A single-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT) compared the
use of 5% TTO gel with 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion for the
treatment of mild to moderate acne in a group of 124 patients.7
Numbers of inflamed and non-inflamed lesions were counted
at baseline and at monthly intervals for 3 months and both treatments
were effective, although improvements were slower in
the TTO group. There was a significantly greater reduction in
inflamed lesions in the benzoyl peroxide group at all three
follow-up visits. Skin discomfort during treatment was
reported less frequently in the TTO group than in those using
benzoyl peroxide (44% versus 79%). Without a placebo
group it is difficult to decide whether this study demonstrates
the presence or absence of a treatment effect and it may also
have lacked statistical power to test equivalence between the
two therapies