The antidandruff efficacy of a shampoo containing piroctone olamine and salicylic acid in comparison to that of a zinc pyrithione shampoo.

Dandruff (pityriasis capitis) is a chronic scalp condition characterized by scaling and sometimes itching and redness. Shampoos containing antifungal agents are used to control the scaling condition. In the present study, two shampoos with different actives are compared in a double-blind, randomised and bilateral study on 19 subjects. One shampoo contained piroctone olamine (0.75%) combined with salicylic acid (2%) and the other contained zinc pyrithione (1%) as active ingredient. The subjects were treated twice weekly with the shampoos for almost 4 weeks. Before each treatment the degree of dandruff was evaluated. Both shampoos were highly effective in reducing the dandruff. The combination of piroctone olamine and salicylic acid appeared to be slightly more effective than zinc pyrithione in reducing the severity and area affected by the scaling.