Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid is unusual in being both a major intermediate and a major active. Acetylate it and you have aspirin; put it in a cream at two per cent and it is the keratolytic that has been treating skin for over a century. Which grade you need follows directly from which of those two jobs you are doing.
Chelora Chemicals supplies salicylic acid to pharmaceutical, cosmetic and fine-chemical producers worldwide, across technical, compendial and sublimed grades, with a batch COA and GHS safety data sheet on every consignment.
Product identity
- CAS Number
- 69-72-7
- IUPAC name
- 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid
- Molecular formula
- C₇H₆O₃
- Molecular weight
- 138.12 g/mol
- EC / EINECS
- 200-712-3
- Transport status
- Generally non-DG*
- SMILES
- OC(=O)c1ccccc1O
- HS Code
- 2918 21*
* Confirm the exact HS heading and the transport classification with your customs broker and freight forwarder — hydroxy-carboxylic acids can be read differently by mode and by destination tariff schedule.
What Salicylic Acid is used for
Salicylic acid is a white crystalline powder or fine needles with a faint characteristic odour — a benzene ring carrying a carboxylic acid and a hydroxyl group on adjacent carbons. That ortho arrangement lets the two groups hydrogen-bond to each other, which is why the acid is stronger than benzoic acid and why it sublimes rather than simply melting cleanly.
As an intermediate, it is acetylated to aspirin, esterified to methyl salicylate for topical analgesics and flavour use, and converted to salicylate salts and salicylanilides. As an active in its own right, it is the benchmark keratolytic: at 0.5–2% in acne and dandruff products, and at much higher strengths in wart and corn preparations.
Where it sits among the salicylates
- Salicylic acid (this product) the parent compound; both an intermediate and a topical active.
- Acetylsalicylic acid aspirin, made by acetylating the phenolic hydroxyl of this product.
- Methyl salicylate oil of wintergreen; the methyl ester, used in topical analgesics and flavours.
- Sodium and other salicylate salts water-soluble forms for oral and injectable use.
Which grade you need depends entirely on which of these you are making — see the full intermediate range.
Appearance and handling character
The material is sparingly soluble in cold water, freely soluble in ethanol and ether, and it sublimes slowly above about 76 °C — which matters in a hot warehouse and in any heated process step. It discolours on contact with iron, giving the characteristic violet complex. It is classified for serious eye damage and reproductive toxicity category 2, which makes the workplace controls stricter than its everyday familiarity would suggest.
| Parameter | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White crystalline powder or needles |
| Assay (dried basis) | 99.5 – 101.0% |
| Melting range | 158 – 161 °C |
| Loss on drying | 0.5% max |
| Phenol | 0.02% max |
| 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid | Per monograph |
| 4-Hydroxyisophthalic acid | Per monograph |
| Residue on ignition | 0.1% max |
| Colour of solution | Conforms |
Important: the figures above are indicative of compendial-grade material and are offered for planning only. The batch certificate of analysis is the governing document. Phenol content and particle size are the figures that most affect topical products — tell us your application and we will quote against it.
| Grade | Character / typical use |
|---|---|
| Technical | Industrial esterification, dye routes |
| USP / BP crystal | Aspirin and pharmaceutical synthesis |
| USP fine powder | Topical creams, gels and ointments |
| Micronised | Smooth dispersion in cosmetic bases |
| Sublimed / resublimed | Lowest colour and residue · clear formulations |
Sublimed grade is a genuinely different product rather than a marketing tier — it is purified by a different physical route, and it is specified where colour in the finished formulation is critical.
Where our customers put this material to work
Half of this market buys an intermediate and half buys an active. The grade follows from which half you are in.
Aspirin manufacture
Acetylation of the phenolic hydroxyl with acetic anhydride gives acetylsalicylic acid — the largest single downstream use.
- USP/BP crystal grade
- Low free phenol essential
- Full impurity profile on request
Topical keratolytics
Acne gels, wart and corn preparations, psoriasis ointments and dandruff shampoos, from under 1% up to 40% in plasters.
- Fine or micronised grade
- Pairs with PEG bases
- Cosmetic-grade specification available
Methyl salicylate & esters
Esterification with methanol gives oil of wintergreen for topical analgesics and flavour applications.
