Noredol for rosacea



Noredol is a product sold for rosacea that contains 1,4-cyclohexanediol as its active ingredient. What is that?

1,4-cyclohexanediol is what we call in pharmaceutical preparation a "retardant." It is used to slow down the absorption and penetration into the skin of other key ingredients. There have been studies with it added to metronidazole or azelaic acid, for example. The ones I found showed that adding 1,4-cyclohexanediol slowed the absorption while maintaining the metronidazole in the dermis. The idea here is to prevent systemic activity of a topically applied drug or to prolong the activity of the drug in the skin.  

1,4-cyclohexanediol is a metabolite of cyclohexanone, which is used to make nylon. When exposed to cyclohexanone by breathing it or swallowing it, our bodies get rid of it by glucuronidation in the liver to several metabolites, one of which happens to be 1,4-cyclohexanediol. In animal and human studies, it didn't appear to cause any reproductive problems or cancer.

But what can it do for rosacea? I just don't find that 1,4-cyclohexanediol has any therapeutic activity by itself, but by combining it with other ingredients, it help to keeps those ingredients in the dermis longer. That could, potentially, help calm irritated skin. It also contains aloe vera, some B-vitamins and antioxidants.

From their website, it appears that there are two formulations:  Noredol and Rejuvenation.  The rejuvenation seems to have some extra antioxidants added to the Noredol product.  The rejuvenation is nearly twice the price of the basic product, and I don't see why it is worth it.

Since this is non-prescription, you can order it directly rather than see your dermatologist.  How much it costs you would depend on how much of your face is affected and how fast you use it up.

I have not tried it, but if you have, let me know how it worked for you! It sounds like a safe formulation that would be unlikely to irritate skin at the very least. The name is clever--short for No red at all, and it looks like it doesn't contain any parabens, which I approve. 

Like any treatment, I'm sure it works for some people.  It's not terribly expensive, so it wouldn't break the bank to try it.  It also doesn't have any dangerous ingredients and it should be compatible with makeup.  The directions say to use it 1-4 times a day.  I think twice is probably how most people would use it except during a breakout.