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 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.
Acne Drying Lotion Ingredients
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.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
There are certainly other acne products that will leave your skin in better condition than Mario’s.
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Drying or not aside, it looks like this is a misbranded drug product, as it makes anti-acne claims but does not state the concentration of the active ingredients. Also, salicylic acid and sulfur is not an allowed combination at their effective levels.
Um, I actually LOVE this product. You are supposed to use it as a “spot” treatment and it does not damage your skin. Well at least it hasn’t mine and I have very sensitive skin. I also moisturize before I put it on. It actually has been a god send for me and I strongly recommend it. I swear the stuff works. Put it on at bed time and the pimple is virtually gone the next day.
I know when I used it as a spot treatment, it irritated my skin so much it made my pimples look WORSE.