Do Pimple Patches Actually Work? Lemme Explain. (2024)

IDK if I’ve ever met someone—an influencer, a derm, or a beauty editor—who doesn’t love these pimple patches. They are the OG and fully live up to the hype. No, they’re not the most ~advanced~ because they’re simply hydrocolloid, but they stay on extremely well and help soak up some of the excess oils of a zit. And if I’ve picked at a pimple, this comes in clutch to act as a shield for any potential bacteria getting in and making the breakout worse.

“The type of person I used to be? Someone who dug her nails into her skin to pop a pimple,” says assistant shopping editor Jasmine Hyman. “The type of person I am now? Someone who peels off a Mighty Patch and lets it do the work for me,” she says. “It’s so satisfying to see all the oils come off in the morning,” she adds.

• Active ingredients: Hydrocolloid only

Glowing customer review: “These little patches are true lifesavers for anyone dealing with unexpected breakouts. I love how easy they are to use—just apply it over a zit before bed, and by morning, you can visibly see how much gunk it’s pulled out. It’s seriously satisfying! They blend well with my skin, and they stay in place all night.”

Wait a dang minute: These teeny tiny patches are chock-full of ingredients to help get rid of a pimple and keep it from scarring. After testing about a bajillion pimple patches, these won the 2024 Acne Award because they’re filled with the best stuff to eradicate a pimple. Salicylic acid helps go into your pores and exfoliate out all the gunk that causes pimples, while niacinamide can gently smooth bumpy skin and balance oil production. Another key component, though, is soothing and hydrating through centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid, respectively. All together, it’s a powerhouse against whatever kinda zit you’ve got, basically.

• Active ingredients: Salicylic acid, niacinamide, centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid

Glowing customer review: “Nothing works better! Clears blemishes overnight. I even wear them in public as they are clear and not easily noticeable on the face. They stay in place until you peel them off. 10 out of 10, HIGHLY recommend!”

Now these patches aren’t like traditional pimple patches. Instead of helping absorb excess oils, they’re actually covered in a lightweight, creamy serum that helps soothe and moisturize crusty, healing pimples. I’m known to pop my zits (sorry!!), leaving them all sorts of disfigured and irritated. But when I pop one of these on post-pick, the scabs look way better by the morning courtesy of a combo of panthenol, peptides, ceramides, and mushroom extract.

• Active ingredients: Panthenol, peptides, ceramides, mushroom extract

Glowing customer review: “These patches are so hydrating, they leave your skin feeling moisturized all day! These are perfect for all skin types but are especially great for people with dry skin during these harsh winter months.”

Cystic acne, by nature, basically responds to nothing. Sure, you can exfoliate, soothe, and hydrate the hell outta those big ol’ bumps, but it’s not gonna do too much. However, the only thing I’ve ever found to seriously make a difference are these microdart patches from Zitsticka. With salicylic acid to treat your pimple from within plus glycolic acid to chemically buff away the dead skin on the surface, it’s essentially a dynamic duo against deep zits.

• Active ingredients: Salicylic acid, glycolic acid

Glowing customer review: “I would definitely recommend these patches! I don’t have anything else that helps with deep blind pimples as much as these.”

These pimple patches from Rael are ultra-thin and have a unique beveled edge that makes them practically invisible when you stick them on a zit. On days when I need to simply hide my pimple versus coating it with hella concealer, these patches help disguise it while also protecting it from further irritation.

• Active ingredients: Hydrocolloid only

Glowing customer review: “These are the best patches I’ve found yet, they’re the only ones that stick and actually work. I rarely need more than one patch to clear up a pimple. I’m obsessed—they’re such a staple.”

I swear by the original Mario Badescu Drying Lotion to help get rid of a pimple, and these patches are the easier-to-use version, IMO. I find these especially effective when I’ve already got a whitehead that I’m trying to avoid popping into oblivion. The salicylic acid and niacinamide actively help treat and prevent acne, while vitamin C can help gently brighten any potential dark spots that crop up after the fact.

• Active ingredients: Salicylic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid

Glowing customer review: “These are great for use during the day! Sometimes I forget I have them on because they’re invisible. They really work to decrease redness and make a blemish disappear sooner.”

Opaque pimple patches, like these lil Starface bbs, are key if you’re prone to obsessing over and picking at your zits. They make it so you can’t even really see your pimple, which can help be a literal physical blocker to digging your paws into a breakout. They’re also so stinkin’ cute to wear outside of the house too. I feel like a gen Z icon every time I come into the office with a face full of Starface stickers.

