Keracnyl PP+ Anti-Blemish Cream

When Pierre Fabre’s research team set out to upgrade the original Keracnyl PP cream in the early 2020s, they had a specific patient profile in mind. The original PP variant had been on French pharmacy shelves since 2013 as a gentle, niacinamide-and-Myrtacine-based companion cream for acne-prone skin — the kind of product you reach for when you need barrier support alongside your adapalene without compounding the irritation. It was reliable and well-tolerated, and dermatologists liked it. But it had a clear ceiling. For patients with more active inflammatory acne — the kind where lesions appeared faster than they cleared, where post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation was building up faster than the niacinamide could fade it, where the gentle PP version simply wasn’t doing enough — there was a gap between Keracnyl PP and a prescription-grade product. PP+ is what Pierre Fabre built to fill that gap, and it launched in 2021 as the more aggressive sibling to the original.

What PP+ adds is two specific actives that distinguish it from the original. The first is Tripterygium wilfordii root extract — the same celastrol-containing botanical that anchors Ductray’s Dexyane MeD line for atopic dermatitis. Celastrol has a growing body of dermatological research showing it modulates inflammatory cascades involved in skin conditions ranging from eczema to acne. In this acne-focused context, it gives PP+ noticeably more anti-inflammatory punch than the niacinamide-and-Myrtacine combination of the original PP could provide on its own. The second addition is phytic acid, a plant-derived chelator with mild keratolytic and anti-tyrosinase activity. It’s much gentler than glycolic or salicylic acid — important because the patient using this cream is probably also using a stronger acne active that’s already producing irritation — but it adds a brightening and gentle exfoliating layer that targets post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation alongside the active acne. Combined with the existing niacinamide (around 4%), Myrtacine, and zinc PCA, this creates a four-mechanism approach: niacinamide for sebum and inflammation, celastrol for deeper inflammation modulation, Myrtacine for bacterial biofilm disruption, and phytic acid for surface exfoliation and pigment fading.

That’s a lot to put in one cream, and the natural concern is whether layering all those mechanisms ends up producing irritation. In practice, the formulation is still well-tolerated. The vehicle is fragrance-free, alcohol-free, oil-free, and the actives are all chosen for their relatively low irritation profiles relative to their effect. The texture is a smooth, lightweight cream with a slight gel-like slip that absorbs within forty-five seconds and leaves a matte finish. It layers cleanly under sunscreen and oil-free makeup. Most users report no stinging on intact skin, though a small number notice mild tingling on actively inflamed lesions in the first few days as the celastrol takes effect — usually settling within a week.

In use, the difference between PP+ and the original PP is genuinely noticeable. Where the original PP is a quiet, supportive cream that you might struggle to attribute specific results to, PP+ produces visible reduction in inflammatory blemishes within seven to fourteen days of consistent twice-daily use, and visible improvement in post-inflammatory marks over four to eight weeks. That’s not a transformational result — it’s not going to clear severe nodulocystic acne — but it’s enough that patients who’d been on the original PP for months and felt stuck often report meaningful improvement after switching to PP+. For mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne, particularly in adult patients with the overlap of acne and post-inflammatory pigmentation that’s so common in the late-twenties-to-thirties demographic, PP+ is one of the most effective non-prescription options on the European pharmacy market.

The limitations are real but specific. The 30 ml tube is small and runs out in six to eight weeks with twice-daily full-face use. There’s no larger size option. The Tripterygium wilfordii extract means PP+ is not a default pregnancy-safe option — Ductray advises pregnant and breastfeeding users consult a doctor before use, which is a meaningful asterisk for the demographic most likely to be dealing with hormonal adult acne. US availability is still limited, though Ductray’s distribution has been expanding. And like the original PP, it’s not a standalone treatment for severe or cystic acne; for those cases, a dermatologist visit and prescription treatment is still the right starting point.

The broader credibility argument for PP+ is the same as for the rest of Ductray’s line: nearly a century of pharmacy-grade dermatology development under the Pierre Fabre umbrella, with the published research infrastructure to back the claims on the tube. The Myrtacine extract has been in the Keracnyl line for over a decade with a track record. The celastrol component is the same patented active Pierre Fabre uses in Dexyane MeD, with the same regulatory and tolerance data backing it. You’re not buying a startup’s first attempt at an acne cream — you’re buying into a multi-decade formulation tradition that’s been refined through European pharmacy distribution and dermatologist feedback.

For the right patient, PP+ is one of the most comprehensive non-prescription acne creams on the market. It’s particularly well-suited to adult acne with hyperpigmentation, to patients who’ve outgrown the gentle PP variant, and to anyone looking for serious anti-inflammatory action without resorting to a prescription. For patients who need a steroid-sparing option, it’s also worth considering. Just go in knowing what it is and what it isn’t.