S-8

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

S-8 1 d135825ds8.htm S-8 S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 12, 2026

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

44 West Gay Street, Suite 400

West Chester, PA 19380

46-3137900

(State or other jurisdiction of
Incorporation or organization)

(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip code)

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

2018 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Jayson Rieger

President and Chief Executive Officer

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc.

44 West Gay Street, Suite 400

West Chester, PA 19380

(Name and address of agent for service)

(484) 453-3300

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Mark Ballantyne

Divakar Gupta

Cooley LLP

11951 Freedom Drive

Reston, VA 20190-5640

(703) 456-8000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Pursuant to General Instruction E of Form S-8, Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Registrant”) is filing this Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) to register 687,151 additional shares of Common Stock under the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”), pursuant to the provisions of the 2018 Plan providing for an automatic increase in the number of shares of Common Stock reserved and available for issuance under the 2018 Plan on January 1, 2026.

In accordance with the instructional note to Part I of Form S-8 as promulgated by the Commission, the information specified by Part I of the Form S-8 has been omitted from this Registration Statement.

PART II

ITEM 3.

INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The contents of the earlier registration statement related to the 2018 Plan, previously filed with the Commission on July 13, 2018 (File No. 333-226153) are incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this Registration Statement.

ITEM 8.

EXHIBITS


Exhibit Number		Description

4.1(1)		Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant.

4.2(2)		Certificate of Amendment of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

4.3(3)		Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant.

4.4(4)		2018 Equity Incentive Plan.

4.5(5)		Form of Stock Option Grant Notice, Stock Option Agreement, Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.

5.1		Opinion of Cooley LLP.

23.1		Consent of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

23.2		Consent of Cooley LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1		Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Form S-8).

107		Filing Fee Table

(1)	Previously filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-225104), filed with the Commission on May 22, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(2)	Previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38529), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 23, 2025.

(3)	Previously filed as Exhibit 3.4 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-225104), filed with the Commission on May 22, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(4)	Previously filed as Exhibit 10.4 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-225104), filed with the Commission on June 5, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(5)	Previously filed as Exhibit 10.5 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-225104), filed with the Commission on June 5, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

ITEM 9.

UNDERTAKINGS

1.	The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement.

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

(b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of West Chester, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on this 12th day of May, 2026.


VERRICA PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

By:		/s/ Jayson Rieger
		Jayson Rieger
		President and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Jayson Rieger, John J. Kirby and David Zawitz, and each or any one of them, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


Signature	Title	Date

/s/ Jayson Rieger Jayson Rieger	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)	May 12, 2026

/s/ John J. Kirby John J. Kirby	Interim Chief Financial Officer (Interim Principal Financial Officer and Interim Principal Accounting Officer)	May 12, 2026

/s/ Paul B. Manning Paul B. Manning	Director	May 12, 2026

/s/ Sean Stalfort Sean Stalfort	Director	May 12, 2026

/s/ Gavin Corcoran Gavin Corcoran	Director	May 12, 2026

/s/ Mark Prygocki Mark Prygocki	Director	May 12, 2026

/s/ Lawrence Eichenfield Lawrence Eichenfield	Director	May 12, 2026

/s/ Diem Nguyen Diem Nguyen	Director	May 12, 2026

/s/ Charles Frantzreb Charles Frantzreb	Director	May 12, 2026
/s/ Charles Frantzreb Charles Frantzreb	Director	May 12, 2026

SEC Form S-8 filed by Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc.