Monobenzone is a topical drug used for medical depigmentation. The mechanism of action of monobenzone is not fully understood. Monobenzone is oxidized by tyrosinase from melanocytes to a toxic quinones which induce non-apoptotic melanocyte cell death.

Trolamine, an organic compound, is the salt formed between triethanolamine and salicylic acid. It is widely used as a topical analgesic. 10% trolamine salicylate medical products sold over-the-counter such as are creams for temporarily relief of minor aches and pains of muscles and joints associated with arthritis, simple backache, lumbago, neuralgia, strains, bruises, and sprains. The FDA approved in 1958 otic solution drops containing triethanolamine polypeptide used in the ear to break down and loosen earwax was discontinued. Trolamine can enhance skin healing by recruiting macrophages and modifying the concentrations of various immunomodulators. Trolamine (Biafine; Genmedix Ltd, France) is commonly prescribed at the beginning of radiotherapy for preventing acute radiation-induced skin toxicity in China. Biafine has been studied in radiodermatitis and Phase 2 clinical trial has been initiated in 2016 by Sun Yat-sen University to establish the efficacy of trolamine (Biafine) for the management of radiation dermatitis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving IMRT.

Dimethisoquin (also known as Quinisocaine and QUOTANE) is a topical anesthetic used as an antipruritic. It was shown that dimethisoquin inhibits nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (alpha4/beta4 and alpha4/beta2) with the maximum inhibition potency occurring for the α4β4 subtype.

Chloramphenicol is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that was first isolated from Streptomyces venezuelae in 1947. The drug was subsequently chemically synthesized. It has both a bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect; in the usual therapeutic concentrations it is bacteriostatic. Chloramphenicol is used for the treatment of serious gram-negative, gram-positive, and anaerobic infections. It is especially useful in the treatment of meningitis, typhoid fever, and cystic fibrosis. It should be reserved for infections for which other drugs are ineffective or contraindicated. Chloramphenicol, a small inhibitor of bacterial protein synthesis, is active against a variety of bacteria and readily enters the CSF. It has been used extensively in the last decades for the treatment of bacterial meningitis. In industrialized countries, chloramphenicol is restricted mostly to topical uses because of the risk of induction of aplastic anemia. However, it remains a valuable reserve antibiotic for patients with allergy to β-lactam antibiotics or with CNS infections caused by multiresistant pathogens.

Tripelennamine (sold as Pyribenzamine by Novartis) is a drug that is used as an antipruritic and first-generation antihistamine. Histamine acting on H1-receptors produces vasodilatation, hypotension, flushing, headache, tachycardia, and bronchoconstriction. Histamine also increases vascular permeability and potentiates pain. Tripelennamine can be used in the treatment of asthma, hay fever, rhinitis, and urticaria, but is now less common as newer antihistamines have replaced it.

Nitrofurazone is used to treat burns that have become infected. It is also used to treat skin infections due to skin grafts. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. The exact mechanism of action is unknown. Nitrofurazone inhibits several bacterial enzymes, especially those involved in the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of glucose and pyruvate. The severe or irreversible adverse effects of Nitrofurazone, which give rise to further complications include Peripheral neuropathy, Thromboembolic disorder.

Sulfamerazine is a sulfonamide antibiotic, which acts by inhibiting folic acid synthesis in bacterias. The primary target of sulfamerazine is believed to be dihydropteroate synthetase. Sulfamerazine (in comination with Sulfadiazine and Sulfamethazine) was used in the US under different names, including the earliest brand of Neotrizine. Nowdays, the drugs containing sulfamerazine are no longer available for use in humans in the US, however, they may be prescribed for veterinary purposes.

AMINOBENZOATE SODIUM is a salt of Aminobenzoic acid. Aminobenzoic acid is an intermediate in the synthesis of folate by bacteria, plants, and fungi. Many bacteria, including those found in the human intestinal tract such as E. coli, generate Aminobenzoic acid from chorismate by the combined action of the enzymes 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate synthase and 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate lyase. Plants produce Aminobenzoic acid in their chloroplasts, and store it as a glucose ester (pABA-Glc) in their tissues. Humans lack the enzymes to convert Aminobenzoic acid to folate, so require folate from dietary sources such as green leafy vegetables. In humans, Aminobenzoic acid is considered nonessential and, although it has been referred to historically as "vitamin Bx", is no longer recognized as a vitamin, because most people have colon bacteria that generate Aminobenzoic acid. The potassium salt is used as a drug against fibrotic skin disorders, such as Peyronie's disease, under the trade name Potaba.

Benzethonium chloride, also known as hyamine, is a synthetic quaternary ammonium salt. It has surfactant, antiseptic, and anti-infective properties and it is used as a topical antimicrobial agent in first aid antiseptics. It is also found in cosmetics and toiletries such as mouthwashes, anti-itch ointments, and antibacterial moist towelettes. Benzethonium chloride exhibits a broad spectrum of microbiocidal activity against bacteria, fungi, mold and viruses. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifies that the safe and effective concentrations for benzethonium chloride are 0.1-0.2% in first aid products. Aqueous solutions of benzethonium chloride are not absorbed through the skin. It is not approved in the US or Europe for use as a food additive. Being a quaternary ammonium salt, it is more toxic than negatively charged surfactants. However, in a two-year study on rats, there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity. Benzethonium chloride was characterized as a novel anticancer compound possessing both in vitro and in vivo efficacy justifying further investigation.

Cetylpyridinium (used in a form of chloride salt) is a cationic surface-active agent and has a broad antimicrobial spectrum, with rapid killing of gram-positive pathogens and yeast in particular. It is suggested that interaction with bacteria occurs by the disruption of membrane function, leakage of cytoplasmic material, and ultimately the collapse of the intra-cellular equilibrium. The drug is used under various trade names as an oral OTC hygiene product (mouthwash, dental kits, etc.) to control the dental plaque and to prevent the subsequent gingivitis.