Kelofibrase

Kelofibrase is a German scar-care brand built around a single product, Kelofibrase Creme, a cream combining urea, heparin and camphor. It is currently marketed by Glenwood GmbH, a mid-sized pharmaceutical company based in Munich [3][5]. The cream is intended for the care of fresh and older scars, acne scars and heavily stressed skin such as stretch marks, and is sold mainly through pharmacies, including online pharmacies.

The brand has changed hands at least once. The same cream was previously sold as Kelofibrase Sandoz Creme, with a consumer leaflet issued by Hexal AG of Holzkirchen, Germany [7]. That version has since been withdrawn from trade and replaced by the Glenwood product, though no published source explains when or how the transfer took place. Kelofibrase remains active, with the cream in regular retail distribution in 2026.

The year Kelofibrase was first launched has never been published, and nothing is known about who developed the formula. What can be traced begins with the Sandoz era. A consumer leaflet for Kelofibrase Sandoz Creme, carrying the footer of Hexal AG, Industriestraße 25, Holzkirchen, was last updated in September 2015 according to the leaflet archive that hosts it [7]. It already described the product much as it is described today: as medical skin care made under pharmaceutical manufacturing conditions, for scars after operations, burns and abrasions, for acne scars and for stretch marks.

At some later point the Sandoz-branded cream left the market. A pharmacy listing for Kelofibrase Sandoz Creme now marks it as "Außer Handel" (withdrawn from trade) and links to Kelofibrase Creme as its successor product. Tellingly, the same listing still names Sandoz as the brand but Glenwood GmbH as the manufacturer [6].

The successor is close to a continuation rather than a reformulation. The Glenwood leaflet repeats the Sandoz leaflet almost word for word, from the opening address to consumers to the usage instructions and safety notes, and the two ingredient lists are identical. The main visible changes are the dropped Sandoz name and a new company footer. The Glenwood leaflet also adds a "silicone-free" statement that does not appear on the older one [8].

Two companies are associated with the brand at different times, and the published sources reflect that:

- Glenwood GmbH, Munich, is named as supplier and manufacturer of Kelofibrase Creme in current German pharmacy listings, which also give its Munich address under EU product-safety rules [5]. The current consumer leaflet is issued in its name [8]. - Hexal AG (Sandoz), Holzkirchen, appears on the 2015 leaflet for the earlier product, Kelofibrase Sandoz Creme [7].

This article follows the more recent sources and treats Glenwood GmbH as the current owner. Whether the change came about through an acquisition, the end of a licence or a transfer of the trademark is not documented.

Glenwood describes itself as a modern, mid-sized pharmaceutical company that markets and sells specialty pharmaceuticals from its Munich base, distributing its products internationally through a network of partners to pharmacies and online channels [1]. Its own product list is made up of medicines, including the pain-relief and anti-inflammatory products Deflamat, Difene, Dedolor and Dolomo TN, Persantin, used to prevent blood clots after heart-valve replacement, and the blood-pressure medicine Catapresan. Kelofibrase does not appear among the products shown on Glenwood's website [2], so the cream sits apart from a portfolio that is otherwise made up of medicines. The company is registered at the district court in Munich.

Kelofibrase Creme is offered in 25 ml and 50 g packs and in a twin pack of 2 × 25 ml. Glenwood describes it as "medizinische Hautpflege", medical skin care, produced under pharmaceutical manufacturing conditions and strict quality controls [8]. Its uses are set out in three groups:

- fresh and older scars after injuries such as operations, burns and abrasions; - skin regeneration in acne scarring; - intensive care for heavily stressed skin, for example stretch marks, including those from pregnancy.

The formula centres on three active ingredients. Of the three, the leaflet singles out camphor as the ingredient that stimulates blood flow in the skin where the cream is applied. According to the company, the combination works in three ways: it raises the skin's moisture content, stimulates circulation in the skin and reduces the feeling of tightness. Glenwood says this leaves the skin soft and supple and makes scars less noticeable [8]. The leaflet cites no clinical studies for these effects. The brand also highlights the cream's good tolerability, fresh scent and pleasant feel on the skin.

The cream's base is made up of water, cetearyl alcohol and oleyl oleate, with menthol alongside the camphor. It is perfumed, with lemon (Citrus limonum) among the listed ingredients, and its ingredient list includes several fragrance components such as limonene, linalool, geraniol and citral.

Users are told to massage the cream into the affected skin several times a day in small portions until it is absorbed, using firmer massage on hardened, older scars. The Sandoz-era pharmacy text added that the effect could be strengthened by applying a thick layer at night under a dressing. The leaflet also sets out a number of restrictions. The cream should not be used on broken or inflamed skin, near the eyes or mucous membranes, or on children under one year old. It should not be applied to the face and neck of small children, nor to the breast area by breastfeeding mothers. Use should stop if the increased blood flow triggered by the camphor leads to excessive redness and itching.

No third-party certifications, awards or independent product tests are known.

Kelofibrase is active. In October 2026 Kelofibrase Creme was listed by German online pharmacies in all three pack sizes, with delivery in one to three working days [4]. All known packaging and leaflet text is in German, and the cream is sold through pharmacy channels in German-speaking markets. Glenwood's statement about international distribution covers its business as a whole and does not mention Kelofibrase specifically. The older Kelofibrase Sandoz Creme is no longer on sale.