The title compound, C(16)H(12)O(6), is a common impurity of ortho-acetyl-salicylic acid (aspirin). The benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 81.9 (1)° while the acetyl and carboxyl groups form dihedral angles of 74.0 (1) and 26.4 (2)°, respectively, with the benzene rings to which they are bound. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by pairs of O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the carboxyl groups, forming inversion dimers.