Skin A Cream (Tretinoin 0.05%) 10g

Atco Laboratories LimitedDRAP reg. 037470

We dispense this on prescription

Against a prescription from any doctor registered with the PMDC, not a consultation with us first. The Retin-A label says changes in strength or in how often it is applied should be closely monitored, and tretinoin carries the pregnancy warning below.

Pack

10g tubeRs 185In stock

Order on WhatsApp

Same day or next day in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi for orders confirmed before 6pm. Tracked courier, 2 to 4 working days everywhere else. Delivery Rs 250 in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Rs 300 everywhere else, cash on delivery. Delivery details

Prices in PKR, checked 14 October 2026.

Not in pregnancy, or if you are planning a pregnancy

European Union, binding since the European Commission’s decision of 21 June 2018 (EMA referral page, EC decision date; the recommendation was announced by the European Medicines Agency on 23 March 2018): systemic absorption after skin application is negligible and these products are unlikely to cause harm to a baby, but “as a precaution, topical retinoids are contraindicated in pregnant women and in women planning a pregnancy.”

The UK MHRA (19 June 2019): “use of topical retinoids is contraindicated during pregnancy as a precaution.” Women planning a pregnancy should be advised not to use them, and women who could become pregnant should use effective contraception.

The US Retin-A label does not contraindicate it: tretinoin “should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.” Its 2002 version classed it as Pregnancy Category C.

The EU and UK take the stricter line, and that is the line we ask you to follow: do not use Skin A if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.

How Skin A’s pregnancy position compares with Skinoren’s, side by side, is on the Skinoren page.

What Skin A Cream is

A cream containing tretinoin 0.05%, a retinoid, made by Atco Laboratories Limited.

Registered with DRAP under number 037470. The registration dates from 28 February 2005. The registrant’s filed label claim: “Each gm contains: Tretinoin 0.5mg”, which is 0.05%. (DRAP registry entry)
DRAP’s registry lists no indications, so we cite it only as the registrant’s own filed label claim, not as an approval of any use.
Our price, Rs 185, is the price most of the Pakistani pharmacy listings we checked show (16 October 2026); a few list a little less or more. We have not yet read the price printed on our own carton.
One pack only: a 10g tube. DRAP’s registry lists one product under the brand name Skin A, this one (brand search, 16 October 2026).

What is in the cream

One active ingredient.

Skin A Cream active ingredient
Active ingredient	Per gram
Tretinoin	0.5 mg (0.05%)

What it is used for

Acne first: the US Retin-A label approves topical tretinoin for acne vulgaris.

Uses of topical tretinoin, by source
Use	What the sources say
Acne vulgaris	The US Retin-A label: indicated for topical application in the treatment of acne vulgaris. The safety and efficacy of long-term use for other disorders have not been established.
Pigmentation and melasma	We found no current FDA approval of tretinoin on its own for melasma or pigmentation. The FDA-approved melasma product containing tretinoin that we found is a three-ingredient cream, Tri-Luma (fluocinolone, hydroquinone and tretinoin 0.05%), “indicated for the short-term treatment of moderate to severe melasma of the face”. Renova, a tretinoin 0.05% cream, was approved “as an adjunctive agent” in “the mitigation (palliation) of fine wrinkles, mottled hyperpigmentation, and tactile roughness of facial skin”; its label said effectiveness was not established in moderately to heavily pigmented skin, and Drugs@FDA lists that strength as discontinued (not for safety or effectiveness reasons).

Using it: the first weeks, the sun, irritation

Use it exactly as your doctor prescribes. These points are from the US Retin-A label unless another source is named.

It can look worse before it gets better: in the early weeks an “apparent exacerbation of inflammatory lesions” may occur, from deep, previously unseen spots, and the label says this “should not be considered a reason to discontinue therapy”.
Give it time: the label says results “should be noticed after 2 to 3 weeks but more than 6 weeks of therapy may be required”, and that when new spots appear early, “it is important to continue using RETIN-A”.
Warning: Sun: the label says exposure to sunlight, including sunlamps, “should be minimized”, and “Use of sunscreen products and protective clothing over treated areas is recommended when exposure cannot be avoided.” Do not use it on sunburnt skin until it has fully recovered. Wind and cold can also irritate.
If irritation is a problem, the label says it may be applied less often, paused or stopped, and that “alterations of vehicle, drug concentration, or dose frequency” should be closely monitored. Those changes are your doctor’s to make.
Warning: Take care with other skin products: medicated or abrasive soaps, strongly drying products, high-alcohol products, astringents, spices or lime, and especially sulfur, resorcinol or salicylic acid.
Warning: Benzoyl peroxide: the US Atralin label, for another tretinoin product, says “Particular caution should be exercised with acne preparations containing benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, or salicylic acid”, and the US Retin-A Micro label says over-the-counter products containing benzoyl peroxide “may increase the risk for local skin irritation”. Ask your doctor before using one alongside Skin A.

Side effects

The middle column is the US Retin-A label (revised March 2024). The right-hand column is our advice, not the label’s, except where it quotes the label.

