Locobase

Locobase is a Nordic dermatological skincare brand created in 1993 for very dry, irritated and barrier-impaired skin, including eczema and psoriasis [1]. According to the company, the line grew out of doctoral research by a group of Scandinavian dermatologists who wanted a cream to support and follow up cortisone treatment of eczema. Sold chiefly through pharmacies, the brand is positioned around clinical evidence and minimalist, fragrance-free formulations developed for compromised skin.

The brand remains active but is in the middle of an ownership transition. As of May 2026, the commercial rights to Locobase in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) belong to STADA Arzneimittel AG, while Karo Healthcare retains the brand in markets outside the Nordics [3]. At the time the brand sites were surveyed, the footer copyright still read "Karo Healthcare AB," reflecting that the divestiture was recent.

Locobase dates its history to 1993, when a group of Nordic dermatologists, drawing on extensive PhD-level research, developed an emollient and treatment cream [2]. The company says these dermatologists saw a need for a cream that could supplement and follow cortisone-ointment treatment of eczema, and so created their own formulation for very dry, irritated and sensitive skin, naming it Locobase. The brand's copy keeps the founding identity deliberately pan-Nordic and does not name the individual dermatologists or a specific country of origin; the earliest published efficacy study was authored by the Danish researcher Halkier-Sørensen in the journal Contact Dermatitis the same year [6].

Locobase has changed hands several times as part of larger dermatology and consumer-health portfolios. It became part of the Japanese company Astellas Pharma, formed in 2005 when Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical merged with Fujisawa Pharmaceutical; Astellas Pharma Europe later sponsored a clinical trial of the brand's Repair product [7].

In November 2015, LEO Pharma announced the purchase of Astellas's global dermatology portfolio for 675 million euros, a deal that included Locobase alongside brands such as Protopic and Locoid and closed in the first quarter of 2016 [8]. In 2018, the portfolio moved again: Karo Pharma acquired ten pharmaceutical brands from LEO Pharma for 260 million euros, effective 4 April 2018, with Locobase named among the top revenue drivers alongside Selexid and Burinex [9]. Karo Pharma was taken private by the investment firm EQT in 2019 and subsequently rebranded as the consumer-health company Karo Healthcare; KKR then acquired Karo Healthcare in 2025 [10].

The most recent change followed a regulatory requirement. When Karo Healthcare sought to acquire Aco Hud Nordic, the Norwegian Competition Authority approved the deal in March 2026 on the condition that Locobase's Nordic rights be sold to an independent buyer, because the two companies overlapped in medicated skincare [11]. The authority approved STADA as that buyer in April 2026, and STADA announced its acquisition of Locobase's Nordic commercial rights on 4 May 2026 [12]. STADA's head of global consumer healthcare, Volker Sydow, described Locobase as "a derma brand loved by Nordic consumers" that strengthens the company's portfolio of "local hero brands" in Scandinavia. STADA grouped Locobase with its existing Nordic dermatological brands such as Ceridal and Dermalog.

The company frames Locobase around three pillars it labels Skin, Science and Results: restorative, barrier-strengthening care for people with skin conditions; a grounding in Nordic doctoral research; and the translation of scientific evidence into clinically tested formulations. Its stated mission is to offer treatment products that restore skin-barrier function and help rebuild healthy, resilient skin. The brand describes its formulations as minimalist, using only clinically proven ingredients at the highest possible concentrations, and markets itself under the tagline "Focused skin solutions." Products are presented as fragrance-free and hypoallergenic, and the company says they carry AllergyCertified certification and have undergone clinical testing for allergic reactions. Karo Healthcare states that none of its cosmetic products or their ingredients are tested on animals, noting the EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics.

The range centres on Locobase Repair, an ointment with a high fat content built around a combination of lipids — ceramide 3, cholesterol and fatty acids — intended to mirror those found naturally in the skin barrier [13]. The line is organised into segments the brand labels Repair, Renew, Protect and Calm, and spans products such as Locobase Repair Light Cream, Renew Cream (which contains lactic acid, an exfoliating acid), the corticosteroid-free Psoriasis Cream, the Itch Relief Coolmousse, and Eczema Cream, which the company formulates with a 2QR complex it says helps prevent skin infections. STADA's announcement described the brand as comprising 17 product lines across medical devices, cosmetics and over-the-counter medicines, distributed primarily through pharmacies [12].

Locobase carries an unusually documented clinical record for a pharmacy skincare line. The Repair cream has been studied in peer-reviewed and registry research, including an Astellas-sponsored Phase 4 trial in children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis [7]. A clinical evaluation in children with atopic dermatitis and asteatotic eczema reported improvement over four weeks in scale, dryness, itching and erythema, with overall usefulness rated at about 86 percent, and a separate study in patients with atopic dermatitis reported roughly 90 percent clinical effectiveness [14]. The 1993 Halkier-Sørensen study examined the moisturiser's protective effect among cleaners and kitchen assistants exposed daily to water and detergents. According to the brand, its products are recommended by dermatologists and healthcare professionals in more than 20 markets.

Locobase is an active brand undergoing a split in ownership. Its Nordic markets are now held by STADA Arzneimittel AG, while Karo Healthcare retains the brand elsewhere in Europe and beyond. The brand's most recent visible activity at the time of survey was the STADA acquisition announcement of 4 May 2026, with the sites live, products in active pharmacy distribution, and a new product, Locobase Repair Light Cream, featured on the homepage [12].