- Technical or USP grade
- Low moisture preferred
- Technical desk review of your route
Salicylate salts
Sodium, magnesium and choline salicylates for oral and injectable products, made by simple neutralisation.
- Compendial grade required
- Heavy metals critical
- Custom specification available
Dye & pigment intermediates
Used in azo and metal-complex colourant synthesis, and as a chelating component in analytical and industrial formulations.
- Technical grade
- See our dye intermediate range
- Bulk quantities available
Cosmetic beta-hydroxy acid
Widely used in exfoliating and anti-acne cosmetic products, where concentration limits and labelling are regulated.
- Micronised cosmetic grade
- Destination rules checked before quoting
- Concentration limits vary by market
How we supply Salicylic Acid
Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and sourcing partner, not a manufacturer. On a material sold across four purification tiers, owning no plant means we are never pushing the tier we happen to make — we route your order to the producer whose grade actually suits whether you are esterifying it or putting it on skin.
We place your order with whichever qualified producer best matches your grade, your compendial requirement, your price point and your delivery window.
We keep a second qualified source on this line. This is a large, long-established market, but phenol feedstock disruptions do reach it.
- Grade matched to the application, not the price point. Technical grade in a topical product is a false economy, and we will say so rather than quoting what you asked for.
- Free phenol reported every batch. It is the characteristic residue of the Kolbe-Schmitt route and the figure that matters most on skin-contact products.
- Particle size specified where it matters. On a cream or gel, grittiness is a customer complaint; we treat PSD as part of the specification rather than an afterthought.
- Reproductive toxicity classification stated up front. Said at enquiry stage so your EHS team can plan exposure controls before the first delivery.
- Batch COA shared before dispatch. You approve assay, phenol and colour against your own spec while the material is still in our warehouse.
- Export machinery handled in-house. Classification, packing, labelling, freight booking and customs paperwork are ours to manage.
Packed the way your plant receives it
A light, subliming crystalline powder needs a sealed pack and a cool container more than it needs a heavy one. Tell us the route and we will quote accordingly.
Multiwall paper bags
Kraft bags with an inner PE liner on shrink-wrapped pallets — the standard format for technical and crystal grades.
Lined fibre drums
Preferred for sublimed and micronised grades, where the tighter closure protects colour and keeps fines contained.
Jumbo bags (FIBC)
Lined, discharge-spout FIBCs for high-volume esterification and aspirin producers with bulk-bag handling.
Trial / sample quantities
Small sealed packs dispatched so your formulation team can qualify the grade and the particle size before committing.
Incoterms to suit you
Quoted on the Incoterm your purchasing team works to, with export documentation filed before the booking is made.
Campaign despatch
We hold contracted tonnage and release it against your production calendar instead of landing it all at once.
More hazardous than its familiarity suggests
Salicylic acid appears in consumer products, which leads people to underestimate it in bulk. It causes serious eye damage, is harmful if swallowed, and carries a reproductive toxicity category 2 classification. The summary below is orientation only — the safety data sheet supplied with your consignment is the authoritative document.
Classified hazards
H318Causes serious eye damage.H361dSuspected of damaging the unborn child.H302Harmful if swallowed.H315Causes skin irritation.
Hazard statements reflect classifications commonly published for CAS 69-72-7. The reproductive-toxicity classification is the one most often overlooked in a plant that has handled this material for decades. Always read the SDS issued with your specific batch.
Spill & emergency orientation
Plan your response before the pallet arrives. Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the SDS are the authoritative instructions and should be posted at the point of use.
- Eye protection is not optional here. H318 means serious eye damage, not irritation — sealed goggles at every charging and sampling point, with an eyewash station within reach.
- Avoid raising dust. Collect spilled powder with a vacuum or damp method rather than dry sweeping.
- Review exposure for workers of reproductive age. The Repr. 2 classification is a risk-assessment trigger at most sites, and it should be addressed explicitly rather than inherited.
- Keep it off iron. Contact gives a violet complex that contaminates the material and marks equipment.
- Collect as chemical waste. Do not discharge washings to an uncontrolled drain.
Storage
- Cool, dry, dark, tightly closed store. Salicylic acid sublimes slowly with warmth, and a hot container on a long sea leg will show losses and caking.
