An estrogen face cream is a prescription cream that contains an estrogen, most often estriol, and is made to be applied to the face. Clinicians prescribe it for women in perimenopause and menopause, for the drier, thinner, less elastic skin that comes as estrogen falls. It is compounded by a pharmacy for one patient at a time, it is not sold over the counter, and it is not a treatment for hot flashes or other menopause symptoms.
What estrogen has to do with skin
Estrogens act on many of the cells that make up skin, and estrogen levels fall at menopause. After menopause, with less estrogen, skin tends to become thinner and drier, with less collagen and less elasticity.¹ That change is the reason estrogen creams for the face exist.
Estriol is one of the estrogens the body makes. In a face cream it is usually combined with other actives. The Pallas estriol face cream, for example, is estriol 0.3% with tretinoin 0.01%, a retinoid that promotes the shedding of surface skin cells,² and niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3.
What the research does and doesn't show
The link between falling estrogen and changes in skin is well described.¹ Research on estrogen creams applied to facial skin is more limited: the studies are few and small, and they don't establish what any one cream will do for any one person. A clinician can tell you what is reasonable to expect for your skin. Nothing in this article is a promise of a result.
Who it's prescribed for, and who it isn't
| Question | What a clinician looks at |
|---|---|
| Who is it for? | Women in perimenopause or menopause with drier, thinner, less elastic facial skin |
| What makes an estrogen a poor fit? | A history of breast or another hormone-sensitive cancer, blood clots, or stroke |
| What about pregnancy? | Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive, because tretinoin is generally avoided |
| What else matters? | Your other medications, your skin conditions, and any allergy to an ingredient |
Estriol is an estrogen, and estrogen therapy carries known risks, including blood clots, stroke, and certain cancers. A clinician weighs those against your full health history before prescribing, which is why this cream needs a prescription.
Tretinoin adds its own cautions. It can make skin more sensitive to the sun, so daily sunscreen is part of using the cream, and some dryness, redness, or peeling is common in the first weeks.²
It is not hormone therapy
An estrogen face cream is prescribed for skin. It is not a treatment for hot flashes, night sweats, sleep, mood, or vaginal dryness, and it is not the same product as a vaginal estriol cream. If menopause symptoms are what you want help with, that is a separate conversation with a clinician about hormone therapy, which has its own review and its own forms.
How to get one
Estrogen face cream is prescription-only and compounded, so the path runs through a clinician and a compounding pharmacy:
- A clinician reviews your skin and your health history. That can be a dermatologist, a menopause clinician, or a telehealth service.
- If it's appropriate, they write a prescription. They can also decide a different cream fits your skin better, or that an estrogen isn't right for you.
- A state-licensed compounding pharmacy prepares the cream and ships it to you.
At Pallas the review happens online. You complete a short intake about your skin and your health history, a US-licensed clinician reviews it, and a partner pharmacy compounds and ships the cream if it's prescribed.
See if estriol face cream is appropriate for you
Complete a short online intake. A US-licensed clinician reviews your skin and health history and prescribes only when it's appropriate.
Start the skincare intake →What it costs
Prices depend on the service, on what is in the cream, and on how much cream a fill contains. Compare the price of a fill against its size and how often you're billed.
At Pallas the estriol face cream is one 30 g fill every 4 weeks: $69 every 4 weeks, charged once a clinician prescribes. Cancel anytime. The plan price covers the clinician review, check-ins, care-team messaging, and the cream when prescribed.
Questions to ask any provider
- What is in the cream, and at what strength? The actives and their percentages should be stated before you pay.
- Who reviews your health history? A licensed clinician should ask about cancer, blood clot, and stroke history, because the cream contains an estrogen.
- Which pharmacy compounds it? It should be a state-licensed US compounding pharmacy.
- How big is a fill, and how often are you billed? Some plans bill every month and some bill for several months at once.
- Can you reach a clinician after you start? Skin often reacts to tretinoin in the first weeks, and questions come up.
Bottom line
An estrogen face cream is a compounded prescription cream for the skin changes that come as estrogen falls. The biology behind it is well described, and the research on the creams themselves is limited. Because it contains an estrogen, the decision belongs to a clinician who has read your full health history.
References
- Thornton MJ. Estrogens and aging skin. Dermatoendocrinol. 2013;5(2):264-270.
- MedlinePlus (NIH National Library of Medicine). Tretinoin Topical: drug information.
Estriol face cream is compounded per patient by a state-licensed US compounding pharmacy, and compounded hormone preparations are not FDA-approved. A US-licensed clinician prescribes it only when it's appropriate.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
A compounded prescription cream that contains an estrogen, most often estriol, made to be applied to the face. Clinicians prescribe it for women in perimenopause and menopause, for the drier, thinner, less elastic skin that comes as estrogen falls.
No. It is a face cream prescribed for skin. It is not a treatment for hot flashes, night sweats, or other menopause symptoms, and it is not the vaginal estriol cream. Hormone therapy is a separate decision with its own clinician review.
Yes. It contains an estrogen and is compounded by a pharmacy for one patient at a time, so a licensed clinician reviews your health history and decides whether to prescribe it.
Complete a short online intake about your skin and your health history. A US-licensed clinician reviews it and, if appropriate, prescribes the cream, and a partner pharmacy compounds it and ships it to you. Nothing is charged until a clinician prescribes.
Prices vary by service and by the size of a fill. At Pallas: One price with provider care included, and nothing is charged until a clinician prescribes. Estriol face cream is $69 every 4 weeks and renews until you cancel.
That is a clinician's decision. Estriol is an estrogen, so a history of breast or another hormone-sensitive cancer, blood clots, or stroke, and pregnancy or breastfeeding, are things a clinician weighs before prescribing.