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Willow Bark Extract
Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract · Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark ExtractExfoliant
Sold as a natural salicylic acid, but it hasn’t been shown to work like it on skin. Don’t count it as your acne or exfoliating step.
What it does
It carries salicin. In one study where people took willow bark by mouth, the body turned the salicin mainly into salicylic acid, but blood levels stayed far below an ordinary dose. Whether it turns into salicylic acid or exfoliates on skin hasn’t been tested. If you want salicylic acid, look for it by name.
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.
Also known as
salix alba bark extract
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