Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Apr;19(4):901-909.
doi: 10.1111/jocd.13087. Epub 2019 Jul 26.

A cleanser formulated with Tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane and l-arginine significantly improves facial acne in male Thai subjects

Chanat Kumtornrut  1 , Siyarat Dilokphongyotin Manabe  2 , Marut Navapongsiri  2 , Yuri Okutani  3 , Shinichi Ikegaki  3 , Noriyuki Tanaka  2 , Hiroshi Hashimoto  3 , Chankiat Songsantiphap  1 , Kittipong Wantavornprasert  1 , Jenvajee Khamthara  1 , Yutaka Takagi  3 , Pravit Asawanonda  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A cleanser formulated with Tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane and l-arginine significantly improves facial acne in male Thai subjects

Chanat Kumtornrut et al. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Acne is one of the most common skin problems among human populations. A facial cleanser formulated with alkyl ether carboxylate (AEC) and alkyl carboxylate (AC) can improve acne by cleansing sebum on facial skin but cannot effectively remove keratotic plugs in the skin pores. Recently, we confirmed that Tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane and L-arginine (Tris/Arg) is able to reduce sebum levels, disrupt keratotic plugs in vitro and decrease pore size on facial skin.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of the Tris/Arg-formulated cleanser with the AEC/AC cleanser in Thai subjects with acne.

Methods: We designed a randomized, double-blind, controlled, parallel trial. Thirty-four male Thai subjects with mild to moderate acne were assigned to one of two groups: one group used the Tris/Arg cleanser while the other used the AEC/AC-based cleanser twice a day for 4 weeks.

Results: After 4 weeks, significant decreases in noninflammatory acne were observed in both groups, yet significant decreases in inflammatory acne were only observed in the Tris/Arg cleanser group. The sebum level prior to and 30 minutes after facial washing showed no change in either group. The average pore size with keratotic plugs on the cheeks was significantly decreased in the Tris/Arg group. More than half of subjects in both groups observed acne improvement but more subjects in the Tris/Arg group noted pore size improvement.

Conclusion: The Tris/Arg formulated cleanser has a high efficacy for significantly reducing both noninflammatory and inflammatory acne accompanied by decreases in pore size with keratotic plugs in male Thai subjects.

Keywords: acne; cleanser/detergent; efficacy test; keratotic plug; sebum.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Stoughton RB, Leyden JJ. Efficacy of 4 percent chlorhexidine gluconate skin cleanser in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Cutis. 1987;39:551-553.
    1. Kurokawa I, Danby FW, Ju Q, et al. New developments in our understanding of acne pathogenesis and treatment. Exp Dermatol. 2009;18:821-832.
    1. Jugeau S, Tenaud I, Knol AC, et al. Induction of toll-like receptors by Propionibacterium acnes. Br J Dermatol. 2005;153:1105-1113.
    1. Zaenglein AL, Thiboutot CM. Acne Vulgaris and Related Disorders. In: Bolognia JL, Jorizzo JL, Rapini RP, eds. Dermatology. Edinburgh, Scotland: Mosby; 2003:531-544.
    1. Burkhart CG, Burkhart CN. Expanding the microcomedone theory and acne therapeutics: propionibacterium acnes biofilm produces biological glue that holds corneocytes together to form plug. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2007;57:722-724.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources