Pimple Patches: How They Work & Which Ones Are Really Worth The Hype

Oh pimples… why do we have to deal with them? If I could ask for one wish from a skincare genie, it would be to take acne away of my life for good, are you with me? Unfortunately in the real world, we have to deal with pimples everyday, and even when we think we have it all under control, an evil breakout is always waiting to show up when we least expect it. But fear not, as, thankfully, the skincare gods have listened to our prayers, and there’s something we can actually do about those nasty blemishes in order to not only make them disappear quickly, but also take care of them the right way so they don’t leave marks behind.

You’ve probably heard about pimple patches before. They are these round, usually clear stickers you place on top of a pimple overnight in an attempt to make it go away. But in a sea of pimple patches, which are the ones that really live up to the hype? Here’s a list of our absolute favorites!

Cosrx Pimple Master Patch

Ask any skincare lover.. they’ve probably tried these once already, and there’s a big chance there’s a box with refills somewhere in their cabinet. These are made from hydrocolloid material, which speeds up the curative process by extracting all the nasty impurities and bacteria trapped inside whiteheads and popped zits, helping flatten breakouts and reduce inflammation faster, all while maintaining the ideal level of hydration, AKA the right road to healing acne. The best part? You can choose between the Acne Pimple Master Patch and the Clear Fit Master Patch. The first one is ideal for overnight treatment, while the second one can be used during the day and even under makeup!

Peach Slices Acne Spot Dots

Also made out of hydrocolloid material, these small, almost completely translucent and fast-acting patches are great for those pimples we couldn’t catch earlier, AKA, big white heads. The sticker will not only protect your zits from continuing to grow bacteria, but also keep you away from touching and picking at them (I know, a very hard task). These work great on dry skin as they’re non-drying, which will keep your skin from flaking.

Mighty Patch

The Mighty Patch brought a solution to a problem all of us acne-sufferers struggle with: what happens when you have a pimple area? Meaning there’s more than one breakout in the same spot, and placing four patches side-by-side just won’t do. While Mighty Patch also carries a regular pimple patch and an invisible one, their greatest creation to date is the Mighty Patch Surface, a 6 x 2.5 centimeter rectangular patch made to cover a greater area of your skin (including your body) that extracts impurities and stops acne and bacteria from growing, the same way the other patches do.

Peace Out Acne Patches

These acne patches infused with salicylic acid (an ingredient that helps unclog pores and correct the abnormal shedding of cells) take care of all that bacteria that can be causing acne, getting rid of it overnight, while vitamin A and aloe extract help heal and soothe the affected area. A great thing about these ones is their cooling effect, which can help with painful acne or extremely inflamed breakouts.

Acropass Trouble Cure

These ones here are different from what we’ve seen before. Considered the next generation of pimple patches, this two-step acne treatment is made to attack those hard-to-reach hormonal pimples. You first sanitize the area to treat all the bacteria with a pad soaked in salicylic acid and tea tree oil and then apply the pimple patch over the blemish. Different from other patches, these are built with innovative micro-needles (don’t worry, it’s not painful at all!) that provide skin with ingredients such as niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and oligopeptide-76, which together are so powerful they’ll heal blemishes and kill bacteria in matter of hours.

Patchology Breakout Box

Last but not least, Patchology also came up with something very particular when talking pimple patches. The Breakout Box contains a sturdy squad of skin-heroes ready to help your pores detox. Inside the box you’ll find three different options: the salicylic acid patches (which will remove dead skin cells, while the tea tree oil in them will take care of skin-clogging bacteria), hydrocolloid patches (meant to absorb impurities and whiteheads from the skin), and blackhead eliminating nose strips (formulated with charcoal and moroccan lava clay to absorb dirt and excess sebum and witch hazel to reduce inflammation and redness). Talk about a do-it-all team.

How do you usually fight acne and breakouts, Soompiers? Were these on your must-have list?

Caromalis is a K-pop and K-beauty obsessed vlogger and writer. You can find her interviewing some of yours (and her) favorite groups when they visit NYC, trying the latest K-Beauty trends or testing idols’ skincare routines. Say hi to Caro on Instagram and Twitter!