# A-19 — Dapsone

The gentlest thing in this register's acne section, and the smallest effect in it. Its label is the only one anywhere here that reports a drug working differently in women than in men.

- **Canonical:** https://www.30plusskin.care/actives/dapsone
- **Site:** 30+/SKIN — Skincare, published as a spec sheet.
- **Issue:** ISSUE NO. 13 / REV. 2026.10
- **Standing terms:** INDEPENDENT · AFFILIATE-FUNDED · NOT MEDICAL ADVICE

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## Datasheet

- **INN / INCI:** Dapsone
- **Also known as:** Diaminodiphenyl sulfone
- **Family:** Sulfone — anti-inflammatory
- **Molecular weight:** 248.30 g/mol
- **Layer reached:** EPIDERMIS
- **Prescription only:** yes
- **Evidence grade:** A
- **Controlled trials on file:** 1
- **Strength range recorded:** 5%–7.5%
- **Representative reference concentration:** 5%
- **Irritation (0–10):** 1
- **Onset:** 12 WK
- **Stability:** STABLE — GRITTY, WITH VISIBLE DRUG PARTICLES

## Mechanism

The concentration marker is not a recommended dose or a claim that other strengths are untested. Compare the vehicle, indication and trial population.

Inhibits neutrophil function and myeloperoxidase activity. The mechanism in acne specifically is not fully established; the effect is anti-inflammatory rather than antimicrobial or comedolytic.

## Measured endpoints

| Endpoint | Effect vs comparator | Window | Record |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No or minimal acne, week 12 | +10% | 12 WK | REF-31 — Aczone — study 1, Global Acne Assessment success (Randomised, double-blind, vehicle-controlled; analysis excludes subjects minimal at baseline, n=1386, grade A) |

## Layering

- **Do not layer with:** G6PD deficiency, Congenital or idiopathic methemoglobinaemia, Other methemoglobin-inducing drugs
- **Pairs with:** Retinoids, Benzoyl peroxide

## Notes

- Application-site reactions are indistinguishable from the vehicle arm: mild erythema 9% against 9%, mild dryness 14% against 14%.
- The label states that female subjects tended to have greater lesion reductions and greater success than males — a sex difference published without numbers, and the only one in this register.
- The methemoglobinaemia warning names the ancestries in which G6PD deficiency is most prevalent rather than leaving the risk abstract.
- The dosing section carries a futility rule: if there is no improvement after twelve weeks, reassess.
- The manufacturer describes its own gel as gritty with visible drug substance particles.

## Products in the register containing it

| No. | Product | Stance | Score | Document |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-55 | Allergan Aczone | CONDITIONAL | 71/100 | /reviews/aczone-dapsone-gel-review |

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## Elsewhere in the register

- [Review register](/reviews)
- [Active monographs](/actives)
- [Brand register](/brands)
- [Evidence register](/evidence)
- [The ledger](/ledger)
- [How we test](/how-we-test)
- [Agent guide](/llms.txt)
- [Sitemap](/sitemap.xml)

_SOURCE-BASED ASSESSMENTS. PUBLISHER PREFERENCES ARE IDENTIFIED SEPARATELY._