This is an interesting product because it contains a natural extract version of real drug active.
This rosy-colored anti-blemish mask feels great during use. Our evaluator thought the aesthetic feel of the product was excellent. She said….”after just 5 minutes I forget that I’m wearing a mask, I love how natural it feels and the glowing skin that follows afterwards is a plus too!” But is there really enough salicylic acid in willow bark extract to do the job? Let’s do the math.
Juara Rose and Willowbark Blemish Free Mask Ingredients
Water/Eau, Kaolin Clay, Capryilic/Capric Triglycerides, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Cyclopentasiloxane, Red Sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus) Powder, White Willow Bark (Salix alba) extract , Rice (Oryza sativa) Starch , Rose Flower (Rosa damascena) Water, Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenylpropanol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Vitamin E (Tocopherol) Acetate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Hydroxyethylacrylate/Sodium Acryloydimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 60.
How much willow bark extract is in the product?
As you can see, the willow bark extract (which is a natural source of salicylic acid) is the tenth ingredient. That’s below cetyl alcohol and ceteareth -20 which are used somewhere around 2 to 5 %. So, my best guess is that this product contains about 2% of the extract.
How much salicylic acid is in the extract?
According to Wikipedia and a couple of other references we checked, the amount of salicylic acid in willow bark extract is abourt 10% (it ranges from 1 to 12% depending on the type of willow, the growing season, etc. But let’s assume 10% just for the sake of the discussion.) So, if about 10% of the extract is salicylic acid and there’s about 2% of the extract in the formula, then the formula contains about 0.2% active sal acid at best.
NOTE: After publication of this post the owner of Juara Skincare informed us that the willow bark extract used in this product is standardized to a level of 50% salicylic acid. Therefore, this product ”has an efficacy equivalent of 1% active salicylic acid (not the .2% mentioned in the writeup.)”
How much salicylic acid should a blemish product have?
Many anti-blemish (or anti-acne) products use salicylic acid as an approved active ingredient. The maximum use level is approximately 2% in products like this. So if Juaras’s mask contains about 1.0%, it should be an effective anti-acne product.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
I’d like to thank Juara Skincare for reaching out to us to correct the assumptions that we made regarding their ingredient sourcing.
Even though the Beauty Brains don’t do traditional reviews, from time to time we like to share new products that we’re trying. We want you to know that we received free samples in exchange for a mention on our blog and that we’re not necessarily recommending you buy anything. We’re just sharing new product news; please do your own research before you buy.
References
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/willow-bark-000281.htm
http://www.juaraskincare.com/product_detail.php?id=140#
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