Pharmacy Guide
Patient leaflets and SmPCs, drug interaction checker, official dosages and NHS pharmacy opening hours — all in one place.
Pharmacy Guide
Patient leaflets and SmPCs, drug interaction checker, official dosages and NHS pharmacy opening hours — all in one place.
Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel
⚠ This medicine appears to have been discontinued
The electronic medicines compendium (emc) no longer publishes a Summary of Product Characteristics for this product, which usually means it is no longer marketed in the UK. The patient leaflet below is kept for reference, but the product may not be available.
If you were prescribed this medicine, other products containing Benzoyl peroxide may still be available. Do not stop your treatment — ask your pharmacist or GP what to use instead.
What it is and what it is used for
for
2. What you need to know before you use Acnecide Wash 3. How to use Acnecide Wash
What you need to know before you take it
e Acnecide Wash Do not use Acnecide Wash if you are: e Allergic (hypersensitive) to benzoyl peroxide or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). An allergic reaction may include a rash or itching. Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Acnecide Wash. e Avoid contact with the eyes, mouth, angles of the nose or other very sensitive areas of the body. If the preparation enters the eye, wash thoroughly with water. e Acnecide should not be applied to damaged skin. e Avoid repeated exposure to sunlight or other sources of UV light (e.g. sun bed). e Avoid contact with any coloured material including hair and dyed fabrics as it may result in bleaching or discolouration. e If your condition does not improve or gets worse discontinue use and consult your doctor or pharmacist. Other medicines and Acnecide Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. You should not use medicines with peeling, irritant and drying effects at the same time as Acnecide Wash. Pregnancy and breast-feeding e If you are pregnant or may be pregnant or are breast-feeding, do not use Acnecide Wash unless your doctor has told you that you can. ¢ Do not apply Acnecide Wash onto your chest, if you are breast feeding. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
How to take it
Acnecide Wash
e Always use this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. e Acnecide Wash
is for EXTERNAL
USE ONLY.
e Unless your doctor or pharmacist has told you otherwise:
- Acnecide Wash should be used once or twice daily to cover the affected skin areas.
- Wet the area to be treated
- Wash hands before use and place a small amount of Acnecide Wash on to the hands to wash the affected area.
- Contact time with the skin should be 1 to 2 minutes followed by thorough rinsing with water and drying.
- After use, wash hands thoroughly and replace cap tightly. e Avoid contact with the eyes, mouth, angles of the nose or other very sensitive areas of the body. If the preparation enters the eye, wash thoroughly with water. In the event that Acnecide Wash is accidently swallowed, contact your doctor. If you use more Acnecide Wash than you should e If you use too much Acnecide Wash you will not get rid of your acne any quicker, but your skin may become irritated. If this occurs, treatment should be stopped and you should contact your doctor. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. If your skin becomes severely irritated, or severe redness, itching or peeling of the skin occurs, or you experience face swelling, discontinue use immediately and consult your doctor or pharmacist. Acnecide may cause the following side effects: Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people
- Dry skin
- Skin redness
- Peeling of the skin
- Burning sensation of the skin Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people
- Itching of the skin (pruritus)
- Pain of the skin (pain, stinging)
- Skin irritation (irritant contact dermatitis) Uncommon:
may affect up to 1 in 100 people
- Allergic contact dermatitis Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data
- Swelling face These symptoms are usually reversible if the treatment is reduced in frequency or discontinued. Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects, talk to your pharmacist or doctor. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme (website: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk) or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Possible side effects
5. How to store Acnecide Wash
6. Contents of the pack and other information 1. What Acnecide Wash
e Acnecide Wash
is and what it is used for
contains the active ingredient benzoyl
peroxide which attacks the bacteria (germs) known
as
Propionibacterium acnes, one of the main causes of acne. e Acnecide Wash is used in the treatment of acne. It is used on the face, chest or back for acne, where the skin has
a lot of blackheads, spots and pimples. e Acnecide Wash is only absorbed into the body in very small amounts and has little effect, except on the surface of the skin.
How to store it
Acnecide Wash
e Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. ¢ Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the tube or outer carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. e Store in the original container. Do not store above 25°C. After first opening the tube, use the medicine within 6 months. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
Contents of the pack and other information
What Acnecide Wash contains The active substance is benzoyl peroxide 5% w/w as hydrous benzoyl peroxide in a cleansing gel. The other ingredients are acrylates copolymer, glycerol, carbomer 940, sodium C14-C16 olefin sulfonate, sodium hydroxide (for pH adjustment), and purified water.
What Acnecide Wash looks like and contents of the pack Acnecide Wash is a white to off-white gel which is available in a 50g or 100g tube, from your pharmacist. Not all pack sizes may be marketed. Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer Marketing Authorisation Holder: Galderma (U.K.) Limited, Evergreen House North, Grafton Place, London, England, NW1 (PL 10590/0026)
2DX
Manufacturer: Laboratoires Galderma Zl-Montdésir 74540 Alby-sur-Chéran France. This leaflet was last revised in 12/2025.
GALDERMA
Frequently asked questions about Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel
How do I take Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel?
Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel comes as gel. Always follow the dose your doctor or pharmacist has given you, and read the leaflet that comes with the medicine.
What is the active substance in Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel?
The active substance in Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel is benzoyl peroxide.
Are there equivalent medicines to Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel?
Medicines with the same active substance, strength and form include: Acnecide 10% w/w Gel, Acnecide 5% w/w Gel, Acnecide Face 2.5% w/w Gel. In total there are 5 equivalent products. They are interchangeable only if your prescriber or pharmacist says so.
Where does this information come from?
