Glenmark adapalene gel: the same retinoid as Differin, sold as a generic, and what a generic does and does not change
Glenmark's gel has the same active as Differin, at the same 0.1% strength. What a generic changes, what it does not, and how to start it.
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Researched. We have not used this one long enough to give you a verdict, and we would rather say so than invent one. What follows is how it works, who it suits, and what it will not do. When we have used it properly, this page carries the verdict and the date.
Adapalene 0.1% gel is a drug, not a cosmetic. It has been sold without a prescription in the US since 2016, first as Differin, and is now also made as a generic by companies such as Glenmark.
Brand and generic
A generic sold over the counter has to contain the same active ingredient at the same strength as the original, and pass the FDA's review that it performs the same way. Glenmark's gel is adapalene 0.1%, the same as Differin Gel.
What can differ is everything around the active: the inactive ingredients in the gel base, the tube or pump, the size, and the price. Read the Drug Facts panel on the box; the active should say adapalene 0.1%.
What adapalene is
Adapalene is a retinoid, part of the family that also includes retinol and prescription tretinoin. It works inside the pore, changing how cells are shed there so they are less likely to stick together and form the plug that starts a breakout. That is why it is approved as an acne medicine, and why it works slowly: it changes what forms over weeks, rather than acting on a spot that is already there.
We explain the wider retinoid family in retinoids, and why frequency beats strength.
How to start
- A pea-sized amount for the whole face, on clean, dry skin.
- Once a day, at night. If your skin is sensitive, start every second or third night and build up.
- Moisturizer afterwards helps a lot with dryness.
- Sunscreen every morning; retinoids make skin more sensitive to the sun. We explain what to look for in what SPF measures.
The first weeks
Expect dryness, redness, or flaking at first, and possibly a few more spots before things settle. The Drug Facts label warns about irritation in the early weeks. Most people find it eases as the skin adjusts.
Give it about three months before you judge it.
Read the label
Do not use it on cuts, sunburn or broken skin, and keep it away from your eyes and lips. The label tells you to ask a health professional first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and it is labelled for use from age 12.
Who it suits
Adults and teenagers with breakouts, blackheads or clogged pores who want a real, approved active and are willing to be patient.
What it will not do
It will not work overnight. It will not fade the marks left by old spots quickly. And it will not suit very sensitive skin without a slow start.
Generic adapalene 0.1% gel: the same active and strength as the brand, at a generic price.
The product
The one people are searching for is the Glenmark Adapalene Gel.
We do not print prices here, because a price we typed last month is a price that is wrong today.
Written by JamieG in Garner Town, Tennessee.
JamieG
Skincare and fragrance. Garner Town, Tennessee — population 125, two of whom are us.
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