Abstract: Objective To summarize the experience with adapalene in the treatment of acne vulgaris and to provide a clue to improve the clinical use of adapalene in acne vulgaris. Methods Chinese literature over the past ten years related to the evaluation of efficacy and safety of 0.1% adapalene gel in acne vulgaris were searched and assessed. Results Combination therapy with 0.1% adapalene was more effective than monotherapy with it. The efficacy of adapalene gel was higher than that of non-tretinoin topical agents, but equivalent to that of other tretinoins. Furthermore, the incidence of adverse events was lower for adapalene than for other tretinoin formulations. Conclusions Adapalene is safe and effective for the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris, and can be used as monotherapy, maintenance treatment, or in combination therapy of acne vulgaris.

Key words: adapalene, gel, acne vulgaris