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This guide provides essential information for authors preparing manuscripts for submission to the journal. Authors are encouraged to read this guide carefully before submission and to consult the journal's Aims and Scope, Article Types, Open Access and Fees, and Journal Policies pages where applicable.
The journal publishes scholarly work in skin pharmacology, dermatological therapeutics, dermatological pharmaceutics, topical and transdermal drug delivery, cutaneous pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, skin barrier science, dermatological formulations, skin models, pharmacovigilance, cosmetic active ingredients with pharmacological relevance, translational dermatology and related clinical or preclinical research.
Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements may be returned for correction before editorial assessment or peer review. Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee external peer review or acceptance.
Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the work is suitable for the journal and that all required materials are prepared.
Authors should:
read the journal's Aims and Scope to confirm that the manuscript fits the journal's academic focus and target readership;
select the appropriate article type and follow the relevant requirements for structure, word limits, references, tables, figures and supplementary materials;
ensure that the manuscript is original, has not been formally published previously and is not under consideration by another journal;
obtain approval from all authors for the submitted version;
ensure that authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been agreed by all authors before submission;
prepare all required statements, including ethics approval, informed consent, author contributions, competing interests, funding, data availability, clinical trial registration and AI-use statements where applicable;
clearly identify the drug, active substance, formulation, delivery system, vehicle, excipient, comparator or skin model studied, where applicable;
report relevant safety information, including local tolerability, irritation, sensitization, systemic exposure, adverse events and discontinuations where applicable;
disclose sponsor, funder, pharmaceutical company, formulation developer, cosmetic company, biotechnology company, device manufacturer or contract research organization involvement in study design, formulation development, drug supply, data access, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and publication decisions;
follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to the study design;
obtain permission for any third-party material, including figures, tables, images, clinical photographs, dermoscopic images, histological images, molecular structures, chemical drawings, formulation diagrams or substantial text reproduced or adapted from other sources;
review the journal’s policies on peer review, publication ethics, authorship, research ethics, data availability, use of AI, copyright, licensing and post-publication updates.
Authors who are unsure whether their manuscript is suitable for the journal may contact the Editorial Office with a pre-submission inquiry. A pre-submission inquiry should include the manuscript title, author list, abstract and a brief explanation of the manuscript’s relevance to the journal. A positive response to a pre-submission inquiry does not guarantee peer review or acceptance.
Preprints
The journal considers manuscripts that have been posted on recognized preprint servers, provided that the work has not been formally published and is not under consideration by another journal at the same time.
Authors must disclose any preprint at submission and provide the preprint server name, DOI or link where applicable. If the manuscript is accepted, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with a citation and link to the final published article.
Online Submission
Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Authors should create a user account, log in and submit the manuscript following the instructions in the system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.
The maximum file size for individual uploaded files is 50 MB, unless otherwise specified by the submission system.
The journal considers several types of manuscripts. Authors should select the article type that best matches the purpose, design and scope of their work.
Detailed requirements for each article type, including word limits, abstract format, reference limits, figure and table limits and required sections, are provided on the Article Types page.
Common article types may include:
Research Article
Reports original research findings based on clinical, translational, pharmacological, pharmaceutical, experimental, preclinical, methodological or other scholarly research. Original Research Articles should generally include Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion sections.
Clinical Trial / Dermatological Therapeutics Study
Reports prospective or retrospective studies involving dermatological drugs, topical therapies, transdermal systems, biologics, small molecules, cosmetic active ingredients with pharmacological relevance, device-assisted drug delivery or other skin-related interventions. Authors should provide ethics approval, trial registration information, intervention details and safety reporting where applicable.
Skin Pharmacology / Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Study
Reports studies of cutaneous drug action, local or systemic exposure, absorption, penetration, permeation, metabolism, pharmacodynamic response, dose-response relationship, bioavailability, bioequivalence or related pharmacological outcomes.
Formulation / Drug Delivery Study
Reports development, characterization, optimization or evaluation of topical formulations, transdermal delivery systems, nanoparticles, liposomes, microneedles, gels, creams, ointments, patches, films, foams, sprays or other dermatological delivery systems.
