Salactol Wart treatment

Salactol Wart Paint (salicylic acid 16.7% + lactic acid 16.7%) gradually removes common warts and verrucas with daily use.

  • Treats common warts and verrucas (also corns and calluses)
  • Soak, file down, apply once daily
  • May take up to 12 weeks for stubborn warts
  • Not for the face, genitals, or diabetics without advice
  • From a GPhC-registered UK pharmacy

£3.29

Salactol Wart Paint - salicylic and lactic acid wart and verruca treatment

Salactol Wart Paint is a proven treatment for warts and verrucas. It combines salicylic acid 16.7% and lactic acid 16.7% in a collodion that dries to a film and gradually removes the hard wart tissue with daily use.

What is Salactol Wart Paint?

Salactol is a topical collodion paint for common warts and verrucas (it can also be used on corns and calluses). Available without prescription from our GPhC-registered UK pharmacy, it is one of the most established home wart treatments.

How does Salactol work?

The salicylic acid softens and slowly wears away the thick, hard skin of the wart (a keratolytic action), while the lactic acid helps release the salicylic acid from the dried film for a steady effect. Filing down the softened surface between applications helps the paint reach fresh wart tissue.

How to use Salactol

  • Once a day (usually at night), soak the area in warm water for 2–3 minutes.
  • Rub down the hard surface with a pumice stone or emery board.
  • Apply one or two drops to the wart only and let it dry to a film.
  • Cover a verruca with a plaster; repeat daily.

Please read the patient information leaflet inside the pack before use.

How long does it take?

Warts and verrucas are stubborn. With consistent daily treatment many clear over a few weeks, but it can take up to 12 weeks for resistant ones. The key is not to stop too soon – persistence is what clears them.

Protecting the surrounding skin

Apply carefully to the wart only, as Salactol can irritate healthy skin. Smearing a little soft paraffin around the wart, or using a plaster with a hole cut out for it, helps protect the skin around the edge. Use a dedicated emery board for warts and keep it away from healthy skin.

Who should not use Salactol?

Do not use it on the face, anogenital area or in skin folds. People with diabetes or poor circulation should not treat foot warts without medical advice. It is extremely flammable – keep it away from flames.

Buy Salactol Wart Paint online

Order Salactol Wart Paint from Bury Healthcare Online, a GPhC-registered UK pharmacy. Browse related products in our foot care range.

Always read the label and the patient information leaflet before use. If a wart is painful, changing, or has not cleared after 12 weeks, speak to your pharmacist, doctor or podiatrist.

Medically reviewed by Hassan Khan, MPharm, Independent Prescriber — Superintendent Pharmacist, Bury Healthcare Online (GPhC-registered pharmacy 1126145). Last reviewed: July 2026.

Salactol FAQs

What is Salactol Wart Paint used for?
Salactol treats common warts and verrucas, and can also be used on corns and calluses. It contains salicylic acid and lactic acid in a collodion base that gradually removes the hard wart tissue.
How do you use Salactol Wart Paint?
Once a day, usually at night: soak the area in warm water for a couple of minutes, rub down the hard surface with a pumice stone or emery board, apply one or two drops of Salactol to the wart only, and let it dry to form a film. Cover a verruca with a plaster. Repeat daily.
How long does Salactol take to remove a wart?
Warts and verrucas are stubborn – it can take several weeks, and up to about 12 weeks for resistant ones, of daily treatment. Keep going consistently; stopping too early is the usual reason it does not work.
How does Salactol work?
The salicylic acid softens and gradually removes the hardened skin of the wart (a keratolytic effect), while the lactic acid helps release the salicylic acid from the dried film. Filing down the softened surface between applications speeds things along.
Do you need to file the wart down?
Yes – gently rubbing the softened wart with a pumice stone or emery board before each application removes dead tissue and lets the paint reach fresh wart. Use a separate emery board for warts and do not use it on healthy skin.
Can you use Salactol on your face or genitals?
No. Salactol must not be used on the face, the anogenital area, or in skin folds. It is for warts and verrucas on the hands and feet. Warts elsewhere should be assessed by a pharmacist or doctor.
Can diabetics use Salactol?
People with diabetes or poor circulation to the feet should not use Salactol without medical advice, because foot skin heals less well and problems can be missed. See your pharmacist, doctor or podiatrist instead.
How do you protect the skin around the wart?
Apply Salactol carefully to the wart only – it can irritate healthy skin. Applying a little soft paraffin or a corn plaster with a hole cut for the wart around the edge helps shield the surrounding skin.
Is Salactol flammable?
Yes – the collodion base is extremely flammable. Keep it away from naked flames and let each application dry; replace the cap firmly and store it away from heat.
What if the wart does not go away?
If a wart has not cleared after about 12 weeks of correct daily use, is painful, bleeding, changing or spreading, or you are unsure it is a wart, see your pharmacist, doctor or podiatrist for assessment.

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