Reul Ruminates:
What do you think about Mario Badescu Drying Lotion? Once again… an expensive product that claims to help acne. So does it really do more than OTC benzoyl peroxide?

The Right Beauty Brain Responds:

Based on a review of the ingredients, Drying Lotion will dry your skin more than a typical OTC benzoyl peroxide lotion. Why? Let’s look at what it contains.

Isopropyl Alcohol - very drying to skin because it dissolves skin’s natural lipids.

Deionized Water - ok, no problem there.

Calamine - a drying agent used on itchy skin conditions like poison ivy.

Camphor - an anti-itch agent, can also be irritating.

Colloidal Sulfur - a keratolytic agent which means it can help exfolliate.

Salicylic Acid - OTC approved acne fighting ingredient, but can be drying and irritating.

Glycerine - humectant to bind moisture to the skin.

Zinc Oxide - skin protectant.

Titanium Dioxide and Talc - probably used to enhance a powdery feeling on skin. Titanium dioxide can be a sunblock if present in sufficient quantities.

Ok, what the heck does all that mean? It means that this product contains multiple drying agents and can over-dry and irritate your skin. So to answer you question, yes this product is likely to dry up your zits better than a typical over the counter acne product. But that’s bad because it may leave your skin in worse condition than before!
The Cosmetic Cop has even harsher things to say about ol’ Mario - read her entire blistering review here.

Brain’s bottom line -
There are certainly products that will leave your skin in better condition than Mario’s.