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Tretinoin Cream
tretinoin · Cream
Overview
Active ingredients
Source: NDC DirectoryForms, strengths and routes
Source: NDC DirectoryPharmacologic classes are listed in the class section below.
Pharmacologic class
Source: NDC Directory| Class | Type | Browse |
|---|---|---|
| Retinoid [EPC] | EPC | All 35 members |
| Retinoids [CS] | CS | All 35 members |
Regulatory status
Source: Drugs@FDANDC Directory| Product | Trade name | Form | Strength | Ingredient | Status | TE | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 017522-001 | RETIN-A | CREAM | TRETINOIN | Prescription | AB1 | RLD RS |
Therapeutic equivalence
Source: Orange BookWhat this rating means: Therapeutically equivalent — bioequivalence demonstrated by in vivo or in vitro testing
Codes beginning with “A” indicate products the FDA considers therapeutically equivalent. Codes beginning with “B” indicate bioequivalence has not been established. See methodology.
Approval history
Source: Drugs@FDA| Type | No. | Action | Status | Date | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supplement | 38 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | May 13, 2016 | Standard |
| Supplement | 36 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | January 8, 2013 | Standard |
| Supplement | 28 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | December 6, 2002 | Standard |
| Supplement | 26 | Labeling | Approved | June 10, 2002 | Standard |
| Supplement | 23 | Labeling | Approved | June 10, 2002 | Standard |
| Supplement | 22 | Labeling | Approved | June 10, 2002 | Standard |
| Supplement | 27 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | March 20, 2001 | Standard |
| Supplement | 25 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | January 25, 1999 | Standard |
| Supplement | 24 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | July 23, 1998 | Standard |
| Supplement | 20 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | January 24, 1992 | Standard |
| Supplement | 18 | Labeling | Approved | August 28, 1990 | — |
| Supplement | 17 | Labeling | Approved | August 28, 1990 | — |
| Supplement | 19 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | July 3, 1990 | Standard |
| Supplement | 16 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | December 1, 1989 | Standard |
| Supplement | 14 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | August 26, 1986 | Standard |
| Supplement | 12 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | July 23, 1986 | Standard |
| Supplement | 13 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | June 17, 1985 | Standard |
| Supplement | 11 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | April 2, 1984 | Standard |
| Supplement | 10 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | June 6, 1983 | Standard |
| Supplement | 8 | Labeling | Approved | December 3, 1982 | — |
| Supplement | 9 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | July 29, 1981 | Standard |
| Supplement | 7 | Labeling | Approved | April 28, 1980 | — |
| Supplement | 5 | Labeling | Approved | December 1, 1978 | — |
| Supplement | 4 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | April 19, 1978 | Standard |
| Supplement | 3 | Labeling | Approved | January 4, 1977 | — |
| Supplement | 2 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | June 29, 1976 | Standard |
| Supplement | 1 | Manufacturing (CMC) | Approved | October 24, 1974 | Standard |
| Original application | 1 | Type 5 - New Formulation or New Manufacturer | Approved | July 19, 1974 | Standard |
Prescribing information
Source: openFDA Drug LabelingReproduced verbatim from the Structured Product Labeling submitted to the FDA (effective 20250211). This is the manufacturer's labelling text, not a summary and not advice.
Indications and Usage
openFDA Drug LabelingINDICATIONS AND USAGE Tretinoin is indicated for topical application in the treatment of acne vulgaris. The safety and efficacy of the long-term use of this product in the treatment of other disorders have not been established.
Dosage and Administration
openFDA Drug LabelingDOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Tretinoin Cream should be applied once a day, before retiring, to the skin where acne lesions appear, using enough to cover the entire affected area lightly. Application may cause a transitory feeling of warmth or slight stinging. In cases where it has been necessary to temporarily discontinue therapy or to reduce the frequency of application, therapy may be resumed or frequency of application increased when the patients become able to tolerate the treatment. Alterations of vehicle, drug concentration, or dose frequency should be closely monitored by careful observation of the clinical therapeutic response and skin tolerance. During the early weeks of therapy, an apparent exacerbation of inflammatory lesions may occur. This is due to the action of the medication on deep, previously unseen lesions and should not be considered a reason to discontinue therapy. Therapeutic results should be noticed after 2 to 3 weeks but more than 6 weeks of therapy may be required before definite beneficial effects are seen. Once the acne lesions have responded satisfactorily, it may be possible to maintain the improvement with less frequent applications, or other dosage forms. Patients treated with tretinoin acne treatment may use cosmetics, but the area to be treated should be cleansed thoroughly before the medication is applied (see PRECAUTIONS).
