Sa
Salicin
SalicinExfoliant
The willow-bark compound sold as a gentle salicylic acid, but not shown to act as one on skin.
What it does
It’s the compound in willow bark that the body turns into salicylic acid when swallowed. It’s sold as a stand-in for salicylic acid, but nothing shows it works like one on skin.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a skin conditioner, its general term for an ingredient that keeps skin in good condition.European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
expert consensusWillow bark extract carries salicin. In the one study Drop has read, people swallowed a willow bark extract, and salicylic acid was the main thing their bodies made from its salicin. Even then, blood levels were much lower than after an ordinary dose of a synthetic salicylate. No study Drop has read tested whether willow bark on the skin turns into salicylic acid or exfoliates, so Drop does not count it as a salicylic acid or acne treatment.Schmid 2001 · European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
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