Relative bioavailability of salicylic acid following dermal application of a 30% salicylic acid skin peel preparation.

A single-center, single-sequence, two-period crossover study was performed to compare the systemic exposure to salicylic acid (SA) following facial application of a 30% SA cosmetic skin peel formulation applied for 5 min and an oral dose of 650 mg aspirin in nine healthy male and female subjects. The mean (SD) maximum SA concentration (Cmax) was 0.81 (0.32) microg/mL and 56.4 (14.2) microg/mL. The AUC-based safety margin ratio was 50:1. A depot effect was observed during topical application of the skin peel solution as the absorption of SA continued beyond the 5-min application period. Plasma SA Cmax values were achieved from 1.4 to 3.5 h after topical application and from 0.5 to 1.5 h after oral aspirin. The plasma concentrations in the present study (30%; 5 min) were similar to that of a low concentration (2%) applied in a leave-on product to the same body surface area. In conclusion, our results suggest that the use of this SA facial peel should not pose any significant systemic health risks.