• Active ingredients: Hydrocolloid only (but also come in a soothing version, an anti-bacterial version, and a salicylic acid version)

Glowing customer review: “My teen gets breakouts, and these seem to be working for her. When she has a juicy pimple, she places one of these over it and notices the swelling and irritating going down. I wish they had stuff like this when I was a teen!”

Just before my period, my skin is a level of oily that should probably be investigated in modern science classes. And on those nights, most pimple patches just slide off. Not these though. PanOxyl’s patches are some of the stickiest I’ve ever used, so they seriously stick on, even while I’m wearing them overnight.

Jasmine is also a fan: “PanOxyl is my go-to brand for an acne-safe body wash, so when I found out they had pimple patches, I knew they had to be great,” she explains. “They’re great for overnight use, but I honestly also wear them during the day because they’re v clear, and I don’t even realize when I have one on.”

• Active ingredients: Hydrocolloid only

Glowing customer review: “I love these patches! They really work! I put on a blemish overnight and it’s gone the next day. AMAZING!”

Gone are the days when I’d have to bulk order pimple patches online because so many of my fave drugstore brands have their own versions now. Case in point: These Neutrogena hydrocolloid patches. They’re some of the most affordable ones I’ve tried too.

• Active ingredients: Hydrocolloid only

Glowing customer review: “These are the BEST! Pimples are mostly gone after the first use. If they’re larger spots, it may take two nights, but nothing like it would without these. Highly recommend!”

I just got back from South Korea (brag), where I basically raided every Olive Young store I could find in search of the coolest new Korean skincare products. Turns out, these magnesium pimple patches are blowing up over there, so I bought a few packs to test myself. And—spoiler alert—they’re freaking amazing.

I was breaking out pretty brutally when I came back (ya know, 16 hour travel day and all) and popped one of these microdart patches on an emerging cystic pimple on my cheek. It seriously helped bring down the swelling, thanks to the magnesium points plus tea tree oil and calendula oil. Rarely does a pimple patch genuinely flatten a raging zit, but this one actually did.

It also comes with an ampoule filled with centella asiatica that you can dot on your zit before placing on the patch. At first, I didn’t even use this (sorry, I’m lazy), but it def does help.

• Active ingredients: Magnesium, tea tree oil, calendula oil

Glowing customer review: “These are the best. I order them every time I’m running low on my current pack. They work so well.”

Yes, pimple patches really do work. But not how you think. If you don’t already have a whitehead, don’t expect your pimple patch to magically pop your zit for you. Instead, they use a material called hydrocolloid, which helps “absorb fluid from a pimple that has already formed a ‘head,’ aka a whitehead,” says dermatologist Deanna Mraz, MD. Because of this, they’re great for sucking up any excess oils on your skin, which can make your acne look flatter and less inflamed. Plus, they help protect your pimple from getting even more irritated, especially from picking/touching, which can minimize healing time and prevent scarring, she adds.

But there are also newer types of pimple patches that can be great for treating and preventing acne too. “A medicated patch will actively smother the pimple in ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and/or tea tree oil,” Dr. Mraz says. “These active ingredients target inflammation and bacteria to speed up healing.”

Plus, there are microneedling patches now, which have teeny-tiny spikes on them that will penetrate your pimple and help deliver active ingredients deeper into your skin, Dr. Mraz explains. “These are great for the deep, cystic pimples that you might not even really see at the skin’s surface yet but can feel underneath,” she says. Typically, these also can be filled with soothing ingredients, like centella asiatica, allantoin, and bisabolol.

Assess your pimple.

Do you have a whitehead that’s already formed or a blind pimple that’s still under the skin? What type of zit you’re working with should def reflect the pimple patch you choose. Generally, a standard hydrocolloid pimple patch is perfect for a typical whitehead that’s ready to pop (if you were going to do that, which you obviously aren’t...). However, a cystic pimple deserves something with a little more oomph, like a medicated pimple patch or a micropoint version. Speaking of...

Look for active ingredients.

When you want your pimple patch to work a lil harder, opt for one that’s filled with actives that’ll actually help get rid of a zit. Think: exfoliating salicylic acid, smoothing and oil-balancing niacinamide, soothing allantoin and centella asiatica, brightening vitamin C, anti-bacterial tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide, etc.

• Deanne Mraz, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Modern Dermatology in Westport, CT.