Mario Badescu Drying Lotion for oily acne-prone skin

How to apply

Questions and answers

What the research says

• Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.

  Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

• A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.

  BioMed Research International, 2020

• A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

  Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

• Topical application of uncoated or silane-coated zinc oxide nanoparticles under occlusive conditions and on barrier-impaired skin of human volunteers results in no measurable penetration into or local toxicity in the viable epidermis.

  European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2016

• Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.

  CMAJ, 2010

• Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• Topical 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid achieved the greatest lesion reduction at early 2 to 4 week time points compared to benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, while 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin showed similar efficacy at 10 to 12 weeks in acne patients.

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2010

• Azelaic acid was probably less effective than benzoyl peroxide in acne treatment response, while showing little or no difference compared to tretinoin, and adverse events were mild and transient across evaluated topical treatments.

  Journal of Evidence-based Medicine, 2020

• Topical application of precipitated sulphur 2-8% petrolatum achieved a 95% clinical and ectoparasitological cure rate in 40 ambulatory scabies patients without relevant adverse effects.

  Revista de Investigacion Clinica; Organo Del Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion, 2004

• Topical 10% benzoyl peroxide and 2%-5% sulfur cream achieved "good" to "excellent" results with no undesirable side effects in 113 consecutive patients with acne.

  Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1966

• Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.

  Biomedicines, 2025

• Topical zinc oxide 20% ointment achieved a complete cure in 50% of patients with warts compared to 42% in the salicylic acid-lactic acid group, with no serious side-effects.

  International Journal of Dermatology, 2007

• The use of 70% isopropyl alcohol in conjunction with scrubbing with a bristled brush significantly reduced positive bacterial cultures at the nail fold compared to povidone-iodine with soft sponges in volunteers.

  The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume, 2005

• Friction with 70% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol immediately eliminates the heart-shaped pigmented lesion characteristic of terra firma-forme dermatosis in a 14-year-old boy.

  Cureus, 2024

• Rubbing 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes cleared persistent reticulated brown patches in five patients with terra firma-forme dermatosis.

  Skinmed, 2016

• Nels cream achieved a similar reduction in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesion counts compared to 5% benzoyl peroxide in acne vulgaris patients, but caused significantly fewer side-effects such as peeling and dryness.

  Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2000

• Topically applied coated and uncoated zinc oxide nanoparticles under flexing and massage are retained in the stratum corneum with no significant penetration into the viable epidermis and no cellular toxicity in human skin.

  Nanomedicine, 2016

Ingredients

Isopropyl Alcohol, Calamine, Camphor, Sulfur, Zinc Oxide, Talc, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Ci 77891 Titanium Dioxide

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.