This Cult Favorite Product Is a Maskne Zit’s Worst Nightmare

In July of last year, searches for the term “Maskne” on Reddit’s r/skincareaddiction thread spiked 400 percent, and have been on the rise ever since. In other words? A lot of us are dealing with mask-induced breakouts. And while derms suggest preventing the problem with gentle breathable fabric (like cotton) and skin-barrier building ingredients (a la ceramides), once one of those pimples pops up, what’s a girl to do? Enter: Mario Badescu Drying Lotion ($17).

The cult-fave product—which is easily recognizable thanks to its Pepto Bismol pink tint—has long been the beauty industry’s go-to for treating zits, and its ingredient profile makes it particularly effective for calming maskne. It’s formulated with salicylic acid, the go-to ingredient for drying out pimples (and one of Dr. Pimple Popper’s favorites), which makes it enemy number one for even the most nightmare-inducing zits.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, $17

“Salicylic acid is a go to ingredient in treating acne because it helps remove excess oil from the skin and dries out the pimple,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. “It can be used in traditional acne or even to address red angry pimples that develop under your face mask.”

Because of this, “it can do wonders as a spot treatment,” Dr. Pimple Popper (aka board-certified dermatologist Sandra Lee, MD), previously told Well+Good. “Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid that that crystalizes to a small enough size, allowing it to settle down within our pores to clean them from the inside out thereby preventing the accumulation of dead skin cells, debris, and oil which provide the perfect environment for pimples to live. It’s a chemical peel acid, so it helps to exfoliate the skin and even helps to speed the lightening brown spots that may have been created from previous acne breakouts,” she says.

In addition to salicylic acid, the drying lotion also has sulfur and zinc oxide, which both help to draw out impurities—aka dirt, oil, and bacteria—from your skin. It isn’t quite as cute as some of the trendier pimple patches on the market (it basically looks like a spot of pink clay on your face) but apply it as a spot treatment at night and you’ll wake up with the mere memory of whatever blemish you went to bed with.

Got more maskne questions? Check out the video below. 

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