Percutaneous absorption of salicylic acid – in vitro and in vivo studies

Salicylic acid (SA) has been used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations for many years. Although there are a number of studies which report on the permeation characteristics of this molecule in vitro, to our knowledge the disposition of SA in vivo has not been studied in detail. In the present work we prepared a range of SA formulations with different gelling agents. Permeation of SA from the formulations was studied in vitro using conventional Franz cells and in vivo using confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS). Selection of the gelling agent clearly influenced the efficacy of SA delivery from all formulations. It was possible to detect SA in vivo using CRS and to depth profile the molecule. A good in vitro–in vivo correlation was also found when the cumulative amounts of SA which permeated in vitro were plotted against the CRS signal in the skin. The findings provide further confidence in the application of CRS for the study of drug disposition in the skin.