The internet is awash in advertisements for acne treatments, most of which do not contain evidence-based ingredients, notwithstanding the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) guidelines. These data are being presented at the 2022 AAD Annual Meeting.

“The 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study found that acne vulgaris was responsible for 3.52 million disability-adjusted life years occurring in people ages 15-49…Our study demonstrates that there are numerous products advertised on social media that lack evidence-based research to back their claims. This degree of misinformation is concerning because patients’ acne care may be delayed resulting in further burden,” wrote lead author Anthony Concilla, BS, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and co-authors.

Researchers identified the top 10 hashtags for “acne” on best-hastags.com, and surveyed 90 posts per hashtag (for a total of 900 posts). Of those, researchers found 193 posts that were advertisements and analyzed a total of 689 “active ingredients.”

The 10 most common were salicylic acid (37), niacinamide (33), vitamin E (33), citric acid (24), vitamin C (23), hyaluronic acid (19), tea tree oil (17), aloe (13), glycolic acid (13), and lactic acid (11). However, only 4 (salicylic acid, niacinamide, tea tree oil, and glycolic acid) had supporting evidence per AAD acne guidelines.

The strength of the evidence for treatment with salicylic acid, complementary and alternative therapies such as tea tree oil, and chemical peels with glycolic acid was rated B in all 3 cases. -John Otrompke

Reference
Concilla A, Rundle C, Militello M, et al. A comparison of acne products advertised on instagram to american academy of dermatology evidence-based guidelines. Poster presented at: AAD Annual Meeting; March 25-29, 2022. Boston, MA.