Preclinical, In Vitro, Ex Vivo or Skin Model Study
Reports studies using cell lines, primary cells, reconstructed human skin, organoids, ex vivo human or animal skin, animal models or other experimental systems relevant to skin pharmacology or dermatological drug delivery.
Pharmacovigilance / Adverse Drug Reaction Report
Reports adverse cutaneous drug reactions, drug safety signals, pharmacovigilance analyses, post-marketing safety data or clinically important safety observations related to dermatological therapies, systemic drugs with skin effects or skin-directed treatments.
Review Article
Provides a comprehensive, balanced and critical overview of a defined topic. Review Articles should synthesize current evidence, identify knowledge gaps and discuss future directions.
Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Presents a systematic search, selection, appraisal and synthesis of existing evidence. Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines and provide protocol registration information where applicable.
Brief Report / Short Communication
Reports concise but significant findings that may not require a full-length article. These submissions should present clear methods, focused results and a well-supported conclusion.
Case Report / Case Series
Describes clinically or scientifically important cases involving dermatological pharmacology, treatment response, adverse drug reactions, topical or transdermal therapy, drug-induced skin disease or other skin pharmacology topics. Written informed consent for publication must be obtained when identifiable patient information, clinical photographs, dermoscopic images, videos or case details are included.
Method / Technical Note
Describes a novel method, technical improvement, analytical method, skin model, formulation method, permeation method, imaging method, assay, protocol or tool relevant to skin pharmacology or dermatological pharmaceutics.
Guideline / Consensus
Provides evidence-based or expert consensus recommendations on a specific topic. The methodology for evidence review, panel composition, conflict-of-interest management, consensus development and recommendation grading should be clearly described.
Editorial / Commentary / Perspective
Presents expert opinion, critical discussion or interpretation of current issues in skin pharmacology, dermatological therapeutics, drug delivery, translational dermatology or drug safety. These article types are usually commissioned, but unsolicited submissions may be considered at the editors'discretion.
Letter to the Editor
Provides brief comments on articles published in the journal or concise observations of interest to readers.
For formatting examples and full‑text preparation guidelines, authors may refer to the Samples page and review the relevant sample manuscripts prior to submission.
Manuscripts should be prepared clearly, concisely and consistently. Authors should write for an international scholarly audience and avoid unnecessary jargon, unsupported claims or excessive technical detail that is not essential to understanding the work.
File Format
Manuscripts should be submitted in an editable format, such as Microsoft Word. LaTeX files may be accepted where appropriate. Figures, tables, chemical structures, formulation diagrams, images and supplementary materials should be prepared according to the journal’s file and formatting requirements.
Title Page
The title page should include:
manuscript title;
full names of all authors;
author affiliations;
corresponding author name, email address and full contact details;
ORCID iDs, where available;
equal contribution or co-corresponding author notes, where applicable;
short running title, if required;
word count, number of figures, number of tables and number of supplementary files, if requested.
Abstract and Keywords
The abstract should accurately summarize the purpose, methods, main findings and conclusions of the manuscript. Original Research Articles, clinical studies, formulation studies and pharmacological studies should generally use a structured abstract where required by the article type.
Authors should provide keywords that are specific, searchable and relevant to the manuscript. Standardized medical, pharmaceutical, dermatological or chemical terms should be used where appropriate.
Main Text
Original Research Articles should generally include:
Introduction;
Methods;
Results;
Discussion;
Conclusions, where appropriate.
The Methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be evaluated and, where applicable, reproduced. Authors should describe study design, setting, participants or models, eligibility criteria, drug or formulation details, comparator, route of administration, dose, outcome measures, safety monitoring, statistical methods, software, sample size considerations and analysis plans where relevant.
The Results section should present findings in a logical order, supported by appropriate tables, figures and statistical information. The Discussion should interpret the findings in the context of existing evidence, acknowledge limitations and avoid overstating conclusions.
Drug, Formulation and Chemical Details
Where applicable, manuscripts should clearly identify the active substance, drug, formulation, vehicle, excipients, delivery system or comparator studied.
