Ingredient intelligence
Salicylic acid
Exfoliant · Salicylic Acid · C7H6O3
Salicylic acid is a lipophilic beta hydroxy acid that acts largely at the level of cohesion and .
Any underlined term can be tapped for an everyday-English translation.
Molecular identity
- Formula
- C7H6O3
- Molecular weight
- 138.12 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 338
- ChEBI
- CHEBI:16914
Biological targets
Corneodesmosin (CDSN)
medium confidenceassociated with · structural protein
UniProt Q15517Prostaglandin G/H synthase 2 (PTGS2)
low confidenceinhibits · enzyme
UniProt P35354
How could this ingredient interact with biology?
Biological network
Ingredient → molecule → target → gene/protein → pathway → process → studied outcome. Relationship strength is drawn from the curated confidence tier; nothing is added to make the chain look complete.
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2 lower-confidence relationships are hidden at this filter level. Use “Show more biology” to include them.
Text alternative for this network
- Salicylic acid is molecule Salicylic acid — high confidence
- Salicylic acid associated with Corneodesmosin (CDSN) — medium confidence
- Corneodesmosin (CDSN) encoded by CDSN — medium confidence
- CDSN participates in Formation of the cornified envelope — medium confidence
- Formation of the cornified envelope associated with Desquamation — medium confidence
- Formation of the cornified envelope associated with Follicular keratinisation — medium confidence
- Desquamation studied in Studied for follicular congestion and surface texture — medium confidence
- Follicular keratinisation studied in Studied for follicular congestion and surface texture — medium confidence
Biological pathways
Formation of the cornified envelope
medium confidenceDesmosomal protein turnover during .
Reactome R-HSA-6809371
Evidence engine
Insufficient
Not enough curated evidence to characterise this ingredient.
Skinceptor Evidence Index
18
experimental · of 100
This index is a research-navigation aid describing how much evidence exists and how it was produced. It is not a medical safety score, an efficacy guarantee, or a clinical recommendation.
Study composition
- In-vitro1
- Review1
- Total studies
- 2
- Human studies
- 0
- Largest sample
- Data unavailable
- Range
- 2003–2010
Index breakdown
- Study design quality35% × 28%
Mean design weight across curated studies (meta-analysis 1.0, RCT 0.9, other human 0.7, review 0.45, animal 0.35, in-vitro 0.25).
- Human evidence share0% × 22%
Proportion of curated evidence measured in people rather than cells or animals.
- Evidence volume50% × 14%
Log-scaled count of curated studies, so volume alone cannot dominate the score.
- Largest sample size0% × 12%
Log-scaled largest reported sample size across curated human studies.
- Replication0% × 12%
Independent human studies, capped at three; one study is never treated as replicated.
- Recency20% × 7%
Linear decay over a twenty-year window from the most recent curated publication.
- Source traceability0% × 5%
Share of curated studies with a verified PMID or DOI in this dataset.
Insufficient comparable evidence for quantitative synthesis.
Research timeline
How the evidence accumulated
2003
Salicylic acid keratolysis and corneocyte cohesion in human stratum corneum
In-vitrosample size unavailable · Skin Pharmacology and Physiology
2010
Salicylic acid: mechanism of action in the pilosebaceous unit
Reviewsample size unavailable · Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (review)
Ingredient fingerprint
10 nodes · 11 relationships · seed "salicylic-acid"
The fingerprint is a deterministic visual signature: ridge amplitude comes from the number of entities in each tier, node placement from identifier hashes, and opacity from confidence. Two ingredients can never produce the same figure unless their networks are identical.
Open in Biology as Art →Research
2 curated studies
Salicylic acid: mechanism of action in the pilosebaceous unit
Describes lipophilic partitioning into sebaceous follicles and reduced corneocyte cohesion as the principal described mechanisms.
Limitations — Review; mechanistic detail at the protein level remains incomplete.
Salicylic acid keratolysis and corneocyte cohesion in human stratum corneum
Reported reduced corneocyte cohesion and increased desquamation with salicylic acid exposure in isolated stratum corneum.
Limitations — Ex-vivo tissue only; identifier not verified during curation.
Community evidence
Submitted by readers
Reader submissions appear here only after review. They are not part of the curated dataset and do not affect the Skinceptor Evidence Index.
No approved community submissions yet.
Sources
- PubChem 338Verified 2026-09-14
- UniProt Q15517Verified 2026-09-14
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