Fair warning: this acne patch isn't made from the same hydrocolloid material as most of the others in this list — meaning, it won't help soak up oil and other impurities — but it's still a great salicylic acid spot treatment. The sticky patch ensures the salicylic acid treats your blemish all night (as opposed to regular spot treatments, which generally end up smeared on your pillowcase). We also found that it wasn't drying in the way that some spot treatments can be, which is always a plus.
As with the previous option, these also focus on salicylic acid and aren't quite as thick or absorbent as the hydrocolloid patches. Still, they're very effective. Thanks to zit-zapping ingredients like salicylic acid and tea tree oil (and our new favorite, bakuchiol), these nifty little patches help seriously shrink and speed the healing process for your breakouts.
These thicker hydrocolloid acne patches pack quite a wallop: They really work overtime to draw out all of the impurities from your skin, making the healing process that much faster. They're not clear, which makes them a touch more conspicuous — but they really do soak up pus and oil very quickly.
According to Fashionista, this is one of the original pimple patch options, dating all the way back to 2006. Well, there's a reason they've prevailed so long: they get the job done. While not of the hydrocolloid variety, these acne patches use tea tree oil and salicylic acid as an effective spot treatment. And at $5 for 96 patches of various sizes, they're a pretty good deal too.
While these are certainly one of the pricier options (at $19 for 20 dots, they're about $1 per sticker), it's tough to argue with the results. These pimple patches combine the best attributes of some of our faves, using a two-pronged approach that includes spot-treating ingredients (like salicylic acid and vitamin A) with hydrocolloid technology. Sorry, but these work — maybe you can just save them for extra special occasions?
