Objective To investigate the effect of supramolecular salicylic acid combined with narrow-spectrum intense pulsed light in the treatment of rosacea. Methods A total of 40 patients with rosacea admitted to our hospital from July 2021 to January 2022 were selected as the research objects. They were divided into observation group and control group by random number table method, with 20 patients in each group. The control group was treated with microacupuncture, and the observation group was treated with supramolecular salicylic acid combined with narrow-spectrum intense pulsed light. The symptom scores, skin barrier function, clinical efficacy and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, the scores of erythema, papules and telangiectasis in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, the epidermal water content in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the erythema area and transcutaneous water loss were lower than those in the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 95.00%, which was higher than 70.00% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion The treatment of supramolecular salicylic acid combined with narrow- spectrum intense pulsed light in patients with rosacea can effectively alleviate the clinical symptoms of patients, improve their skin barrier function, and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions.