Moisturizer before rosacea cream? study checks if it helps or hurts
NCT ID NCT06434519
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether applying moisturizer before metronidazole cream changes how much medication gets into the skin of people with rosacea. Twenty-one adults had moisturizer and metronidazole applied to their face, then researchers used tape strips to measure drug levels after 1 and 4 hours. The goal is to see if the common practice of layering moisturizer affects treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- metronidazole cream
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could guide rosacea patients on whether to apply moisturizer before or after their medication for better absorption.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with only 21 participants. It measures skin absorption, not actual symptom improvement, so real-world benefits are uncertain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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21 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Healthy, non-pregnant individual 18+ years of age; 2. Subjects willing to allow a series of tape pieces to be pressed and removed from their faces over an 4 hour period; 3. Subjects can remain calm and quiet at the research facility for 6 hours; 4. Subjects in general good health as determined from a medical history; 5. Subjects must read and sign the informed consent form after the nature of the study has been fully explained. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects with known allergies or sensitivities to ingredients contained in the test products; 2. Subjects with an allergy to latex or adhesives; 3. Subjects with excessive visible sun damage on the face, such that the dermatologist investigator considers the subject unsuitable for study entry; 4. Subjects with skin growths or other issues on the face that could interfere with the tape sampling; 5. Subjects who are currently participating in any other clinical study (i.e., dermal patch, use tests, investigational drug or devices, etc.); 6. Subjects viewed by the investigator as not being able to complete the study; 7. Subjects unwilling to refrain from using any type of lotion, medication, or other topical product to the face for a set amount of time prior to the study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States
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