- Keep away from iron and steel contact. Use lined containers and non-ferrous scoops; the violet iron complex is both a contamination and a colour problem.
- Segregate from oxidising agents and strong bases. Standard practice for a phenolic acid.
- Protect from light. Particularly on sublimed and cosmetic grades where colour of solution is specified.
- Shelf life typically 36 months. In sealed original packing. Re-test assay and colour before use after extended storage.
Handling & PPE
- Sealed goggles, gloves and dust protection. Eye protection is the primary control given the H318 classification.
- Local exhaust at charging and sampling. Fine and micronised grades become airborne very readily.
- Watch heated process steps. Sublimation above about 76 °C means vapour where you did not expect it, including in drying ovens.
- Non-ferrous handling equipment. Scoops, sieves and transfer lines in stainless or plastic rather than mild steel.
- Dispose of as chemical waste. Subject to your local waste classification.
Transport
Salicylic acid is commonly shipped as non-regulated general cargo, but transport classification is mode and destination specific. We confirm the classification for each consignment and issue the declaration where one is required — ask us for the current shipping paperwork when you plan the shipment.
What travels with every consignment
A chemical shipment is only as good as the file that travels with it. Verifying what the source plant sends is precisely the work you are buying from a supplier.
Certificate of Analysis
Batch-specific assay, melting range, free phenol, related substances, residue on ignition and colour of solution against the monographs you cite.
GHS Safety Data Sheet
Full 16-section SDS in GHS format covering hazards, exposure controls, handling, storage, spill response, toxicology and disposal, in the language your destination requires.
Particle size distribution
Full PSD reported on fine, micronised and cosmetic grades, where it governs feel and dispersion in the finished product.
Elemental impurities & residual solvents
ICH Q3D elemental impurity data and residual solvent statements on request, with a nitrosamine risk assessment statement where your filing needs one.
Certificate of Origin
Chamber-attested where required, plus preferential-origin forms where a trade agreement gives your import duty relief.
Retained & pre-shipment samples
Pre-shipment samples carry the same COA as the commercial lot, so what your laboratory qualifies is exactly what arrives.
An acid and a phenol, next door to each other
The ortho relationship between the two groups is what makes salicylic acid behave as it does — stronger than benzoic acid, prone to sublimation, and able to be acetylated on one group while leaving the other alone. The routes below are the general industrial pattern, not a process disclosure.
Make sodium phenoxide
Phenol is neutralised with caustic soda and dried thoroughly, because water is the enemy of the next step.
Carboxylate under CO₂ pressure
The Kolbe-Schmitt reaction introduces carbon dioxide onto the ring, giving sodium salicylate with high ortho selectivity.
Acidify and crystallise
Mineral acid liberates the free acid, which crystallises out and is filtered, washed and dried.
Purify to grade
Recrystallisation gives compendial crystal grade; sublimation gives the lowest-colour sublimed grade; milling gives the fine and micronised grades.
Why phenol content and particle size decide the grade
Two bags at the same compendial assay can be quite wrong for each other's application:
- Free phenol is the route residue. It is unreacted starting material, it is limited by the monographs, and it matters most where the product goes onto damaged skin.
- Colour of solution tracks purification. Sublimed material gives a water-white solution; crystal grade will not, and in a clear gel that difference is visible to the customer.
- Particle size is a sensory specification. On a cream or gel, a coarse crystal grade feels gritty no matter how pure it is.
- Sublimation is a storage risk, not just a process one. Material held warm loses weight and cakes, which shows up as a charge-weight error long before anyone suspects the warehouse.
That is why we match the grade to the application rather than to the price point, and why the batch COA is shared for approval before dispatch rather than sent with the invoice.
| Material | Position in the chain |
|---|---|
| Salicylic acid CAS 69-72-7 — this product | Parent acid · intermediate and active |
| Acetylsalicylic acid CAS 50-78-2 | Aspirin · the main downstream |
| Methyl salicylate CAS 119-36-8 | Topical analgesic and flavour |
| Phenol CAS 108-95-2 | Upstream feedstock and key residue |
We supply across this intermediate family — see the full intermediate range. Send the CAS number and we will confirm the correct material before quoting.
What actually moves the price of this product
Knowing what drives the quote helps you time a purchase and read whether an offer is realistic.
Phenol and caustic soda
Phenol is the dominant input, and it follows benzene and the cumene chain rather than anything specific to salicylates.
- Phenol tracks the benzene cycle
- Caustic and CO₂ are secondary inputs
- We flag feedstock-driven moves in the quote
Purification tier
Technical, compendial, micronised and sublimed grades sit at clearly separated price points for clearly separated reasons.
- Never cross-shop tiers on price alone
- Sublimed carries a real processing cost
- We will say when a lower tier will do
Aspirin and analgesic demand
The aspirin chain sets the baseline volume, and seasonal analgesic demand is visible in availability.
- Ask us what the aspirin chain is doing
- Contracted call-off smooths the exposure
- We hold a second qualified source
Cosmetic BHA demand
Beta-hydroxy acid skincare has grown sharply and competes for the finer, higher-purity grades specifically.
- Micronised grades tighten first
- Long-term contracts lock in supply
- Ask us about grade availability
Freight and container heat
Non-DG status keeps freight simple, but a hot container on a long route costs you material through sublimation and caking.
- Specify the route as well as the Incoterm
- Compare on landed, usable cost
- We quote FOB, CIF, CFR or DDP as you prefer
Source availability
A plant turnaround, environmental inspection or phenol disruption can take capacity offline at short notice.
- We hold a second qualified source on this line
- Qualify the alternate before you need it
- Ask us about dual-source contracts
| If your end use is… | Specify |
|---|---|
| Aspirin manufacture | USP/BP crystal, low free phenol |
| Topical cream or ointment | USP fine powder, PSD specified |
| Clear gel or solution | Sublimed grade, colour-critical |
| Cosmetic BHA product | Micronised, cosmetic grade |
| Methyl salicylate / esters | Technical or USP crystal |
| Dye or industrial use | Technical grade |
Not sure which row you are in? Describe the finished product and our technical desk will recommend the grade — including telling you when a cheaper tier would do the job just as well.
Support that goes beyond shipping the pallet
What our technical desk will do
- Ask what the finished product is first. Esterification and skin contact pull in opposite directions on grade, and the answer decides everything downstream.
- Confirm free phenol and colour limits. Both are route residues, both are on the monograph, and both matter more in topicals than most buyers expect.
- Specify particle size where it matters. On a cream or gel we treat PSD as part of the specification rather than leaving it to the producer's default.
- Raise the reproductive toxicity classification. Stated at enquiry stage so your EHS team can plan exposure controls before the first delivery.
Regulatory & compliance notes
- Cosmetic concentration limits vary by market. Salicylic acid is permitted but limited in leave-on and rinse-off cosmetics, with restrictions on products for young children in several jurisdictions.
- Reproductive toxicity classification has workplace consequences. Several regimes require specific risk assessment and may restrict exposure for certain workers.
- Compendial monographs differ in detail. USP-NF, Ph. Eur., BP and JP are close but not identical on related substances; we confirm coverage.
- Import controls vary by destination. We check destination rules before quoting, not after you have raised the PO.
None of the above is legal advice — your own regulatory affairs team owns the final compliance position for your import and your workplace. What we commit to is accurate product identity data, an honest statement of the hazard classification and complete documentation to work from.
From enquiry to delivered pallet
Send the specification
Grade, the pharmacopoeias you cite, any particle size requirement, quantity, pack preference and destination port.
Receive a firm quote
Pricing, lead time, packing and Incoterm confirmed in writing within 24 hours — our sourcing desk is staffed around the clock.
Qualify and approve
Sample dispatched if you are qualifying a new source. Batch COA shared for your approval before the material is released.
Ship and track
Freight booked, export documents issued, and the consignment tracked through transit and clearance to your plant.
What buyers ask us about Salicylic Acid
What is salicylic acid used for?
What is the difference between technical, USP and sublimed grades?
Why is phenol limited on the specification?
Does it need particle size control?
Is it hazardous?
Is it a dangerous good for transport?
What is the minimum order quantity?
How should we store it?
Do you manufacture this yourself?
Request pricing on Salicylic Acid
Send your grade, the pharmacopoeias you cite, any particle size requirement, quantity, pack format and destination port. Our sourcing desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and comes back with pricing, lead time and packing options.