This leaflet reproduces the patient information leaflet approved for Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel, as published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc). The version printed inside your medicine’s packaging is the one that applies to you.
Can I get Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel without a prescription?
Whether a medicine is available over the counter or on prescription only depends on its licence. Check the leaflet, or ask your pharmacist — they can tell you straight away.
About this leaflet
The text above reproduces the patient information leaflet approved for this medicine, restructured for easier reading.
- Source: electronic medicines compendium (emc), Datapharm
- Active substance: benzoyl peroxide
- Official document: view the original leaflet on emc →
⚕For healthcare professionals — Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)Full SmPC: dosage, interactions, contraindications, warnings+
4.1. Therapeutic indications
Acnecide Wash is intended for the cutaneous treatment of acne vulgaris of the face, chest and back, where comedones and papules predominate.
4.2. Posology and method of administration
For cutaneous (topical) administration only.
Unless otherwise directed, Acnecide Wash should be applied once or twice daily to cover the affected skin areas. Wet the area to be treated, apply the preparation to the hands and wash the affected area with the gel. Contact time with the skin should be 1 to 2 minutes followed by thorough rinsing with water and drying.
4.3. Contraindications
Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.
4.4. Special warnings and precautions for use
For external use only.
Acnecide may cause swelling and blistering of the skin, if any of these symptoms occur, medication has to be discontinued.
In normal use, a mild burning sensation will probably be felt on first application and a moderate reddening and peeling of the skin will occur within a few days. During the first weeks of treatment a sudden increase in peeling will occur in most patients, this is not harmful and will normally subside within a day or two if treatment is temporarily discontinued. If severe irritation occurs, patients should be directed to use the medication less frequently, to temporarily discontinue use or to discontinue use altogether.
Patients should be advised that excessive application will not improve efficacy, but may increase the risk of skin irritation.
Concomitant topical acne therapy should be used with caution because a possible cumulative irritancy may occur, which sometimes may be severe, especially with the use of peeling, desquamating, or abrasive agents.
Acnecide Wash should not come into contact with the eyes, mouth, angles of the nose of mucous membranes. If the preparation enters the eye, wash thoroughly with water. Caution should be exercised when applying Acnecide Wash to the neck and other sensitive areas. Due to the risk of sensitisation, Acnecide Wash should not be applied to damaged skin.
As Acnecide may cause increased sensitivity to sunlight, sunlamps should not be used and deliberate or prolonged exposure to sunlight or UV radiation should be avoided or minimised. When strong sunlight cannot be avoided, patients should be advised to use a sunscreen product and wear protective clothing.
Contact with any coloured material including hairs and dyed fabrics may result in bleaching or discoloration.
Acnecide Wash should not be used in conjunction with other benzoyl peroxide preparations, nor with any other topical or systemic treatment(s) for acne except under medical supervision.
Patients should be advised to cease use and seek medical advice if their condition deteriorates despite therapy, or in cases of a persistent lack of response.
Acnecide Wash is intended FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY.
4.5. Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
No interaction studies have been performed. However, drugs with desquamative, irritant and drying effects should not be used concurrently with Acnecide Wash.
4.6. Fertility, pregnancy and lactation
Pregnancy
There are limited data on the use of topical benzoyl peroxide in pregnant women. Animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to reproductive toxicity (see Section 5.3). No effects during pregnancy are anticipated since systemic exposure to benzoyl peroxide is very limited.
In widespread clinical use for the cutaneous treatment of acne vulgaris, at concentrations up to 10% w/w for several decades, benzoyl peroxide has never been associated with such effects. Acnecide Wash should be used by a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.
Breast-feeding
It is unknown whether benzoyl peroxide/metabolites are excreted in human milk. A risk to the new-borns/infants cannot be excluded. Caution should be exercised when benzoyl peroxide is administered to a nursing woman and the preparation should not be applied on the chest to avoid accidental transfer to the infant.
4.7. Effects on ability to drive and use machines
Acnecide Wash has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines
4.8. Undesirable effects
The adverse reactions resulting from clinical trials are all skin disorders. They are reversible when treatment is reduced in frequency or discontinued.
The following categories are used to indicate the frequency of occurrence of adverse effects:
Very common (≥1/10)
Common (≥1/100 to <1/10)
Uncommon (≥ 1/1,000 to <1/100)
Rare (≥1/10,000 to <1/1,000)
Very rare (<1/10,000)
Unknown (Frequency not assessable based on the available data).
They are presented in the table below:
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Very common (≥ 1/10)
Dry skin
Erythema
Skin exfoliation (peeling)
Skin burning sensation
Common (≥1/100 to <1/10)
Pruritus
Pain of skin (pain, stinging)
Skin irritation (irritant contact dermatitis)
Uncommon (≥1/1000 to <1/100)
Allergic contact dermatitis
Swelling face and allergic reactions, including application site hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis (not know frequency) has been reported during post-marketing surveillance.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme. Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
4.9. Overdose
Acnecide Wash is for cutaneous use only. If the medication is applied excessively, no more rapid or better results will be obtained and severe irritation might develop. In this event, treatment must be discontinued and appropriate symptomatic therapy should be instituted.
In case of accidental ingestion, urgent medical attention is required. Expert advice should be sought and supportive measures instituted.
💬 Ask about this leaflet
Ask anything about Acnecide Wash 5% w/w Gel. The assistant answers only from this leaflet — if the leaflet does not cover it, it will say so. It does not give medical advice.
Answers come from the patient leaflet published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc). They are not medical advice. Ask a pharmacist or your GP if you are unsure. For urgent help call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.