An acidity regulator. Boric acid is best known for being an antiseptic, it is also used in creams and ointments, insecticides, leather finishing, paints, soaps, wood preserving, and in ceramics and glass manufacturing. Boric acid is industrially synthesised by treating borax with strong acid.

Ingestion is harmful and may be fatal. Harmful by inhalation. An irritant. May cause congenital malformation in the foetus. Laboratory tests with animals suggest this material may cause reproductive disorders.