Ingredient glossary
Sodium Salicylate
On your shelf ✓What Sodium Salicylate does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Sodium Salicylate
In short: Sodium Salicylate delivers preservation and antimicrobial, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is moderate. One thing to know: clear it with your doctor if pregnant; needs the right pH to work.
- What it does
- Preservation, antimicrobial
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Watch out
- Clear it with your doctor if pregnant; needs the right pH to work
- Evidence
- Moderate
The molecule
The two pieces are meant to be apart. Sodium Salicylate is a salt, and its parts are held to each other by opposite charges rather than by a bond.
The Glow take
Quiet, essential, and nothing to fear.
Sodium Salicylate keeps a product safe to use from the first pump to the last, at tiny amounts. Not something you pay a premium for.
— Maya
What it does
- preservation
- antimicrobial
moderate evidenceFiled as a preservative on purpose. The EU permits it to 0.5 percent as a preservative, and our own salicylic acid row puts exfoliation above 0.5 percent, so an exfoliant claim here would contradict it.
On a label: usually effective at 0.1-0.5%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- all
Approach with care
- pregnancy
- very sensitive
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
- pH-dependentIts effect depends on the product's pH
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveTake care
Take extra care if any of these apply to you: pregnancy.
Where it fits in your routine
Sodium Salicylate, answered
Is Sodium Salicylate safe during pregnancy?
Clear it with your doctor first. Sodium Salicylate is flagged as use-with-caution during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so check with your doctor or midwife before adding it.
Who should avoid Sodium Salicylate?
Approach Sodium Salicylate with care if any of these apply to you: pregnancy and very sensitive.
What concentration of Sodium Salicylate actually works?
Sodium Salicylate tends to do its job in the 0.1 to 0.5% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
During pregnancy
Treat Sodium Salicylate as a maybe rather than a yes for now. It is flagged as one to use with caution while pregnant or breastfeeding, so it is worth clearing before you carry on.
When in doubt, check with your doctor or midwife. They outrank any website, including this one.When it is worth booking →
This, for every label you own
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Sources & how we reviewed this
- EU Regulation 1223/2009-AnnexV-entry-3summary page only, the document itself was not read