Halobetasol: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Halobetasol is a corticosteroid sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for facial dermatoses, foot dermatoses and hand dermatoses. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Corticosteroid
- Treats (across its forms)
- Facial Dermatoses, Foot Dermatoses and Hand Dermatoses
- Available as
- Spray/Inhaler · Topical
- Sold as
- 3 products — Lexette, Halobetasol Propionate and Ultravate
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
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How Ultravate is dosed
From the FDA label for Ultravate (application NDA019967). Other halobetasol products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Apply a thin layer of ULTRAVATE lotion to the affected skin twice daily for up to two weeks. Rub in gently. Discontinue therapy when control is achieved. If no improvement is seen within two weeks, reassessment of diagnosis may be necessary. Treatment beyond two weeks is not recommended and the total dosage should not exceed 50 grams (50 ml) per week because of the potential for the drug to suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis {see Warnings and Precautions 5.1].Do not use with occlusive dressings unless directed by a physician. ULTRAVATE lotion is for external use only. Avoid use on the face, scalp, groin, or axillae. ULTRAVATE lotion is not for ophthalmic, oral, or intravaginal use. Apply a thin layer to the affected areas twice daily. (2) Limit use to 50 g/week. (2) Discontinue treatment when control is achieved. (2) If no improvement is seen within 2 weeks, reassess diagnosis. (2) Treatment beyond 2 consecutive weeks is not recommended. (2) Do not use with occlusive dressings unless directed by a physician. (2) Avoid use on the face, scalp, groin, or axillae. (2) Not for ophthalmic, oral, or intravaginal use. (2)
Everything below is the FDA label for Ultravate (topical). Halobetasol is also sold as spray/inhaler, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Ultravate side effects
The most commonly reported adverse reactions (≥1%) are telangiectasia, application site atrophy, and headache. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact LAcer Pharma, LLC at 1-888-403-8874 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. During randomized, controlled, blinded clinical trials 277 adults with plaque psoriasis were treated with ULTRAVATE lotion twice daily for up to two weeks (up to approximately 50 grams/week). Table 1 presents adverse reactions that occured in at least 1% of subjects treated with ULTRAVATE lotion twice daily for up to two weeks, and more frequently than in vehicle-treated subjects. Table 1: Adverse Reactions Occurring in ≥ 1% of Subjects Treated with ULTRAVATE Lotion for up to Two Weeks ULTRAVATE Lotion (N=277) Vehicle Lotion (N=259) Adverse Reaction % % Telangiectasia 1% 0% Application site atrophy 1% <1% Headache 1% <1% Less common dverse reactions (incidence less than 1% but greater than 0.1%) that occured in subjects treated with ULTRAVATE lotion included application site discoloration, herpes zoster, influenza, nasopharyngitis, otitis…
Who shouldn’t take Ultravate
None. None.
Every halobetasol product we track (3)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70/100 | Prescription | Topical | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | No data | — | View → |
Halobetasol and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for halobetasol: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadHalobetasol has not been studied during breastfeeding. Since only extensive application of the most potent corticosteroids may cause systemic effects in the mother, it is unlikely that short-term application of topical corticosteroids would pose a risk to the breastfed infant by passage into breastmilk. However, it would be prudent to use the least potent drug on the smallest area of skin possible. It is particularly important to ensure that the infant's skin does not come into direct contact with the areas of skin that have been treated. Only the lower potency corticosteroids should be used on the nipple or areola where the infant could directly ingest the drugs from the skin; avoid halobetasol on the nipple. Only water-miscible cream or gel products should be applied to the breast because ointments may expose the infant to high levels of mineral paraffins via licking. Any topical corticosteroid should be wiped off thoroughly prior to nursing if it is being applied to the breast or nipple area.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised January 18, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about halobetasol
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 893 reports naming halobetasol, and the FDA flagged 30% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- psoriasis132 reports
- pruritus84 reports
- rash61 reports
- dry skin49 reports
- arthralgia48 reports
- dermatitis atopic43 reports
- skin exfoliation43 reports
- fatigue36 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean halobetasol caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Ultravate?
ULTRAVATE (halobetasol propionate) lotion, 0.05% for topical use contains a corticosteroid, halobetasol propionate.
What kind of drug is halobetasol?
The FDA classifies halobetasol as a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids mimic the body's natural stress hormone cortisol: they enter cells and bind a glucocorticoid receptor that switches off genes for inflammatory chemicals, calming swelling, redness, and an overactive immune response. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take halobetasol with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run halobetasol against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is halobetasol sold under?
We track 3 halobetasol-containing products in the U.S.: Lexette, Halobetasol Propionate and Ultravate. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does halobetasol come in?
Across the brands we track, halobetasol is currently marketed as spray/inhaler and topical, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic halobetasol?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic halobetasol product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Halobetasol: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/halobetasol
- MLA
- “Halobetasol: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/halobetasol.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for halobetasol on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.