Your Skin's New Best Friends: What Dermatologists Are Excited About in 2025

Dermatologists are celebrating a banner year for skin health, with groundbreaking treatments for chronic conditions like eczema and psoriasis showing remarkable results, while researchers have finally proven that the viral rosemary skincare trend has real science behind it.

What Makes These New Eczema Treatments So Effective?

The biggest game-changer for eczema patients has been the expansion of targeted therapies that go beyond traditional steroid creams. Dupilumab, which blocks inflammation-causing proteins called IL-4 and IL-13, showed impressive results in a large study tracking over 7,000 patient-years of data. Among patients with darker skin tones, 76% achieved at least 75% improvement in their eczema severity, with many seeing results as early as two weeks.

Another breakthrough came with lebrikizumab, which specifically targets IL-13. In long-term studies, patients maintained clear or nearly clear skin for two full years, with 78.4% of patients with skin of color achieving significant improvement. Perhaps most exciting for patients, some were able to extend their dosing to every eight weeks while maintaining results.

Why Are Doctors Moving Away from Steroids for Kids?

Pediatric patients finally have safer alternatives to steroid creams. Three new non-steroid treatments received approval for children, addressing what dermatologists call "a long-standing unmet need." These include:

• Roflumilast cream: Approved for children aged 2 to 5 years, with almost 40% achieving significant improvement after just four weeks, compared to 20% with inactive cream
• Ruxolitinib cream: Now available for children aged 2 to 11 years, with 56.5% of patients achieving treatment success compared to just 10.8% with inactive treatment
• Delgocitinib: The first FDA-approved treatment specifically for chronic hand eczema in adults, targeting a condition affecting 1 in 10 adults worldwide

What's New for Psoriasis Patients?

Psoriasis treatments have reached new heights of effectiveness, with some patients achieving complete skin clearance for years. Bimekizumab, which blocks two inflammation proteins (IL-17A and IL-17F), maintained complete skin clearance in approximately two-thirds of patients over four years. Even more impressive, about 80% of patients saw complete resolution of nail psoriasis over three years—a notoriously difficult area to treat.

For younger patients, guselkumab became the first IL-23 inhibitor approved for pediatric psoriasis. In clinical trials, 56% of children achieved at least 90% improvement in their psoriasis severity, with 66% reaching clear or nearly clear skin at 16 weeks.

Does That Viral Rosemary Trend Actually Work?

Social media influencers promoting rosemary for better skin healing weren't just following a fad—they were onto something real. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania decided to test the viral claims and discovered that carnosic acid, a natural antioxidant in rosemary, actually promotes scar-free healing by activating a nerve sensor called TRPA1.

"We hypothesized there was likely something real behind the hype because rosemary contains many antioxidants," said study co-lead author Jiayi Pang. "But we knew in order to really uncover its potential, we needed to prove its healing properties and uncover how exactly it was facilitating healing."

In laboratory tests with mice, rosemary cream sped up wound closure and helped regenerate hair follicles, oil glands, and cartilage. What makes rosemary special is its combination of potency and gentleness—other natural ingredients like mustard oil can activate the same healing pathway but cause irritation and inflammation.

The researchers found that rosemary's benefits are strictly local, meaning it only works where you apply it. While they advise speaking with healthcare providers before adding rosemary products to skincare routines, the findings suggest this widely available, inexpensive ingredient could offer real benefits for wound healing and scar reduction.