Authors should provide sufficient information on:
generic or international nonproprietary name of the drug or active substance;
chemical identity, source, purity, manufacturer and batch number where relevant;
formulation type, vehicle, excipients and key formulation characteristics;
concentration, dose, route, frequency, duration and application site;
treatment area, occlusion, skin condition and comparator or control;
storage conditions and stability information where relevant;
whether the product is approved, investigational, compounded, modified, off-label or used for research purposes.
Authors should avoid promotional language and should not present investigational, early-stage or limited-validation products as established clinical practice.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the text. Each table and figure should have a clear title and legend.
Figures should be of sufficient resolution for peer review and publication. Authors should avoid image manipulation that could misrepresent the data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast or color balance must not obscure, eliminate or misrepresent information.
Where figures or tables are reproduced or adapted from another source, authors must obtain appropriate permission and provide proper attribution.
Clinical Images, Dermoscopic Images and Histology
Clinical photographs, dermoscopic images, histological images, lesion images, videos and other visual materials should be anonymized before submission where applicable.
Written consent for publication is required when any patient, participant, skin lesion, tattoo, birthmark, facial feature, genital lesion, rare condition or case detail may be identifiable.
Supplementary Materials
Supplementary materials should be directly relevant to the manuscript and should support, but not replace, the main text. Supplementary files may include extended methods, additional tables, figures, datasets, checklists, protocols, statistical analysis plans, formulation details, analytical validation data, raw or processed images, videos, code or other supporting information.
References
References should be accurate, complete and relevant. Authors are responsible for checking all references before submission. References should be formatted in accordance with the journal’s reference style. Please click here to download the journal’s EndNote output style.
Authors should avoid inappropriate citation practices, including excessive self-citation, citation manipulation or citation of unreliable sources.
Language and Style
Manuscripts should be written in clear English. Authors should use precise, professional and non-promotional language. Claims regarding efficacy, safety, novelty, superiority or clinical utility should be supported by appropriate evidence.
Authors who are not fluent in English may consider professional language editing before submission. Language editing does not guarantee editorial review or acceptance.
Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to study design and should submit completed checklists where required.
Relevant guidelines may include:
CONSORT for randomized trials;
SPIRIT for clinical trial protocols;
PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
STROBE for observational studies;
STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;
TRIPOD or TRIPOD+AI for prediction model studies;
CARE for case reports;
ARRIVE for animal studies;
TIDieR for intervention description;
SQUIRE for quality improvement studies;
CONSORT-AI or SPIRIT-AI for studies involving AI components, where applicable.
Authors should consult the EQUATOR Network to identify the most appropriate reporting guideline for their study design.
Dermatological Clinical Studies
For clinical studies involving dermatological drugs, topical therapies, transdermal systems, biologics, cosmetic active ingredients, device-assisted drug delivery or skin-directed interventions, authors should describe the clinical setting and intervention in sufficient detail.
Where applicable, authors should report:
diagnosis, disease severity and eligibility criteria;
anatomical site and skin condition at baseline;
drug, active substance, formulation, vehicle or comparator;
dose, concentration, route, frequency, duration and application method;
treatment area, occlusion and concomitant treatments;
washout period, rescue treatment and adherence assessment;
outcome measures and assessment timing;
local tolerability and systemic safety monitoring;
adverse events, discontinuations and withdrawals;
follow-up duration and recurrence or relapse assessment where relevant.
Topical and Transdermal Drug Delivery
For formulation and drug delivery studies, authors should describe formulation design, preparation method, quality control, characterization and performance testing.
Where applicable, authors should report:
formulation composition and rationale;
vehicle and excipient functions;
pH, viscosity, spreadability, particle size, zeta potential, drug content uniformity or other relevant properties;
release, permeation, penetration, retention or deposition methods;
skin barrier preparation and integrity assessment;
receptor medium, sampling time points and analytical method;
stability testing and storage conditions;
comparator formulation or control condition;
limitations in translating in vitro or ex vivo findings to clinical use.