Contraindications
openFDA Drug LabelingCONTRAINDICATIONS Use of the product should be discontinued if hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients is noted.
Adverse Reactions
openFDA Drug LabelingADVERSE REACTIONS The skin of certain sensitive individuals may become excessively red, edematous, blistered, or crusted. If these effects occur, the medication should either be discontinued until the integrity of the skin is restored, or the medication should be adjusted to a level the patient can tolerate. True contact allergy to topical tretinoin is rarely encountered. Temporary hyper- or hypopigmentation has been reported with repeated application of tretinoin. Some individuals have been reported to have heightened susceptibility to sunlight while under treatment with tretinoin. To date, all adverse effects of tretinoin have been reversible upon discontinuance of therapy (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC at 1-800-636-7546 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Drug Interactions
openFDA Drug LabelingDrug Interactions Concomitant topical medication, medicated or abrasive soaps and cleansers, soaps and cosmetics that have a strong drying effect, and products with high concentrations of alcohol, astringents, spices or lime should be used with caution because of possible interaction with tretinoin. Particular caution should be exercised in using preparations containing sulfur, resorcinol, or salicylic acid with tretinoin. It also is advisable to “rest” a patient’s skin until the effects of such preparations subside before use of tretinoin is begun.
Description
openFDA Drug LabelingDESCRIPTION Tretinoin Cream is used for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris. Tretinoin Cream contains tretinoin in one of three strengths, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.025% by weight, in a hydrophilic cream vehicle of stearic acid, isopropyl myristate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, stearyl alcohol, xanthan gum, sorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene, and purified water. Chemically, tretinoin is all - trans -retinoic acid and has the following structure: chemstructure
Overdosage
openFDA Drug LabelingOVERDOSAGE If medication is applied excessively, no more rapid or better results will be obtained and marked redness, peeling, or discomfort may occur. Oral ingestion of the drug may lead to the same side effects as those associated with excessive oral intake of Vitamin A.
How Supplied / Storage and Handling
openFDA Drug LabelingHOW SUPPLIED Tretinoin is supplied as: Tretinoin Cream NDC Code Strength Quantity 62032-414-20 0.025% Cream 20 g 62032-412-20 0.05% Cream 20 g 62032-417-20 0.1% Cream 20 g
Adverse event reports
Source: openFDA FAERSAttributed to this product's most-reported active ingredient: TRETINOIN. Combination products with more than six active ingredients are not attributed, because a report count summed across a long ingredient list measures the list, not the medicine.
Packaging and NDCs
Source: NDC Directory| Package NDC | Product NDC | Labeler | Description | Marketing start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62032-412-20 | 62032-412 | Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC | 1 TUBE in 1 CARTON (62032-412-20) / 20 g in 1 TUBE | July 19, 1974 |
| 62032-414-20 | 62032-414 | Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC | 1 TUBE in 1 CARTON (62032-414-20) / 20 g in 1 TUBE | September 16, 1988 |
| 62032-417-20 | 62032-417 | Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC | 1 TUBE in 1 CARTON (62032-417-20) / 20 g in 1 TUBE | January 26, 1973 |
| 62032-412 | 62032-412 | Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC | — | July 19, 1974 |
| 62032-414 | 62032-414 | Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC | — | September 16, 1988 |
| 62032-417 | 62032-417 | Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC | — | January 26, 1973 |
Sources for this page
| Dataset | Agency | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| NDC Directory | FDA | Identity, ingredients, strengths, forms, routes, labelers, packages |
| Drugs@FDA | FDA | Application, sponsor, submissions, review documents, marketing status |
| Orange Book | FDA | Therapeutic equivalence codes, reference drug flags, patents, exclusivity |
| Drug Labeling | FDA / NLM | Prescribing information reproduced above |
| FAERS | FDA | Adverse event report counts |
Generated September 25, 2026 · 11 sections on this page.