Side effects of topical tretinoin: the US Retin-A label (March 2024), and our advice
What happens	What the label says	Our advice
On applying it	What the label says: “A transitory feeling of warmth or slight stinging.”	Our advice: Usually nothing to do: it passes.
In the early days	What the label says: “Some discomfort or peeling during the early days of treatment”; some people’s skin “begins to take on a blush”.	Our advice: Carry on as prescribed. The label adds that applying more does not make it work faster: an excess “may irritate your skin”.
Skin colour	What the label says: “Temporary hyper- or hypopigmentation has been reported with repeated application.” “The pigment in these areas returned to normal either when the skin was allowed to adjust to RETIN-A or therapy was discontinued.”	Our advice: Tell your doctor, especially if you are using it for pigmentation.
Sun	What the label says: “Heightened susceptibility to sunlight while under treatment.”	Our advice: See the sun advice above.
Severe irritation	What the label says: The skin of “certain sensitive individuals may become excessively red, swollen, blistered or crusted.”	Our advice: Stop using it and call your doctor. The label: “if you are experiencing severe or persistent irritation, discontinue the use … and consult your physician.”
A reaction suggesting sensitivity	What the label says: “If a reaction suggesting sensitivity or chemical irritation occurs, use of the medication should be discontinued.” “True contact allergy to topical tretinoin is rarely encountered.”	Our advice: Stop using it, as the label says, and call your doctor.

Keep it away from the eyes, the mouth, the angles of the nose and mucous membranes. It can cause severe irritation on eczema. The label adds that, to date, all its side effects have been reversible when treatment stopped.

Checking your pack is genuine

Our search of DRAP’s website on 14 October 2026 found no alert, recall or rapid alert naming Skin A Cream or topical tretinoin.

We buy only from authorised distributors, and check the batch and expiry on every item before it is packed.

Information as of 14 October 2026. DRAP publishes new alerts on dra.gov.pk.

Returns and replacements

Medicines and supplements can’t be returned once they have left our pharmacy.

Returned medicine can never go back into saleable stock. That is a safety rule, not a commercial one.
If an item arrives damaged or wrong, tell us on WhatsApp within 24 hours and we replace it. That is us fixing our mistake, not a return.
Anything that arrives expired or within a month of expiry we replace or refund, your choice, with no time limit.

Our returns policy

Frequently asked questions

What is the skin a cream used for?

Skin A Cream contains tretinoin 0.05%, a retinoid. The US Retin-A label indicates topical tretinoin for the treatment of acne vulgaris. We found no current FDA approval of tretinoin on its own for pigmentation (a 0.05% cream, Renova, was once approved as an add-on for mottled hyperpigmentation among other signs, and is now discontinued). EU rules contraindicate it in pregnancy and for women planning a pregnancy; UK rules contraindicate it in pregnancy.

How to use skin A on face?

As your doctor prescribes. The US Retin-A label says to apply it once a day, before bed, to the skin where acne appears. It also says to keep it away from the eyes, the mouth, the angles of the nose and mucous membranes, to keep sun exposure to a minimum and use sunscreen and protective clothing when exposure cannot be avoided, and not to use it on sunburnt skin. Spots may seem to get worse in the early weeks; the label says that is not a reason to stop.

Can I apply tretinoin cream daily?

Once a day, and no more: the US Retin-A label says it “should be applied once a day, before retiring”. It warns that “If medication is applied excessively, no more rapid or better results will be obtained and marked redness, peeling, or discomfort may occur.” The label allows for a doctor to reduce how often it is used, or pause it, where that is necessary.

Which tretinoin is best for pigmentation?

We found no current FDA approval of a tretinoin cream on its own for pigmentation: Renova 0.05% was approved as an add-on in “the mitigation (palliation) of fine wrinkles, mottled hyperpigmentation, and tactile roughness of facial skin”, and is discontinued. The FDA-approved melasma product containing tretinoin that we found is a three-ingredient cream (Tri-Luma: fluocinolone, hydroquinone and tretinoin 0.05%), for short-term use. In Pakistan, DRAP’s registry lists one product under the brand name Skin A, the 0.05% cream. Which treatment suits your pigmentation is a question for a dermatologist.

Questions about Skin A Cream (Tretinoin 0.05%) 10g?

Send your question on WhatsApp and a pharmacist will come back to you.

WhatsApp Order Call 0316 5534828

Reviewed by Dr. Muhammad Zahid Afridi, MBBS, RMP, MPH

Last reviewed 15 October 2026

DRAP registration

Skin A Cream (037470), Atco Laboratories Limited. DRAP’s registry shows: Provisionally Active, “Not Verified”.

DRAP publishes no definition of this verification flag, so we can’t tell you what it means. We searched DRAP’s website for “Skin A” and “tretinoin” on 16 October 2026 and found no alert naming Skin A Cream; the one tretinoin result is a safety alert on isotretinoin, a different medicine. When we tested it, the search did not find a word that appears only inside an alert’s attached PDF, so an alert that names a product only in its PDF may not show up. DRAP describes its registered products index as a provisional list that “cannot be used as a reference for any purpose”. Checked against the registry on 14 October 2026.

Skin A Cream (Tretinoin 0.05%) 10g

What Skin A Cream is

What is in the cream

What it is used for

Using it: the first weeks, the sun, irritation

Side effects

Checking your pack is genuine

Returns and replacements

Frequently asked questions

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Questions about Skin A Cream (Tretinoin 0.05%) 10g?

DRAP registration

Sources

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