{"publisher":"Tretinoin Rx","product":"Tretinoin","preparedAt":"2026-11-07","reviewStatus":"Research drafts; medical review has not been claimed","facts":[{"label":"Research finding 1","text":"A Cochrane review reports that eight trials showed topical tretinoin cream in concentrations of 0.02% or higher was superior to placebo for mild to severe photodamage on the face and forearms, although losses to follow-up were relatively high in most studies. It concludes that erythema, scaling/dryness, burning/stinging and irritation may be experienced initially.","href":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15674885/"},{"label":"Research finding 2","text":"A systematic review of topical retinoids in acne vulgaris reports no significant difference in efficacy between tretinoin and tazarotene, and that tretinoin 0.05% resulted in 62% of patients experiencing adverse events compared with adapalene 0.1% (19%) and adapalene 0.3% (40%).","href":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30674002/"},{"label":"Research finding 3","text":"A systematic review of topical tretinoin for photoaging lists as limitations that different tretinoin formulas, different outcome parameters, and limited recent studies cause lack of uniformity in the evidences.","href":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35620028/"},{"label":"Research finding 4","text":"In the Veterans Affairs Topical Tretinoin Chemoprevention Trial, 1,131 patients were randomized to topical 0.1% tretinoin or a matching vehicle control for 1.5-5.5 years. The authors concluded that high-dose topical tretinoin is ineffective at reducing risk of keratinocyte carcinomas in high-risk patients.","href":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22318383/"},{"label":"Research finding 5","text":"A mortality analysis of the same Veterans Affairs randomized trial of topical tretinoin reports the intervention was terminated 6 months early because of an excessive number of deaths in the tretinoin-treated group. Its authors wrote that they observed an association of topical tretinoin therapy with death but do not infer a causal association that current evidence suggests is unlikely.","href":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19153339/"},{"label":"Research finding 6","text":"The FDA says compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, meaning FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness or quality of compounded drugs before they are marketed.","href":"https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers"}],"sources":[{"title":"Retin-A (tretinoin) cream and gel prescribing information","href":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=9556d73d-c573-4e0a-9feb-764ce2d1107b"},{"title":"Renova (tretinoin cream) 0.02% prescribing information","href":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=9f0a0e8d-1051-48a4-80c5-1bd260dd9c36"},{"title":"Drugs@FDA: Retin-A tretinoin cream application overview","href":"https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?event=overview.process&ApplNo=017522"},{"title":"FDA: Compounding and the FDA, questions and answers","href":"https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers"},{"title":"Cochrane review: interventions for photodamaged skin","href":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15674885/"}],"guides":[{"title":"How long tretinoin takes and what the first weeks look like in the sources","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/how-long-tretinoin-takes-and-the-first-weeks","description":"The time frames labels give for acne and fine wrinkles, and what sources report about irritation in the first weeks.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"Irritation and side effects: what labels, trials and reviews report","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/irritation-and-side-effects-what-sources-report","description":"The irritation and side effects that tretinoin labels, trials and reviews report, with each product and study length named.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"Sun exposure, sunscreen and skin cancer with topical tretinoin: what is known","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/sun-and-skin-cancer-what-is-known","description":"What labels say about sunlight and sunscreen, and what a Veterans Affairs trial, its mortality analysis and animal data report on skin cancer.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"Tretinoin with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid: what the evidence covers","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/tretinoin-and-niacinamide-what-the-evidence-says","description":"The sources here do not test tretinoin, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid as one product; findings come from separate studies of other products.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"Tretinoin for acne: what the label, trials, reviews and guideline report","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/tretinoin-for-acne-what-trials-measured","description":"What a tretinoin label, trial abstracts, reviews and a guideline abstract report for acne, with strength, length, size and comparison stated.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"Tretinoin for photoaged skin: what the trials and labels report","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/tretinoin-for-photoaging-what-trials-measured","description":"Trial and review results on tretinoin for photoaged skin, each with its strength, beside what two cream labels say the product does not do.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"What the prescribing information for tretinoin creams says","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/tretinoin-label-what-it-says","description":"Four tretinoin cream labels read side by side: which cover acne, which cover fine wrinkles, and what each says the product does not do.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"Tretinoin cream, pregnancy and breastfeeding: what the labels and studies say","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/tretinoin-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding","description":"Pregnancy and breastfeeding wording from tretinoin product labels and a 2015 meta-analysis of topical retinoids.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"Other options besides tretinoin: what the sources say about retinol, adapalene and more","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/tretinoin-retinol-adapalene-and-other-options","description":"What sources say about retinol, adapalene, tazarotene, combination creams and oral isotretinoin, with any regulatory wording they give.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1% tretinoin: what the sources compare","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/tretinoin-strengths-compared","description":"What a 48-week trial, a healthy-volunteer irritation study, a Cochrane review and labels report when tretinoin strengths are compared.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"What compounded tretinoin means and how it differs from FDA-approved products","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/what-compounded-tretinoin-means","description":"What FDA says compounded drugs are and are not, the section 503A conditions, and the Drugs@FDA dates listed for the Retin-A creams.","date":"2026-11-10"},{"title":"What tretinoin is and how it works","url":"https://tretinoinrx.com/research-guides/what-tretinoin-is-and-how-it-works","description":"What tretinoin is, how product labels describe its action, and what is still unknown about its exact mechanism.","date":"2026-11-10"}]}