The best acne spot treatments to clear your next breakout, tested by our editors

NBC News

2 days ago

When I first notice a pimple on my face, my instinct is to pick and peel at my skin until the pimple pops or crusts over (a habit that often leaves some acne scars behind). Over the years, I've learned that the best solution is using an acne spot treatment, which helps to heal my spots and stop my picking habit right in its tracks.
I spoke to a dermatologist and an esthetician about everything you should keep in mind when shopping for an acne spot treatment, including the most effective ingredients. I also rounded up their product picks, along with options tested by NBC Select staff.
What is an acne spot treatment?
According to Tiara Willis, a New York-licensed esthetician and skin care influencer, acne spot treatments are skin care products that are highly concentrated with active ingredients that specifically target individual breakouts. When using an acne spot treatment, she says you can expect it to help with reducing the size and redness of breakouts, and speeding up the overall healing process. Dr. Emmy Graber, a board-certified dermatologist and founder and president of The Dermatology Institute of Boston, recommends only using acne spot treatments occasionally, as they run the risk of drying out your skin due to their strong ingredients.
How I picked the best acne spot treatments
My experts recommend spot treatments with acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, sulfur and benzoyl peroxide, which help to heal and reduce the appearance of breakouts. Listed below are products featuring these active ingredients, all of which come recommended by experts and NBC Select staffers who have tested them.
Best overall
This is my favorite acne spot treatment — I dab it on whenever a breakout pops up, and it's almost completely gone within a day or two. This treatment has adapalene, which is a prescription-strength retinoid that helps to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells. I like to use it right before applying moisturizer, so I love that the formula is non-greasy and absorbs into my skin quickly, so I don't have to wait long before following up with the rest of my routine. La Roche-Posay recommends using the treatment once daily, and it's gentle enough for sensitive skin types, according to the brand.
Differin gel is an NBC Select staff favorite and Wellness Award winner for best acne treatment — it contains 0.1% adapalene, which is an over-the-counter retinoid often used to treat acne breakouts and blackheads. In our guide to cystic acne, experts told us that adapalene can help fix inflammation, deep clean pores and prevent new breakouts. Although her skin doesn't usually handle retinoids well, NBC Select editorial director Lauren Swanson says that this product is different: 'Differin is gentle and effective on my acne,' she says.
This spot treatment, which comes recommended by both Swanson and Graber, can reduce the size and redness of your breakouts in as little as two hours, according to Neutrogena. Once applied, the treatment uses a maximum-strength, 10% concentration of benzoyl peroxide to not only treat your current breakouts, but to also prevent future ones from occurring. For best results, the brand recommends covering the affected area with a thin layer of the gel one to three times daily.
Best overnight
Both Swanson and NBC Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin swear by this acne spot treatment by Mario Badescu, which Malin calls 'a miracle worker.' Its quick-drying formula is best applied by dipping a cotton swab into the bottle — all the way to the bottom — and directly dabbing it onto your skin, according to the brand. 'I put it on all my breakouts before I go to bed, and in the morning, they're significantly less red, less inflamed and smaller in size,' says Malin. Because of the pink, chalky residue it leaves behind, she prefers to use it as an overnight treatment, and also likes that one bottle lasts her a long time. 'I'm a lifelong Mario Badescu customer because of this product,' she says.
Graber recommends this gel treatment from Murad, which uses salicylic acid to exfoliate the skin and clear up blemishes, according to the brand. After applying this to your acne spot, you'll start to see a decrease in the size and redness of your breakout in as little as four hours, says Murad. It has a clear formula that lets you wear it discreetly throughout the day, and uses extracts from thyme and pine to help keep dryness at bay. NBC Select intern Andriana Kourkoumelis says it minimizes small breakouts, cystic acne and more, and that using it frequently has made 'a huge difference' in her skin's overall clarity.
Willis recommends this acne spot treatment — one of her favorites — for its combination of active ingredients. 'It uses 6% sulfur and peptides which reduces inflammation, oiliness, and acne causing bacteria,' she says. It dries invisibly, and acts quickly to dry acne in as little as one night, according to the brand.
NBC Select editorial projects manager Rebecca Rodriguez tried these patches for our Wellness Awards, and says they are effective at extracting pimples. Instead of potent acne-fighting ingredients, these patches use only hydrocolloid gel, which helps to draw sebum, dirt and debris from your skin — a great option for sensitive skin types.
Best pimple patches overall
This Zitsticka kit has everything you need to treat your acne spots, which is why we chose it as our favorite pimple patch. It comes with priming cleaning swabs to use before applying the patch, which clear the area of dirt, bacteria and your other products, so the patches can work at max effectiveness. They're a go-to of both myself and Swanson; after receiving some from the brand to try, I used the patches overnight and woke up to a significantly smaller, less red pimple than I'd gone to bed with. The microdarts are filled with salicylic acid and niacinamide, which helps with redness and discoloration. The patches also have hyaluronic acid, which can re-hydrate and balance your skin against the drying effect of salicylic acid.
