Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40954169›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2025

A pilot study on the cutaneous effects of ethanol in a moisturizing cream on non-lesional skin of patients with atopic dermatitis.

Murat Celikoglu, Christian Raab, Henning Vollert, Jürgen Harder, Xiaolin Liu, John F Baines, Joachim W Fluhr, Cornelia M Keck, Victor H P Infante, Martina C Meinke

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Dihydromyricetin-LoadedPharmaceutics · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Murat CelikogluDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany.
Christian RaabDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Henning VollertBioactive Food GmbH, 23795, Bad Segeberg, Germany.
Jürgen HarderDepartment of Dermatology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany. jharder@dermatology.uni-kiel.de.
Xiaolin LiuMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany.
John F BainesMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany.
Joachim W FluhrInstitute of Allergy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany.
Cornelia M KeckDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Victor H P InfanteDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany.
Martina C MeinkeDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany. martina.meinke@charite.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ethanol is widely used in cosmetic formulations as a solvent, preservative, and penetration enhancer, yet its effects on atopic skin remain controversial. This study explores the impact of ethanol in skin care products on skin physiology, microbiome composition and subjective perception. A two-part investigation was conducted: (I) ex vivo analysis using porcine skin models exposed to varying ethanol concentrations, and (II) a double blinded, placebo controlled, randomized clinical pilot study on 9 patients with Atopic Dermatitis (AD) comparing creams with and without 12% ethanol. The ex vivo study revealed that ethanol concentrations above 15% negatively affected epidermal barrier integrity, increasing stratum corneum (SC) permeability and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). In the clinical trial, 12% ethanol demonstrated no significant adverse effects on SC hydration, erythema, pH, or TEWL over 30 days. Microbiome analysis revealed a localized increase in Xanthomonas species associated with ethanol use, while no significant community-wide changes were observed. The implications of increased Xanthomonas abundance in response to the application of a 12% ethanol cream for atopic dermatitis remain unclear. Subjective evaluations reported similar perceptions for both formulations, with no notable exacerbations in non-lesional AD skin. These findings indicate that ethanol in concentrations ≤ 12% is safe for atopic skin.

Indexed as

Dermatitis, AtopicEthanolSkinSkin CreamAdultAnimalsDouble-Blind MethodEpidermisFemaleHumansMaleMicrobiotaMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsSwineYoung AdultEthanolAtopic dermatitisPreservativesSensitive skinSkin microbiome

Identifiers

PMID40954169
PMCPMC12436639

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.