What Is the Best Pimple Patch to Clear Up Different Types of Acne?

A consistent best seller on Dermstore (aka one of our go-to skin-care shops), this K-beauty import features white willow bark and betaine salicylate to quickly clear up inflamed spots—especially ones that have started to form a head. At five dollars for 24 patches, they’re quite affordable, too.

Save these patches for when you need to call in the big guns. Each set comes with eight pre-medicated salicylic acid and tea tree oil wipes to prep your skin, along with stickers that are covered in teeny self-dissolving microdarts filled with the holy trinity of skin-clearing ingredients: salicylic acid, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. Simply put, they’re the closest at-home fix to a cortisone shot we’ve tried.

While the other patches on this list are made with hydrocolloid technology, these adhesive gels are much thinner in texture but still pack a mighty punch. The salicylic acid, tea tree oil and vitamin C infused into each sticker will vacuum out any bacteria or oil that’s clogging your pores.

This cult favorite patch flattens spots without drying out your skin, hence its over 1,500 positive reviews and counting on Amazon. With a paper-thin texture, tapered edges and a matte finish, we’re guessing its popularity has something to do with how undetectable they are on your face. (We’ve worn a sticker or two while running errands and no one noticed.)

As anyone who suffers from acne knows, pimples come in all different sizes—as do these patches. Pending the surface area of your offending spot, you can choose from a larger or smaller dot. We also appreciate that they actually stay on our faces throughout the night (rather than ending up on our pillow).

If you're looking at some of these smaller individual patches and thinking hah, how quaint! these larger strips may be a better fit for you. Roughly the size of a bandaid, you can cover more surface area, say, around your jawline or on your back to help speed the healing process for several spots at once.

You would think there wouldn’t be much difference across pimple patches, but as you can see with this list, there are many variables to consider—like how oily your skin is naturally. While all patches adhere best when your skin is squeaky clean and dry, for the perpetually shiny-faced, that's not always possible and so they have a hard time finding a patch that stays put. We've found that these patches adhere well without being too sticky when you go to remove them.

With a tagline like, "you see spots, we see stars," this pimple positive brand definitely wins for best design and message. The original patches come in a sunny yellow case (that can be repurposed as an AirPod holder) and star-shaped stickers that hug the edges of your blemish. They also come in fun limited editions like rainbow (and glow in the dark, which is currently sold out), and we're told there are more designs in the works.

If we had to describe these patches in three words, we'd say they're discreet, effective and affordable. Probably the thinnest patch of the bunch, these near-invisible hydrocolloid stickers are as protective as they are breathable. With beveled edges that fit snugly over the curved contours of your face (like around the chin and nose), we sometimes forget that we're even wearing them. Each box comes with a combination of 10mm and 14mm sizes to cover acne of all types and sizes, including hormonal and cystic acne.

If you're looking to stock up on patches, Rael has got you covered. Each set comes with 96 patches in two sizes (10mm and 12 mm respectively) to fit both small and large blemishes. Made from latex-free and hypoallergenic hydrocolloid, it's a solid choice for anyone with easily irritated skin.

And when the spot is on its way out, you can heed off any post-acne hyperpigmentation with one of these microdart patches. Infused with skin-brightening ingredients like niacinamide, licorice and Vitamin C, as well as calming ingredients like cica, it helps to prevent any residual redness or discoloration that's common after having a large pimple.