Astion Pharma

Astion Pharma is a Danish skincare company based in Vissenbjerg, on the island of Funen, that develops dermatological creams and washes for eczema, itching and dry, irritated skin. Its products are positioned as treatments for atopic and seborrheic dermatitis without corticosteroids, and the range is sold across the Nordics and in the United Kingdom through the company's own web shops and a network of pharmacies and beauty retailers. The brand markets itself under the tagline "the skin's shield against eczema."

The company remains active, trading through dedicated Swedish, Danish and UK sites and distributing its eczema range through Nordic pharmacies. Since 2018 it has been owned by the Danish private-equity investor Dansk Generationsskifte [8]. Some retailers list the brand as "Astion Phama," a misspelling; the company itself uses "Astion Pharma."

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

According to the company, the first Astion Pharma cream was developed in the early 1980s, after dermatologists asked for a good moisturising cream for children with atopic eczema [5]. That request led to a formula the brand says is designed to protect the skin and help it heal. Astion Pharma frames its founding purpose around a recurring complaint it attributes to eczema sufferers — that existing creams often give only limited relief — and positions itself as an alternative for people seeking treatment without corticosteroids.

The brand's own account of an early-1980s origin does not align neatly with corporate records. The business database PitchBook gives the company's founding year as 1992 [11], while the brand site dates its history to the development of that first cream "in the early 1980s" [5] without naming a precise year. The two figures appear to describe different events — early product development versus later company incorporation — and the founders are not named in any available source. The registered company operates under the Danish business number CVR 34226261, based at Trævænget 14 in Vissenbjerg.

Astion Pharma has changed hands more than once. In February 2015, the Canadian firm Cipher Pharmaceuticals acquired the worldwide rights to two of the company's products — a seborrheic-dermatitis cream and an atopic-dermatitis cream marketed under the Dermadexin and Pruridexin names — from Astion Pharma A/S [7].

On 1 January 2018, the company itself was acquired by Dansk Generationsskifte, a Danish private-equity investor that lists Astion Pharma in its portfolio [8]. The owner describes the company as a Danish manufacturer of specialised skincare for eczema and dry skin, with products medically approved for atopic and seborrheic dermatitis. Jan Kruse Hansen is named as managing director [8].

The line spans face, body, hand, scalp and lip care, with named products including Face Cure, Skin Cure, Hand Cure, a Scalp Serum, shampoos, body washes and lotions. The company structures part of the range around the area treated — Skin Cure for the body, Face Cure for facial eczema, and Hand Cure for the hands [6]. It also sells Daily Repair creams in high fat-content formulations, including a 70% version aimed at very dry, damaged skin.

Astion Pharma builds its formulas around two ingredients it presents as working together: urea, which the company describes as a natural substance in the body that supports the skin barrier and reduces moisture loss, and niacinamide (vitamin B3), which it says helps calm redness and irritation. Product formulations vary, however. The current Face Cure ingredient list includes mineral oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) alongside urea, whereas an independent ingredient breakdown by INCIDecoder describes an almond-oil-based "Face Cream" variant built on ectoin and free of mineral oil — two different formulations sold under similar names.

The company's products are associated with a patented active ingredient called Dermadexin, which Astion Pharma describes as both easing itching and helping rebuild the skin's protective barrier by leaving a thin film over irritated skin [6]. The brand says its creams were assessed in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study involving 400 patients across seven countries — Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany [6].

Third-party documentation points in the same direction. The 2015 Cipher press release states that Dermadexin was tested in two multicentre trials covering 452 patients and showed a marked, statistically significant effect on the symptoms of facial seborrheic dermatitis [7]. Those products also drew regulatory clearances: Cipher reported approvals from Health Canada and European approval of the creams as medical devices.

The company states that all of its products are vegan and contain no ingredients of animal origin, that they are not tested on animals, and that they are free of perfume [4]. It also says its formulas contain no corticosteroids and no known hormone-disrupting substances. The products carry an Allergy Certified mark, which the brand presents as indicating a minimal risk of triggering an allergic reaction [4].

Astion Pharma is an actively trading Danish dermo-cosmetic company. It operates e-commerce sites for Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom, reports more than 1,450 customer reviews, and distributes its eczema range through Nordic pharmacies and retailers such as Webapoteket, Mecindo and NiceHair. Its reach is multi-regional — the Nordics plus the UK, with clinical testing conducted across seven countries — rather than global mass market.