This article was taken from the March 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Your verrucas get ready for their close-up -- with a little help from celluloid and mothballs.
Each month Wired's chemist Dr John Emsley deconstructs an everyday product. He is the author of 110 research papers and ten books, including his most recent: Nature's Building Blocks, 2nd edition (OUP).
Ingredients
Salicylic acid
Camphor
Povidone
Pyroxylin
Ethanol & acetone
Salicylic acid
Aka 2-hydroxybenzoic acid, this is the active agent with the necessary antifungal strength to attack verrucas. It also lifts off the top layer of dead skin cells.
Camphor
Readily absorbed through the skin, camphor has very mild anaesthetic properties. It is also commonly found in insect repellents such as mothballs.
Povidone
A water-soluble polymer, povidone is the glue that sticks the Bazuka Gel to the verrucas or wart. It is also used in glue sticks and on lick-to-stick envelopes.
Pyroxylin
Pyroxylin is a highly flammable compound that was once used to make plastics such as celluloid and cine film. Here it makes the waxy camphor more pliable.
Ethanol & acetone
Acting as solvents for the various ingredients, they evaporate after being applied to the skin, leaving behind a layer of salicylic acid.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
