Differin vs. its authorized generic and generics

How to pay the least

Ask for the cash price

Generic adapalene

No pharmacy we check posts a price for it.

Ask your pharmacy for the cash price of generic adapalene.Find pharmacies near you
Ask one or two other pharmacies too. Cash prices for the same generic can differ a lot from store to store.

A regular generic has the same active ingredient as Differin, and the FDA requires it to work the same way.

Compare every option

Brand nameDifferin

Authorized genericadapalene

Regular genericadapalene

What you’d pay

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually the highest price

Cash priceAsk the pharmacy

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually the lowest

Same as Differin?

The original

Same medicine

Same active ingredientFillers and dyes can differ

Brand nameNo maker’s card

We didn’t find a savings card or cash price from Differin’s maker. Ask the pharmacy for Differin’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges.

Authorized genericThe NDC to ask for

The same medicine as Differin, without the brand name. Give the pharmacy its NDC to get it.

adapalene

Sold by (either works)

Padagis Israel PharmaceuticalsMade by G Production, which also makes Differin
Mayne Pharma Commercial

Your strength

NDC to ask for

0.1%creamPadagis Israel Pharmaceuticals
- 45802-453-8411-digit: 45802-0453-8445 g per tube
0.3%gelMayne Pharma Commercial
- 68308-666-2511-digit: 68308-0666-2545 g per tube
- 68308-666-4511-digit: 68308-0666-4545 g per pump bottle

Source: FDA, updated October 30, 2026

What to say at the pharmacy

“Before you fill my Differin, can you tell me what I’d pay for the brand, for the authorized generic, and for a regular generic?”

Paying cash? Ask for each one’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges for each.

Brand and authorized generic labels

Official labels and ingredient lists from DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine).

0.3% gel · Mayne Pharma Commercial

Same active and inactive ingredients as Differin.

See the ingredients

Active: adapalene 0.3%

Inactive, on both labels:

Carbomer homopolymer type C
Edetate disodium
Hydrochloric acid
Methylparaben
Poloxamer 124
Propylene glycol
Sodium hydroxide
Water

0.1% cream · Padagis Israel Pharmaceuticals

Differin doesn’t come in this strength, so there’s no brand label to compare.

See the ingredients

Active: adapalene 0.1%

Inactive:

Carbomer homopolymer type B
Cyclomethicone
Edetate disodium
Glycerin
Methylparaben
Phenoxyethanol
Propylparaben
Squalane
Trolamine
Water

Regular genericWho makes it

5 companies sell a generic of Differin that the FDA rates a substitute. A pharmacy fills whichever one it stocks. To get a certain maker, ask for it by name; most pharmacies can order it in a day or two.

Actavis PharmaGel 0.3%

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.3%

Package NDC
Carton of 45 g 0472-0126-45

Inactive ingredients: carbomer homopolymer type c, edetate sodium, methylparaben, poloxamer 182, propylene glycol, water, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid
FDA label
Alembic PharmaceuticalsGel 0.3%

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.3%

Package NDC

Inactive ingredients: carbomer homopolymer type c, edetate disodium, methylparaben, poloxamer 124, propylene glycol, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, water
FDA label
Encube EthicalsGel 0.3%

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.3%

Package NDC
Carton of 45 g 21922-051-06
Carton of 45 g 21922-051-50

Inactive ingredients: carbomer homopolymer type c, edetate disodium, methylparaben, propylene glycol, water, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, poloxamer 182
FDA label
Fougera PharmaceuticalsCream 0.1%

Product page on sandoz.com

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.1%

Package NDC
Carton of 45 g 0168-0424-46

Inactive ingredients: carbomer homopolymer type b (allyl sucrose crosslinked), cyclomethicone, edetate disodium, glycerin, methylparaben, phenoxyethanol, propylparaben, water, squalene, trolamine
FDA label
Sun Pharmaceutical IndustriesGel 0.3%

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.3% White to off-white

Package NDC
Carton of 45 g 51672-1377-6

Inactive ingredients: carbomer homopolymer type c (allyl pentaerythritol crosslinked), edetate disodium, methylparaben, poloxamer 182, propylene glycol, water, sodium hydroxide
FDA label

Package	NDC
Carton of 45 g	0472-0126-45

Package	NDC
Carton of 45 g	21922-051-06
Carton of 45 g	21922-051-50

Package	NDC
Carton of 45 g	0168-0424-46

Package	NDC
Carton of 45 g	51672-1377-6

Who sells it: FDA and Medicaid records, updated weekly. Each maker’s page, card and program is from its own site.

What it’s used for

Acne

What the FDA label says

DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3%, is a retinoid, indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in patients 12 years of age and older.

Source: the FDA label for Differin (Galderma Laboratories, L.P.), December 27, 2023. Full label on DailyMed

Good to know

It may look different from Differin (color, shape, or markings). That’s normal for an authorized generic.
If your prescription says “dispense as written,” the pharmacy needs your prescriber’s OK to give you the authorized generic.
Cash prices can differ a lot from one pharmacy to the next, so it can pay to ask two. With insurance, what you pay depends on your plan.
If your pharmacy doesn’t stock it, they can often order it within a day or two.
Don’t stop or change a medicine without talking to your pharmacist or prescriber.

Prices change: confirm with the pharmacy before you fill. drugalt.com/drug/differin/