MG217 Psoriasis Gel

Number of Ingredients

More ingredients can mean more potential irritants, but a long list is not automatically worse.

This product: 16 ingredients

Price per Ounce

This compares similar product types using the price and size listed in Airtable.

This product: $2.75 per ounce

Dermatologist’s verdict

Mixed

MG217 Psoriasis Gel exists for one reason — coal tar that washes out of hair. Coal tar acts on the disease, not just the scale, and by twelve weeks it holds up against a prescription vitamin D cream. Use it on the scalp; on the body the ointment does more.

What it is

MG217 Psoriasis Gel is coal tar 2% in an alcohol gel, sold at drugstores for about $11 to $15. It has a Drug Facts panel, so it is a medicine, not a scale-softening moisturizer.

It exists for one reason: it washes out of hair. MG217's ointment is the same drug in petrolatum, and the brand says not to use that one on the scalp. This is water and alcohol with PEG-8, aloe, dexpanthenol and bisabolol, plus fragrance, which none of MG217's other versions have. The alcohol is why it stings on broken skin.

What it does

Psoriasis is not dryness. Immune signals tell skin cells to divide far faster than they should, so they reach the surface in days instead of a month. They pile up unfinished as silvery scale, over inflamed skin.

Coal tar acts on that process. It slows the overproduction and calms the inflammation, which is why it is guideline-recommended rather than a scale remover, and why by twelve weeks it holds up against a prescription vitamin D cream.

MG217 Psoriasis Gel carries the standard 2% dose in alcohol. The drug is identical to the ointment; only the delivery differs. Alcohol evaporates instead of sealing, so the tar has less contact time on a thick plaque — the weaker choice on the body, and the only workable one on the scalp.

What it treats

## Scalp Psoriasis | Moderate Scalp plaques are hard to treat because whatever you apply has to get through hair and then come back out. This gel is thin enough to reach the scalp and rinses out with shampoo. The ointment does not. That is the whole reason to pick this format.

## Psoriasis | Moderate Psoriasis drives skin cells to divide far too fast, so they pile up as scale. Coal tar slows that overproduction rather than just softening the pile, which is why it is still in the guidelines. This format works best on the hairline and thinner plaques; thick body plaques do better under the ointment.

Best for

**May work less on thick plaques:** same drug, same strength as the ointment — coal tar 2%. But it is alcohol-based rather than occlusive, so probably less effective on thick body plaques. Use it where you need it to wash out.

**Keep it away from flames:** it is an alcohol gel. Let it dry.

**The only MG217 version with fragrance:** the only one of MG217's three with fragrance in it. On broken psoriatic skin, that is hard to defend.

**May sting on cracked skin:** the alcohol stings on cracked skin.

**The real problems are not cancer:** the real problems with coal tar are why people quit it.

**It has a strong, lasting smell:** it smells. Strongly, medicinally, and it lingers. The number one reason people stop.

**It stains fabric and baths:** clothes, sheets, towels and baths.

**It makes you sun-sensitive for a day:** for up to 24 hours after you apply it. Cover the area or stay out of the sun.

**It can cause tar acne:** folliculitis — "tar acne" — and irritant rashes.

**The Prop 65 warning needs context:** Prop 65 is a California labeling law, triggered by the presence of the chemical, not by a finding about using it as medicine. The cancer classification people cite comes from industrial exposure — coke ovens, roofing, gasworks — at doses vastly higher than a tube of cream. The largest study followed 13,200 patients for a median of 21 years and found no increase in cancer.

**Some cases need a doctor:** knowing when to stop self-treating matters more than which cream you buy.

**Psoriasis is a whole-body disease:** it is a systemic inflammatory disease, not a skin problem.

**It carries joint and heart risks:** psoriatic arthritis develops in roughly 20–30% of people with psoriasis, and untreated joint damage is permanent. Psoriasis also raises cardiovascular risk through long-term inflammation.

**Signs you should see a doctor:** see a doctor if: You have any joint pain or stiffness — especially morning stiffness lasting over 30 minutes — or swollen fingers or toes Your plaques cover more than about 3–5% of your body (your palm is roughly 1%) It affects your face, scalp, genitals, palms, soles or nails It is not improving after a few weeks It is affecting your sleep or your mental health

**The label says to ask a doctor:** every one of these says "ask a doctor if your condition does not improve." This is why.

Texture

Gel MG217 Psoriasis Gel is a thin alcohol gel that dries within seconds, with none of the greasy layer a tar ointment leaves.

It stings on cracked or broken skin, and it is flammable while wet. Let it dry before going near a flame.

It smells strongly and medicinally, and it lingers on skin and hair — the most common reason people stop using coal tar. It stains clothes, sheets, towels and baths, and it is the only MG217 version with fragrance.

