The following side effects are expected to occur in the first 2-4 weeks of treatment, and resolve with continued use of tretinoin / benzoyl peroxide. Contact your doctor if these symptoms are severe and/or do not go away after 4 weeks of treatment.
Tretinoin / Benzoyl peroxide may cause some side effects. Data on side-effects consists of a combination of government data as well as acne.org’s compilation of side-effect data from existing clinical studies:
How Common (based on clinical studies)
| Redness and/or warmth in the area | Up to 40.1% of all users |
| Pigmentation | Up to 34% of all users |
| Dryness of the skin | Up to 28% of all users |
| Skin peeling or scaling | Up to 19% of all users |
| Burning, stinging, or tingling sensation | Up to 13.6% of all users |
| Itching | Up to 12.9% of all users |
| Pain on the site of application | Up to 12.04% of all users |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | Up to 2.19% of all users |
| Nasopharyngitis | Up to 1.42% of all users |
| Nasopharyngitis | Up to 1.09% of all users |
| Sun sensitivity | Up to 1.07% of all users |
If you experience any of the following side effects, stop using tretinoin / benzoyl peroxide immediately and contact your doctor or get emergency medical care right away:
- A sudden appearance of swelling and rash (known as hives)
- Swelling of the eyes, lips, tongue, or entire face
- Severe itching
- Trouble with breathing
- Feeling dizzy or faint
Tretinoin / Benzoyl peroxide may also cause other side effects that are not mentioned here. Contact your doctor if you experience any other troublesome symptoms when using tretinoin / benzoyl peroxide.
References
- DailyMed. Tretinoin and Benzoyl Peroxide. Available from: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=27208dff-e376-4c18-b56e-0a260f685a39. Cited 15 October 2023.
- Del Rosso J, Sugarman J, Green L, Lain T, Levy-Hacham O, Mizrahi R, Gold LS. Efficacy and safety of microencapsulated benzoyl peroxide and microencapsulated tretinoin for the treatment of acne vulgaris: Results from two phase 3 double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled studies. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 89(4), 719-727 (2023).