Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum versus Mario Badescu Drying Lotion .

Published on August 28, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and fungal acne (malassezia) safe . They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any fragrances, oils, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Serum American Brand United States
Facial Treatment American Brand United States

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Price

Shop

Buy Anti Acne Serum

Starts at $17.32
Shop

Buy Drying Lotion

Starts at $18.00

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (4)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (5)

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Exfoliators

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting (3)
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (3)
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion contains this as ingredient number 2.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion contains this as ingredient number 8.

3
What it does: Solvent
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Isopropyl Alcohol is more commonly known as rubbing alcohol. It is most commonly used as a solvent, meaning it helps other ingredients dissolve.

This ingredient is an astringent alcohol. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin as they high amounts may strip away your skin's natural oils.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.

Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.

Learn more about Isopropyl Alcohol

Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion contains this as ingredient number 1.

4
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion contains this as ingredient number 9.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

21% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
57% are disliked or very disliked
21% have no rating yet
60% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
40% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum 14 ingredients

Anti Acne Serum hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion 10 ingredients

3.8 /5
from 4 ratings
MichelleR's avatar

MichelleR

6 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

It stings, but beauty is pain..
I know. You see the alcohol and think its all bad. Its not. Its everything. I put this on at night on a pimple at...

It stings, but beauty is pain..
I know. You see the alcohol and think its all bad. Its not. Its everything. I put this on at night on a pimple at any stage and wake up with the pimple completely gone. It stings. I’ve been recommended the Kiehl’s Liquid Pimple Patch that is alcohol free. That is up next. But until then, this is securely on the holy grail shelf.

_488's avatar

_488

8 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Miracle for headless normal pimples

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 16 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Mario Badescu Anti Acne Serum.

See 16 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 30 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.

See 30 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...