N-palmitoylethanolamine and N-acetylethanolamine are effective in asteatotic eczema: results of a randomized, double-blind, controlled study in 60 patients
Randomised controlled trialHumansTopicalWith acetylethanolamine
This study tested palmitoylethanolamide together with acetylethanolamine. Its results cannot be assigned to palmitoylethanolamide alone. More combination studies.
- Design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Subjects
- 60 women with mild to moderate asteatotic eczema on the lower legs, at one centre in Shanghai
- Dose used in the study
- An emollient with 0.3% palmitoylethanolamide and 0.21% acetylethanolamine, applied twice a day, compared with an emollient without them
- Duration
- 28 days
- What was measured
- Clinical scores for redness, scaling, dryness and itch; skin hydration, water loss through the skin, and a nerve sensitivity threshold
What the authors reported
The trial found:
- Some skin measures improved in both groups, and skin surface hydration (capacitance) was better with the palmitoylethanolamide emollient.
- Scaling and dryness improved more at day 28 with the palmitoylethanolamide emollient (P < 0.05), and the nerve sensitivity threshold returned to normal levels by day 7, with a significant difference from baseline by day 14.
- No adverse events occurred with either product.
Limits of this study
The two emollients differed in more than one ingredient, so the difference cannot be assigned to palmitoylethanolamide alone. All participants were women at one centre, and the study ran for 28 days. The study was supported by GlaxoSmithKline China. The test product was made by Stiefel Laboratories.
Source
PubMed 25071367 · doi:10.2147/CIA.S65448
Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed, and the full text at the publisher (Dove Medical Press) on 2026-10-19. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.