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Active ingredient

Salicylic Acid

INCI · Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is a lipid-soluble beta-hydroxy acid used in skincare to unclog pores, refine the appearance of comedones, and gently exfoliate. Its lipophilicity lets it penetrate the sebum-rich follicular environment and dissolve corneocyte adhesions inside the pore. Pairs with niacinamide. Layer carefully with retinol or benzoyl peroxide. Alternate routine days to limit irritation.

Last reviewed by BIOSAR Scientific Team, PharmD, Cosmetic Chemistry, Pharmacy practice on .

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Use with caution — consult your clinician.

ACOG and Mother to Baby consider low-percentage topical salicylic acid (≤2%) on limited areas acceptable during pregnancy and lactation. High-percentage chemical peels and oral salicylates are avoided throughout the perinatal period.

Mechanism in detail

What Salicylic Acid does

Beta-hydroxy acid. Oil-soluble exfoliant used inside the pore to help remove sebum and dead keratinocytes. Standard pharmacy active for blemish-prone skin. Pregnancy use: topical Salicylic Acid at low cosmetic concentrations is considered acceptable during pregnancy when applied to limited areas and without occlusion. Consult your doctor for your specific situation.

Evidence

What the research says

  • n = 500Salicylic acid gel (2%) vs adapalene in mild-moderate acne

    A multicentre trial in 500 people with mild-to-moderate acne: after 12 weeks, 51% improved markedly with a salicylic acid hydrogel (2%) and 43% with adapalene gel, a difference that was not significant. No vehicle group.

    A clinical study in patients, in a medical setting. It is shown for the science of the ingredient, not as an example of cosmetic use.

    Read the study

    J Cosmet Dermatol 2024 (Ye et al.)

Layering guidance

Use Salicylic Acid carefully alongside

These ingredients work well in a routine but are best applied at different times of day or on alternating days to limit irritation.

Where it helps

Concerns Salicylic Acid addresses

  • Acne

    Acne is rarely just acne. It is the anxiety before a meeting, the photo you skip, the makeup routine that started as "a little" and is now twenty minutes. The marks last longer than the breakouts, and they carry the breakout's weight long after the skin has healed. The Acnemed range is the salicylic-acid-led routine BIOSAR built for the full cycle — clearing active blemishes, calming the inflammation that follows, and reducing the marks the breakouts leave behind. Designed under dermatological supervision.

  • Aging

    The first time you notice it is rarely a wrinkle. It is a quality of light — the way your skin catches it differently in a morning mirror, or the photo where you look more tired than you feel. The mechanism is real (collagen synthesis slows; elastin fragments; barrier turnover lengthens), but the felt experience comes first. Serenity Age is the range BIOSAR built for that pivot — Retinol for visible renewal and collagen support, peptides selected for documented signaling activity, and the SPF discipline that protects every other active you apply.

  • Dryness

    Dryness is a barrier dysfunction in which skin loses water faster than it can retain or replenish it, presenting as flaking, tightness, dullness, and roughness. Mild dryness reflects routine over-cleansing or environmental exposure; chronic dryness signals a deeper deficit in skin lipids (ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids) and humectant content (the natural moisturising factor). Effective treatment hydrates and replenishes the barrier through three layered actions: humectants that draw water in, occlusives that seal it in, and barrier actives that rebuild the lipid mortar. The BIOSAR Hydraderm range delivers this layered hydration and visibly plumps dehydrated skin.

  • Dullness

    Dull skin is the visible loss of luminosity, where the surface appears flat, grey, or fatigued instead of light-reflective. The underlying causes are dead-cell accumulation on the stratum corneum, dehydration, microcirculation impairment, and oxidative stress. Effective treatment combines gentle exfoliation (alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids), antioxidant serums (vitamin C, niacinamide), barrier hydration, and consistent broad-spectrum SPF. Visible improvement typically arrives within two to four weeks of a structured routine, matching the natural cell-turnover cycle of healthy skin.

  • Hair Loss

    For the months you have been finding more hair on the pillow than the comb. For the part line that has slowly widened. For the new mother, the man at the temple recession, the woman watching her ponytail thin — hair loss is a quiet anxiety that most people carry alone for too long before they ask anyone. The Hairmical range is built around the actives that the dermatology and trichology literature considers most defensible for visible shedding: Procapil's three-mechanism complex, caffeine for follicular microcirculation, biotinyl-tripeptide for follicle anchoring. Topical actives work on the follicle's clock — give them 4 to 8 weeks of consistent use for visible improvement, and months for a full growth cycle.

  • Hyperpigmentation

    Across Fitzpatrick III–V skin tones — the majority of darker skin tones — the most common consultation is the same: the patch on the cheekbone that did not fade. Melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the marks that follow acne and friction. The pattern is photoresponsive, the mechanism is mapped, and visible improvement is reachable with consistent care. The Whitepurity range is built for that work — Alpha-Arbutin for stable tyrosinase inhibition, Niacinamide-led brightening, and the SPF discipline that decides whether any of the rest will hold.

From the BIOSAR catalog

Products formulated with Salicylic Acid

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