Salvia fruticosa Mill. extract rich in carnosic acid in mild to very severe adult facial seborrheic dermatitis: a small case series

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common inflammatory lifelong disease characterized by relapses and recessions that appears mostly on the face [ 1 ]. We report 10 patients (8 males, 2 females, age range: 40-78 years), suffering from mild to very severe facial SD (Seborrheic Dermatitis Area and Severity Index (SEDASI) average was 19, range=10-60) who were treated with an O/W cream containing a leaf extract of S. fruticosa rich in carnosic acid (CA) [ 2 ], applying it to lesioned skin and around it, once at night. No concurrent therapies were used. There was a follow-up ranged from 0.5 to 4 years. To our knowledge, in the worldwide literature such a study has been reported only by our team. All patients experienced a complete clearance of their disease in short time (SEDASI=0). The mean time to achieve this result was 7.7 days (range: 3-15 days). The follow up showed that clear state lasted for a long time. However, when relapses occurred, patients responded well to retreatment in less time than initially needed. No adverse effects were observed during the treatment. Patients who followed maintenance treatment such as application of the cream once every night or day by day, did not relapse. We conclude that S. fruticosa leaf extract rich in CA is a potential natural agent for the topical treatment of SD as monotherapy, with high efficacy, able to induce disease clearance and long-lasting remission, without side effects. Moreover, it showed preservation of its efficiency and safety when treating relapses. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany