{
  "id": "ectoin",
  "idVersion": 1,
  "ingredient": "Ectoin",
  "route": "topical",
  "grade": "moderate",
  "gradeLabel": "Moderate",
  "claim": "Short clinical studies of ectoin-containing creams reported improved eczema severity scores; the vehicle-controlled trial used ectoin together with hyaluronic acid.",
  "caveat": "Studies were small and short. One used an active comparator rather than a plain vehicle, one tested ectoin with hyaluronic acid, and the systematic review had an industry-employed author. They do not prove every ectoin product works the same way.",
  "published": "2026-09-19",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23949258/",
      "journal": "Skin Pharmacol Physiol",
      "year": 2014,
      "n": 65,
      "design": "Randomized intra-individual double-blind multicentre trial",
      "duration": "28 days",
      "percentages": [],
      "outcome": "local eczema severity, investigator assessment, itch",
      "finding": "Randomized intra-individual double-blind multicentre trial in 65 adults with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis: after 28 days, the ectoin-containing cream performed equivalently to an active nonsteroidal reference cream. There was no plain-vehicle arm.",
      "formulation": "ectoin-containing cream EHK02-01, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory reference cream"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36038984/",
      "journal": "Pediatr Dermatol",
      "year": 2023,
      "n": 70,
      "design": "Randomized observer-blind vehicle-controlled trial",
      "duration": "4 weeks",
      "percentages": [
        "23.5%",
        "5.7%"
      ],
      "outcome": "objective SCORAD, investigator assessment, itch, cutaneous adverse events",
      "finding": "Randomized observer-blind vehicle-controlled four-week trial in children aged 2–18: 70 were randomized and 57 analysed; the combination cream improved objective SCORAD versus vehicle (P < .001), but ectoin was not tested alone. Mild cutaneous adverse events occurred in 23.5% versus 5.7%.",
      "formulation": "1% ectoine with 0.1% hyaluronic acid cream, vehicle cream"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35038127/",
      "journal": "Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)",
      "year": 2022,
      "n": null,
      "design": "Systematic review of six clinical studies",
      "duration": null,
      "percentages": [],
      "outcome": "skin dryness, itch, dermatitis severity",
      "finding": "Systematic review of six clinical studies (five in atopic dermatitis, one in retinoid dermatitis): outcomes generally favoured ectoin-containing formulations, but many studies were open-label, adjunctive or low-certainty and one author was employed by Bitop AG.",
      "formulation": "5.5–7% ectoin-containing topical formulations"
    }
  ],
  "peopleReport": null
}