- Does not dry out the skin – only the blemish
- Doesn’t irritate the skin
- It’s a quick-drying and lightweight product
- Makes blemishes disappear overnight
- You may need to trial and error with how to use this product
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion sounds like the perfect solution if you’re looking for a product that can help you reduce the blemishes you’re experiencing. It is a spot treatment, that helps dry up surface blemishes overnight.
On top of that, I also contains some hero ingredients like Salicylic Acid and Zinc Oxide that both are known to having properties that work for reducing blemishes.
The first impression sounds good, but is the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion really that good? I tested the product and gathered my thoughts. Keep reading to find out everything I liked (or disliked) about this spot treatment!
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion Review
The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion comes in a tiny bottle, and you can clearly see two layers of the product; the top is transparent pink, and the bottom is pink and non-seethrough. I am very intrigued by the idea of not shaking and dipping into the bottle to “mix” the products this way.
I’ve been testing the spot treatment for a month now and here are my thoughts.
Formula
The formula is liquid initially, but once you apply it to the skin, it’ll quickly dry down into a slightly pink dot. The formula doesn’t feel drying, though. I don’t feel like I have it on (I entered the living room, forgot I had multiple dots on my face, and my parents looked at me, laughed, and went, “what’s on your face?!” lol).
It never irritated my skin. Not during the application, when it dried, or the following day. My skin always felt the same and didn’t respond to it in any way other than positively (aka barely any blemish to be seen).
I also used the Mario Badescu Drying Patches in combination with the Drying Lotion, which I barely had to use in the first place as the blemishes disappeared overnight. I didn’t have any reaction to these either. I had the worst allergic reaction to the COSRX Drying Patches, so I’m glad I can use the Mario Badescu Patches without worries.
Overall, the formula is excellent and doesn’t dry out the skin to a point that it feels dehydrated or tight. It does dry out the blemish perfectly, which is a good thing obviously.
Application
The application is very easy, though you have to be mindful. The first thing to keep aware of: You shouldn’t shake the bottle! I went wrong with this the first time, as I’m so used to shaking my products first.
You only need to grab a cotton swab and dip it into the bottle, entirely to the bottom, to get all the product on the cotton swab, take it out and then directly dab it onto the blemish. You will notice that it dries down quickly, and you can use it on multiple blemishes if you want to (one dip gives you enough product for multiple blemishes).
If you still need more product, DON’T dip the same cotton swab side into the bottle to avoid contaminating the product with bacteria.
Results
I take blemish treatments with a grain of salt nine out of ten times; it often reduces the redness a bit but nothing more. The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion had me shocked – seriously – as most of my blemishes were gone after one time of using. If they weren’t gone, they were reduced in size and weren’t red anymore – I would say they were 90% gone.
Now I understand why this product has been so popular for years! If you are still skeptical, please give it a shot because it is really that good.
Alternatives
- AXIS-Y Spot The Difference Spot Treatment: Although I love the spot treatment by AXIS-Y, the Mario Badescu Lotion took its number 1 spot. However, it’s still a great runner-up as it works very well, too, so if you’re looking for an alternative or a K-beauty brand, try AXIS-Y.
Final Verdict
You need to get the hang of it – not shaking or dipping in with the same side cotton swab twice – but once you do, it’s really easy to use the product. The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion does dry out the blemishes but doesn’t dry out the skin, so you barely feel like you have it on.
The following day, I saw my blemishes reduced by at least 90%, but they were mainly gone entirely. Seriously a fantastic product if you want to spot-treat blemishes!
What Is The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion is a legendary on-the-spot solution that helps dry up surface blemishes overnight. This fast-acting, effective spot treatment contains the following highly effective ingredients:
- Salicylic Acid: reduces the appearance of redness of blemishes
- Sulfur: unclog pores
- Zinc Oxide: absorbs excess oil
Best Suited For
All skin types can benefit from the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.
How To Use
- Apply nightly after cleansing and toning the skin. Don’t shake the bottle before using the Drying Lotion;
- Dip a cotton swab into the pink sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Dab the formula directly on the surface blemish and do not rub it into the skin;
- Let it dry, and rinse it off in the morning.
Using the Drying Lotion on broken skin is not recommended, and you shouldn’t dip the same cotton swab into the bottle again. Use the other side of the cotton swab to avoid contaminating the product with bacteria.
#MBSKINTIP: No matter how tempted you are, don’t shake the bottle! If you do—set the bottle on an even, flat surface. Leave it undisturbed for a few hours, and voilà: your Drying Lotion is settled and looking brand new. You can also use Drying Lotion to target surface blemishes on the back, chest, and neck.
Things To Note
The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion is gluten-free, vegan, and cruelty-free, and the packaging is recyclable.
Where To Buy
The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion retails for $17 and is available at the Mario Badescu website mariobadescu.com,
Specifications
| PRODUCT NAME | Drying Lotion |
| PRODUCT BRAND | Mario Badescu |
| PRICE | $17 |
| WEIGHT | 1 fl. oz. / 29 ml. |
Ingredients
Isopropyl Alcohol, Aqua (Water, Eau), Calamine, Camphor, Sulfur, Resorcinol, Salicylic Acid, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Talc, Glycerin.
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Used to like this when I was acne prone! Always good to have on hand! xx
Danielle’s Beauty Blog