Does sodium salicylate have a positive effect on acne?

[Garden Gives Me Joy]

I realize that salicylic acid reacts with sodium hydroxide to create the salt, sodium salicylate.

Although no longer salicylic acid renowned for chemically exfoliating acne-prone skin, can this salt contribute to fighting acne?

Happy for experiences, thoughts, scientific information, etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Blamblamsam]

Hi there, new member here!
wow, no answers to this? I was also trying to research this topic, as I saw salicylic acid soap on Amazon, and thought if you can add citric acid to make sodium citrate you can probably add salicylic acid to make sodium salicylate. I’ve seen studies saying that it’s definitely good for anti-aging, of course in a wash-off product, probably not so effective, but it still might be a nice additive. The question is how much NaOH does it take to neutralise the salicylic acid..?
Has anybody here tried it?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20883290/

 

[AliOop]

That’s a pretty specific and technical question. A possible source for answers could be the Swifty Crafty Monkey blog, or one of the cosmetic formulator sites.

If you do find some information, please share it here so we can all benefit. Thanks!

 

[paradisi]

(For US soapers) Just FYI. As acne is classed as a medical condition in the US, such a soap if sold would automatically become a drug and its manufacturing would require facilities inspection, GMP compliance, safety & effectiveness testing, etc. running into many thousands of $. Not to mention large liability insurance.

For use on yourself, knock yourself out, I guess, but please don't overdo something you/we as soapers don't have the chemical & dermatological training for. You could end up making a condition worse.

 

[TheGecko]

wow, no answers to this?

Sometimes posts get lost. There is also the issue that 1) most soap makers don't have science degrees. 2) Such a soap would fall under 'drug claims' (speaking of the United States) and that is a can of worms that the average artisan soap maker is NOT going to want to open because it is VERY expensive. 3) Soap is a wash on/rinse off product.

With that said, average acne is often caused by a reaction to the foods with eat, a dirty/dusty environment (like working in construction, working in a nursery, working on a farm, working in fast food or a restaurant kitchen), not bathing regularly, an over production of oils, and hormones. Most acne can be 'treated' with washing with a well-made, well-balance bar of soap and a light, oil-free moisturizer (so your body doesn't produce more oils because you're drying out your skin) and/or a change in diet.

If the acne is such that daily cleansing and diet doesn't work, then you need to seek assistance from someone more qualified than an artisan soap maker.

 

[Blamblamsam]

for my part, I don’t have acne, I just was interested in the anti-aging properties. I don’t sell, I’m just a hobby soaper, but I’m very interested in the chemistry of soapmaking and possible additives. I thought in such a big group will be probably a few chemists... Thanks anyway for your answers

 

[Dan9250]

I hope this helps,
A general rule in chemistry is, if the compounds react, one mole of a compound reacts with one mole of another compound. Note: One mole of a compound equals its relative molecular mass in grams.

Therefore one mole of salicylic acid will react with one mole of sodium hydroxide to produce one mole of the products.

Molar mass of salicylic acid (C7H6O3) = 138.122 g/mol
Molar mass of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) = 39.997 g/mol

Preparation of Sodium Salicylate (C7H5NaO3).

138.122 g of C7H6O3 + 39.997 g of NaOH + heat ---> 160.1038 g of C7H5NaO3 + 18.0153 g of H2O

I would suggest making the Sodium salicylate, and evaporate the water and dry it. Store in a dark bottle, as it can darken on exposure to air and light. You can weigh the dry amount out for each batch of soap and dissolve in the lye water. You may wish to investigate the amounts in cosmetics and keep the amount in your soap equal to or less then that for safety even with it being washed off.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...A general rule in chemistry is, if the compounds react, one mole of a compound reacts with one mole of another compound...."

Really? I guess I've been misinformed all these years about a large number of chemical reactions. It's been my understanding, for example, that that one mole of fat reacts with 3 moles of NaOH to form 3 moles of soap and 1 mole of glycerin.

Are you really sure you 1:1 ratio is truly a "general rule"?

"...I thought in such a big group will be probably a few chemists..."

You are correct there are a few chemists in this group. But even though one is a trained chemist, that doesn't mean they are knowledgeable about all aspects of chemistry, especially when you're talking about the interaction of chemicals with the human body, an area that is as much about medicine as it is about chemistry.

Better resources for the type of information you're seeking are the cosmetic chemists at the "The Chemists Corner" and "Making Skincare." And "Swift Crafty Monkey", another good resource, has also been mentioned.