Another favorite of Malin's are these acne dots from Peace Out, which are formulated to stop below-the-surface breakouts before they become more visible. Malin, who struggles with cystic acne, uses these as soon as she feels acne about to pop up. 'They do such a great job of targeting pimples that are below the skin's surface, and I really feel like they prevent my breakouts from growing and becoming more painful,' she says. The patches should be worn every two to three days for at least six hours at a time, as needed, according to the brand.
Best daytime pimple patches
'These are my favorite pimple patches to wear during the day because they're super thin and pretty invisible on my skin — they have great stick and stay on for hours,' she says Malin. Using these patches also helps to stop her from picking at her breakouts, which is a common issue that experts say causes further inflammation and leads to scarring. Each box comes with 36 patches, half large and half small, for different breakout sizes. These patches are also makeup-friendly, waterproof and sweatproof, according to the brand.
If you're looking for an acne spot treatment with some fun and color, Starface has you covered. We already love their regular Hydro-Star patches, but for more stubborn breakouts, I prefer to use this salicylic acid version that the brand sent me to try. They're great for reducing redness and the size of my acne spots, and have a gentle formula that doesn't dry out or irritate my skin. Although the instructions say to apply them overnight, I like using these as a daytime treatment while I'm out running errands — they cover my breakouts from the sun, keep me from picking my spots, and turn my annoying breakout into a cute facial accessory, all at once.
When NBC Select editor Lindsay Schneider saw a Vogue beauty editor recommend this treatment years ago, it never really left her brain. 'It sucks the oil out of breakouts and gets the problem area really dry quickly, which is key for stopping a pimple,' she says. It has 10% benzoyl peroxide to treat acne in as little as a day, and is free from fragrances, oil and dyes, according to the brand. The brand recommends applying the treatment to your acne spots one to three times a day, depending on the pimple's severity.
Best pimple paste
This paste was initially recommended to NBC Select editorial operation associate Jem Alabi by a Sephora employee, and she now uses it specifically for stubborn pimples. 'I find that the paste is most successful for pimples under the skin,' she says. 'It makes the swelling go down and prevents hyperpigmentation after the healing process.' She also likes that the product lasts a long time: 'The tube is small but I've had it for years and I'm not even halfway to being done.'
Who should use an acne spot treatment?
Acne spot treatments are a solid tool for ridding yourself of stubborn breakouts, but experts say they may not be the best option for everyone. Willis recommends acne spot treatments 'mostly for those who aren't dealing with acne all over the face' and are just looking to heal a few pimples and spots, since some of the active ingredients used in spot treatments can be too drying for the entire face. Graber suggests acne spot treatments especially for those who (like myself) have a tendency to touch or pick at their acne.
However, she emphasizes that acne spot treatments aren't effective at controlling or preventing acne before it happens, which is important for those with acne-prone skin. If you're having to use a spot treatment more than a few times a month, she suggests seeing a dermatologist to help you create an acne treatment regimen that addresses preventing acne, rather than individually treating spots as they crop up. In those cases, 'prevention is key, and much more effective than spot treatments,' she says.
How to shop for acne spot treatments
Shopping for an acne spot treatment comes down to preference, according to the experts. Although skin type factors into most decision making around products, that's not the case when it comes to acne spot treatments — 'generally all skin types can use the same acne spot treatments,' says Willis, since they're only being applied to individual breakouts, rather than the whole face. Instead of focusing solely on skin type, experts recommend considering the ingredient list and the formula type of your potential purchase to make the best decision.
Ingredients
When shopping for acne spot treatments, experts recommend choosing products made with key ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and sulfur. Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) which helps unclog pores and shed the top layers of dead skin, while benzoyl peroxide helps stop the growth of acne-causing bacteria; sulfur helps exfoliate skin and remove excess oil. When choosing an active ingredient, it's important to take your skin's sensitivity level and reaction to that ingredient in mind.
Willis also recommends avoiding acne spot treatments made with fragrances and essential oils. 'These can be inflammatory and irritating for the skin, which can prevent healing from the breakout,' she says. She also advises keeping away from products with only 'natural' active ingredients and DIY skincare treatments, because of the lack of evidence to prove their acne-treating effectiveness — 'stick with proven treatments,' she says.
Formula type
The formula of acne spot treatments can vary from product to product (cream, gel, patch etc.), but Willis says that it doesn't necessarily impact their effectiveness. When picking a formula, it's best to go with whichever you think works best for your routine and habits. For example, Graber suggests pimple patches or acne dots if you tend to touch and pick at your breakouts.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Why trust NBC Select?
I am an associate SEO reporter for NBC Select, covering skin care, wellness, and more, including stories on the best hyperpigmentation products and K-beauty ampoules. For this piece, I interviewed a dermatologist and an esthetician about the best acne spot treatments, including how to use them and how to shop for one of your own.