Murad’s New Retexturizing Body Pads Have Done Wonders for My Adult Bacne

What Is Murad’s Retexturizing Body Pads?

A part of Murad’s cult-favorite acne control line, which includes the Deep Relief Acne Treatment that skyrocketed into virality when beauty influencer Karla Amelia posted a video on TikTok showing its fast and effective formula, comes a brand-new addition to the collection: Retexturizing Body Pads. These super thin pads (I’m talking thinner than a cotton facial pad, people) are formulated with calming azelaic acid, Murad’s patented amino acid technology created to target irritation-causing bacteria and—the not-so-secret magic ingredient—two percent (aka, max-strength) salicylic acid and glycolic acid that’s safe to use on a handful of skin types, including balanced, oily, dry and combination skin. Together, these ingredients claim to soothe and improve skin tone instantly, targeting ingrown hairs and even bumpy strawberry skin due to keratosis pilaris. Oh, and zap those pesky zits, of course.

Smoothing and acne fighting? Needn’t say more. With bikini season in full swing and my distress level rising by the second, I was ready to try just about anything that could possibly help my comeback bacne and the residual feelings from my acne-filled teenage years.

How I Tested Murad’s Retexturizing Body Pads

After attempting to use facial cleanser on my back (desperate times call for desperate measures), I jumped at the opportunity to sample Murad’s newest launch a month before it hit stores on July 12. To test the body pads, I followed the instructions and swept one of the small pads over the problem areas of my body once a day, almost every day, for one month—especially after the gym and always on clean skin. Ranking them on the PureWow100 scale, I considered the following qualities: value, functionality (as in, how well do the pads meet or exceed the brand’s claims?), ease of application, and overall smoothing and skin-clearing.

My Review on Murad’s Retexturizing Body Pads

I must admit, I was more than a little deflated before testing because it’d been some time since I saw a product work on my skin, and the last thing I wanted to do was go back on a strong acne prescription that could wreak havoc on my insides. How effective could these teeny, damp pads be on my acne-prone skin, anyways? Extremely effective, it turns out.

Within a few days of rubbing the pad daily over my affected areas, I noticed the red, irritated bumps on my back, shoulders and chest slowly subside. I liked that the pads weren’t sopping in liquid, eliminating drips or that sodden-to-the-touch feeling. They were damp enough to get the job done—cover the entirety of my face, back, arms and chest in one go—without drying out halfway through. This was much appreciated, as I could trust that one-a-day instructions really mean one a day.

One thing that I wasn’t in love with was the finish. It left my skin feeling slightly oily, so if you don’t like to have a ton of product on your skin, this may not be a great product for you…but the pros *definitely* outweigh this one con. My back hasn’t looked this clear in almost a year. While there are a few minor bumps and breakouts here and there, especially around that time of month and in this awful humidity, it’s nowhere near as bad or as concentrated as it consistently was prior to using the pads. What’s more, my skin’s texture has improved. Smoother, clearer and no-longer inflamed.