How to use it

## How to use it How much: Enough to cover the plaque or the affected part of the scalp. On the scalp, part the hair and apply to skin, not hair. Careful: Coal tar makes skin more sensitive to sunlight for up to twenty-four hours, so cover the area or stay out of the sun. Let it dry before going near heat or flame, and expect it to stain fabric. Watch out: See a doctor rather than self-treating if you have joint pain or morning stiffness lasting over thirty minutes, if plaques cover more than about three to five percent of your body (your palm is roughly one percent), or if it affects your face, genitals, palms, soles or nails. What to expect: Scale softens and thins over two to four weeks. Coal tar is slow; its real effect on the disease shows around twelve weeks.

Full ingredient list

Active ingredients: Coal Tar 2%

Inactive ingredients: Purified Water, Alcohol, PEG-8, Polysorbate 80, PEG/PPG 18/18 Dimethicone, Propanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Dexpanthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Alpha-Bisabolol, Calcium Disodium EDTA

Price per ounce

The scalp and hairline are a small area, so one bottle lasts a long time even daily.

The rest of the line

AXIS: Thickest and most sealing | Easiest to wash out

MG217 sells two actives, coal tar and salicylic acid, in bases meant for different parts of the body.

**Psoriasis Ointment | mg217-psoriasis-ointment** — The same coal tar 2% in a greasy base. Best on thick body plaques, worst near hair.

**Sal-Acid Multi-Symptom Moisturizing Cream | mg217-psoriasis-cream** — Salicylic acid rather than coal tar. It lifts scale without the tar smell.

**Psoriasis Gel (this one)** — Coal tar 2% in an alcohol gel. Made for the scalp and hairline, and it rinses out.

Similar products

These are the options if you cannot live with the smell, or need something for body plaques.

MG217 Psoriasis Ointment | more | Same coal tar 2% in an occlusive base that does more on thick body plaques, and no fragrance. Not for the scalp. Psoriasin Deep Moisturizing Ointment | more | Also coal tar 2%, fragrance-free, with three inactive ingredients. Its label is written for healthy adults. Gold Bond Psoriasis Relief | less | Salicylic acid 3% removes scale but does not touch the immune process. It is absorbed, so keep it off large areas.

Key facts

Key active: Coal tar 2% Texture: Alcohol-based gel Best for: Scalp and hairline psoriasis Approximate price: $11–$15 Size: 4 oz Price: $11.17 Type: Medicated

Questions patients ask

How is MG217 Psoriasis Gel different from MG217's ointment? Same drug and strength, coal tar 2%. The gel washes out of hair; the ointment does not.

What is MG217 Psoriasis Gel best for? Scalp and hairline psoriasis.

Does the coal tar in MG217 Psoriasis Gel actually treat psoriasis? Yes. Unlike salicylic acid, it acts on the disease, not just the scale.

Is MG217 Psoriasis Gel fragrance-free? No. This one contains fragrance.

Are there safety notes for MG217 Psoriasis Gel? It is flammable, so let it dry away from flame, and it makes skin sun-sensitive for up to 24 hours.

References

1. Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis with topical therapy (psoriasis clinical guideline) (https://www.aad.org/member/clinical-quality/guidelines/psoriasis) — Backs the claim that coal tar is a genuine, guideline-recommended psoriasis treatment; the AAD-NPF topical guideline states coal tar can be used alone or in combination with topical steroids. 2. Psoriasis: Update on Topical Therapy From the American Academy of Dermatology (https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0500/p558.html) — Supports that coal tar is an effective, guideline-endorsed topical for mild-to-moderate psoriasis and is reported to be even more effective than calcipotriene (a vitamin D analogue). 3. An open label prospective randomized trial to compare the efficacy of coal tar-salicylic acid ointment versus calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate ointment in the treatment of limited chronic plaque psoriasis (https://doaj.org/article/36ccadd8b06741adadbaa2da6b8fe9ef) — Backs that coal tar holds up against a prescription vitamin D analogue by week 12: the RCT found coal tar reached outcomes comparable to calcipotriol/betamethasone at the 12-week endpoint. 4. Coal tar induces AHR-dependent skin barrier repair in atopic dermatitis (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2013) (https://www.jci.org/articles/view/65642) — Supports that coal tar works on the disease process rather than acting only as a moisturizer, by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) to drive epidermal differentiation and dampen inflammatory signaling. 5. DailyMed - MG217 PSORIASIS MEDICATED MULTI-SYMPTOM (coal tar ointment) (https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=7cb04d20-9b3c-27bb-e053-2a91aa0a5bc4) — Confirms the MG217 ointment is coal tar 2% in a petrolatum base and that its own label states it is not recommended for use on the scalp because the ointment may be difficult to remove from hair. 6. DailyMed - MG217 PSORIASIS MULTI SYMPTOM (coal tar gel) (https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=23e6429e-7c6c-4391-e054-00144ff88e88) — Confirms the gel is the same drug and strength as the ointment (coal tar 2%) but in a water/alcohol gel base rather than petrolatum, supporting the washability/scalp-use contrast.