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Studies
For cutaneous pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic studies, authors should describe sampling strategy, matrix, analytical method, validation approach, time points, dose, exposure, local concentration, systemic absorption and relevant pharmacodynamic endpoints.
Authors should clearly distinguish between local skin exposure, skin retention, systemic exposure and clinical response. Claims regarding bioequivalence, therapeutic equivalence or clinical relevance should be supported by appropriate evidence.
Safety and Pharmacovigilance
Authors should report safety outcomes transparently. Relevant outcomes may include irritation, erythema, edema, allergic contact dermatitis, sensitization, photosensitivity, burning, pruritus, dryness, scaling, barrier disruption, pigmentary change, systemic absorption, laboratory abnormalities, serious adverse events and other clinically relevant cutaneous or systemic findings.
For pharmacovigilance reports and adverse drug reaction studies, authors should describe the data source, case definition, exposure information, causality assessment, confounding factors and limitations.
Clinical Trial Registration and Data Sharing
Clinical trials and interventional studies involving dermatological drugs, topical therapies, transdermal systems, biologics, cosmetic active ingredients, device-assisted drug delivery or other skin-related interventions should be registered in a publicly accessible registry before participant recruitment begins, where applicable. The registry name and registration number should be provided in the manuscript.
Manuscripts reporting clinical trials should include a data sharing statement where required by applicable standards or journal policy. The statement should indicate whether de-identified individual participant data will be shared, what data will be shared, whether related documents such as the study protocol or statistical analysis plan will be available, when and for how long data will be available, and the conditions for access.
Preclinical, In Vitro, Ex Vivo and Skin Model Studies
For preclinical, in vitro, ex vivo or skin model studies, authors should provide sufficient methodological detail to support reproducibility and critical evaluation.
Where applicable, authors should report:
cell line, primary cell, organoid, reconstructed skin, animal model, ex vivo human skin or other model used;
source, authentication, passage number and contamination testing of cell lines where relevant;
source, anatomical site, donor characteristics, storage conditions and ethical procurement of human or animal skin tissue where relevant;
experimental conditions, controls, replicates, randomization and blinding where applicable;
drug concentration, exposure duration, vehicle, solvent and comparator;
skin barrier preparation, integrity assessment and acceptance criteria;
permeation, penetration, release, retention or distribution methods;
nalytical methods, validation and limits of detection where relevant;
histological, imaging, molecular, biochemical or functional endpoints;
limitations of the model and relevance to human skin or clinical use.
For animal studies, authors should follow appropriate animal research reporting standards and describe measures taken to minimize pain, distress and unnecessary animal use.
Authors must include all statements required by the journal and applicable policies. These statements should usually appear in the manuscript file, title page, acknowledgements section or submission system, according to the journal’s instructions.
Required statements may include:
Ethics Approval
Studies involving human participants, human data, human tissue, skin samples, biological specimens, animals or identifiable clinical information must include the name of the ethics committee, institutional review board or relevant authority, approval number or reference, and any relevant exemption information.
Informed Consent
For studies involving human participants, authors should state whether informed consent was obtained. For identifiable patient information, case details, clinical photographs, dermoscopic images, histological images linked to identifiable cases, videos or any other identifiable material, written consent for publication must be obtained.
Clinical Trial Registration
Clinical trials and interventional studies should provide the registry name and registration number where applicable. Registration should occur before participant recruitment begins.
Author Contributions
Authors should describe each author’s contribution to the work. The journal encourages use of the CRediT taxonomy where appropriate.
Competing Interests
All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial competing interests. For skin pharmacology research, relevant disclosures may include employment, consultancy, advisory roles, honoraria, stock ownership, patents, patent applications, royalties, licensing agreements, sponsored testing, drug or formulation supply, device donation, data access arrangements, statistical support, writing assistance or relationships with pharmaceutical companies, formulation developers, cosmetic companies, biotechnology companies, device manufacturers, contract research organizations or sponsors.
Funding
Authors should disclose all funding sources and grant numbers. The role of funders, sponsors or commercial partners in study design, formulation development, drug supply, participant recruitment, data collection, data access, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and the decision to submit should be stated. If the work received no specific funding, this should also be declared.
