You should know
What it is
Benefits
Concerns
Explained
Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.
This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.
Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.
Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.
It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.
In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.
While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.
If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.
People also like: Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, Retinol
People also dislike: Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide
Salicylic Acid is a somewhat common cosmetic ingredient, with about 7.0% of the products in our database containing it.
What it does:
Community Stats
4400 people from our community have liked or disliked this ingredient.
Users who like it 💖
Often have the following skin types:
Usually have one or more of the following skin concerns:
Users who dislike it 💔
Often have the following skin types:
Usually have one or more of the following skin concerns:
Where it's used
Salicylic Acid is most often found as ingredient number 12 within an ingredient list.
Of the 182 products in our database that have a known concentration of Salicylic Acid, we've seen concentrations from 0.05% to 150% specified within their ingredient lists.
These are the categories of products that use Salicylic Acid the most:
References
Products with Salicylic Acid
CosIng Data
- CosIng ID: 37595
- INCI Name: SALICYLIC ACID
- INN Name: salicylic acid
- EC #: Â 200-712-3
- Ph. Eur. Name: acidum salicylicum
- All Functions: Antidandruff, Hair Conditioning, Keratolytic, Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
