This cult-favorite pimple treatment zaps my acne overnight — it's been my go-to for years and it never fails me
- The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion ($17) is a cult-favorite product beloved for its ability to zap pimples overnight.
- Salicylic acid, calamine, and sulfur are some of the key ingredients that work to absorb oil out of your blemishes without completely drying skin out.
When it comes to getting rid of pimples, I don't usually want to experiment with new and trendy products. I want to reach for something that I know will work — and work fast.
I've trusted Mario Badescu to get rid of my pimples overnight for years now. To this day, it's one of my go-to blemish-zappers.
What makes up the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion is pretty much just what it sounds like — a spot treatment that helps dry up surface blemishes and ultimately get rid of them. It works for pretty much all skin types and blemish types due to a mix of key ingredients. Each dab of Mario Badescu Drying Lotion features the following:
- Salicylic Acid: A powerful exfoliant found in many acne-fighting treatments. It helps get rid of the dead skin cells clogging your pores and contributing to the blemish.
- Sulfur: Helps absorb excess oil and dry out the blemish.
- Calamine: Helps soothe and cool the irritated area, which is why it's frequently used to treat skin conditions like poison ivy and mosquito bites.
- Zinc Oxide: Protects skin and prevents further irritation.
Together these ingredients work to dry out the blemish without drying out your skin.
How to use it
Using the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion is simple. After you've cleansed your face, dip a cotton swab into the pink sediment at the bottom of the little bottle. Dab the pink liquid onto any surface blemish and let it dry; don't try to rub it in. When you moisturize, don't put your creams directly on top of the Drying Lotion spots, but instead try to work around them and keep them dry.
In the morning, after rinsing off the Drying Lotion, your blemishes should appear smaller and less red. You can use this product during the day too, but the pink dots are very noticeable on the skin, so you'll probably just want to use the product at night and not have to worry about covering it up.
An important thing to note is to not shake the bottle. The pink sediment at the bottom and the clear liquid on top are meant to be separated. If you accidentally do shake the liquid or it falls over and kind of blends together, just put the bottle on a flat, even surface to reset.
We've all tried the acne treatment that leaves your pimple looking dry and flaky, making it even more difficult to conceal than before. With the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, that's not the case. Even if I get a little overzealous and put a little too much of the product on my face, I've found that is still doesn't dry out my skin. For me, it usually takes about two days to really get rid of a blemish completely with this product. But, even after just one use, the size and color of a pimple are reduced.
Bottom Line
This is a great product that works for pretty much all skin types. Pimple patches are becoming increasingly popular and while I've found that my skin prefers those, I still like to keep the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion around. Because it's a liquid, you get a lot of use out of one bottle. Plus, you also get more control over how much product you want to use.
And, since the product is so long-lasting and affordable, I use it as often as I like. Even if I have just a small red dot that looks like it could turn into something more, I'll do a preemptive dab of the Drying Lotion.