Effects of sulfur and salicylic acid in a shampoo base in the treatment of dandruff: a double-blind study using corneocyte counts and clinical grading.

The effectiveness of sulfur 2 percent and salicylic acid 2 percent either alone or in combination in a shampoo base was determined in a double-blind controlled study using two methods of evaluation: clinical assessment of scaling and corneocyte counts (the number of desquamating cells/cm2). Forty-eight subjects (twenty-nine men and nineteen women) with moderate to severe scaling shampooed their hair under supervision twice a week for five weeks, using one of four formulas: sulfur 2 percent plus salicylic acid 2 percent in a shampoo vehicle; sulfur 2 percent in a shampoo vehicle; salicylic acid 2 percent in a shampoo vehicle; or the shampoo vehicle alone. On days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 the degree of scaling was assessed, and specimens were taken for corneocyte counts. Significantly greater and earlier reductions in both degree of scaling and corneocyte counts were seen in subjects treated with the formula containing both sulfur 2 percent and salicylic acid 2 percent in the shampoo base than in those who received either active ingredient alone or the shampoo vehicle.