
• First Posted: July 22, 2025
• Study Start: March 21, 2023
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2025
• Study Completion: December 31, 2025
• Last Updated: March 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

KR (1)