Data Availability
Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing where the data supporting the findings can be accessed or explaining why data cannot be shared.
For clinical studies, authors should ensure that shared data are appropriately de-identified and consistent with ethics approval, informed consent and applicable data protection requirements. Restrictions due to privacy, ethics, legal, commercial, intellectual property, confidentiality or safety reasons should be clearly explained.
Use of AI and AI-assisted Technologies
AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of all submitted content.
Use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies beyond basic language editing should be disclosed according to the journal’s AI policy. Authors should identify the tool used, describe how it was used and verify all AI-assisted content, including references, factual claims and generated text.
Acknowledgements
Individuals or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.
Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the following items are complete:
the manuscript fits the journal's Aims and Scope;
the correct article type has been selected;
the manuscript follows the relevant structure and formatting requirements;
the title page includes complete author, affiliation and corresponding author information;
all authors have approved the submitted version;
authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been confirmed;
the abstract and keywords are included;
all tables and figures are cited in the text and uploaded in the required format;
figure legends and table titles are complete;
supplementary materials are cited and uploaded where applicable;
references are accurate and complete;
drug identity, active substance, formulation, vehicle, dose, route and comparator are reported where applicable;
safety, tolerability, adverse events and discontinuations are reported where applicable;
ethics approval, informed consent and trial registration information are provided where applicable;
author contributions, competing interests, funding and data availability statements are included;
sponsor, funder or commercial partner involvement is disclosed where applicable;
AI-use disclosure is included where applicable;
reporting checklists and flow diagrams are uploaded for relevant study types;
permission has been obtained for third-party material
all required files have been uploaded to the submission system.
Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.
During submission, authors may be asked to provide:
manuscript title and abstract;
author names, affiliations and email addresses;
corresponding author details;
article type;
keywords;
cover letter;
manuscript file;
figures, tables and supplementary files;
required statements and declarations;
reporting checklists;
suggested or opposed reviewers, where permitted;
funding and competing interest information.
Authors should disclose any related manuscripts, previous submissions, preprints, trial registry records, regulatory documents, pharmacovigilance reports or overlapping work.
Authors may suggest potential reviewers where permitted by the submission system. Reviewer selection remains at the editors'discretion. Suggested reviewers must be independent and free from conflicts of interest.
After submission, the corresponding author will receive confirmation from the submission system. The Editorial Office may contact the corresponding author if required information is missing or if files need correction before editorial assessment.
If revision is invited, authors should submit the revised manuscript within the deadline stated in the decision letter. Extensions may be requested from the Editorial Office where necessary.
A revised submission should usually include:
a clean version of the revised manuscript;
a marked-up or tracked-changes version showing revisions;
a detailed point-by-point response to all editor and reviewer comments;
revised figures, tables or supplementary materials, where applicable;
updated declarations or statements, if any changes have been made.
Authors should respond to each comment respectfully and clearly. Where authors disagree with a reviewer or editor comment, they should provide a reasoned explanation supported by evidence where appropriate.
Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance. Revised manuscripts may be returned to reviewers, assessed by the editors or declined if concerns have not been adequately addressed.
Upon manuscript acceptance, the editorial office will contact the corresponding author to arrange subsequent publication procedures. This journal currently waives all Article Processing Charges (APC) and articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International License.
The corresponding author will receive page proofs for final review prior to formal publication. Proof‑stage corrections should be restricted to typographical, formatting errors and minor factual errata only. Any substantial alterations to manuscript content, authorship, data analysis, results, or conclusions following acceptance may be considered only in exceptional cases, require full justification together with written consent of all relevant authors, and need explicit approval from the Editorial Office. The Editorial Office may reject such requests.
Accepted manuscripts may be published Online First and assigned a formal DOI prior to issue allocation. Following Online‑first publication, authors may share and archive their articles in accordance with the journal's article‑sharing and self‑archiving policies.
All post-publication updates, including corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern, will be processed in strict accordance with the journal's publishing ethics policies.
