The Best Pimple Patches Hide Zits and Keep You From Picking

As an acne-prone individual, I say this without embellishment: Pimple patches have changed my life. I wish it were easy for me to go out in public or hop on a Zoom call with a giant, volcanic cystic pimple bursting out from my forehead, but I remain self-conscious about it. That's where pimple patches come in: They conceal the blemish—sure, there’s now a sticker on my face, but it helps—and the best pimple patches help any inflammation or micro wounds heal faster, too.

“One major advantage of pimple patches is that they give you an easy, accessible, and inexpensive solution to treating straightforward acne,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry of Skin & Aesthetic Surgery of Manhattan. However, with the proliferation of acne patches in people’s grooming kits, Dr. Henry notes that there's one thing to consider: “It may delay professional treatment with patients opting to use pimple patches instead of having an evaluation,” she says. So, make sure that your pimple patches don’t become a crutch for a greater, underlying problem. If you have severe acne or any other skin concerns, see a doctor, because acne patches are literal bandages (repurposed from wound dressing, as we'll talk about); and some issues require more than just that band-aid. But as a concealer and picking deterrent, you can't beat them—that's why we put together this list of the best pimple patches on the market.

The Best Pimple Patches, According to GQ

• The Best Overall Pimple Patches: Peace Out Acne Dots - Day & Night Duo, $19 $18
• The Best Hydrocolloid Pimple Patch: Hero Mighty Patch The Original, $22 $11
• The Best Clear Pimple Patches: Differin Acne-Prone Skin Patches, $10
• The Best Pimple Patch for Cystic Acne: ZitSticka Killa Microdart Patches, $36 $23
• The Best "Embrace It" Pimple Patch: Starface Hydro-Star Pimple Patches, $13
• The Best Dual-Sized Pimple Patches: Good Light Luna Fast-Acting Pimple Patches, $8
• The Best Salicylic Acid Pimple Patch: Cardon Prickly Pimple Patch, $19
• The Best Range of Sizes: Frontman Zit Patches, $12
• The Best Pimple Patches for Large Breakouts: Hero Mighty Patch Surface, $18 $17
• The Best Gel Barrier Pimple Relief (Alternative for Patches): Kiehl's Truly Targeted Acne-Clearing Solution, $30

The Best Overall Pimple Patches: Peace Out Acne Dots - Day & Night Duo

Why they’re great: Maybe I’m cheating by categorizing this as a singular pimple patch, but hear me out: Either one of Peace Out’s patches would be my hands-down favorite, so the fact that I can get both of them in a single box is why this pack is my winner.

These easy-to-apply, enduring patches have been the perfect solution for discreetly wearing a pimple patch in public or on Zoom calls. I don’t mind if people notice a very light, translucent patch on my skin, but these do not call attention to themselves. If someone does notice them, they won’t do a double take or anything.

The key difference between the two patches in that the “nighttime ones” are the standard density of most patches on this list; you could easily wear them during the day, too. However, the daytime wear ones are thinner and more sheer. They blend even more into your skin, but they also have a makeup- and concealer-friendly surface, should you want to do a little extra blending. I’ve had success with applying concealer over top, but to be honest, the sheer sticker is itself the amount of concealing I need from a patch, so I’m tickled just to have the patch on its own. And the fact that these patches also pump salicylic acid, retinol, and aloe into the area—which promote healing—make breakout days all the less stressful.

The Best Hydrocolloid Pimple Patch: Hero Mighty Patch The Original

Why they’re great: Hero Cosmetics is the brand that brought hydrocolloid patches to the States, and these no-frills patches kickstarted the category’s proliferation. I can’t not shout them out; I think these are the best fix for a pimple or whitehead that’s popped and needs an extra barrier as it heals quickly. While a lot of other products on this list might be spot treatments that are targeting specific issues, this is the baseline essential for general purpose pimple-patching, which is why we should all have them stocked up. I even use them like bandages on smaller cuts.

The Best Clear Pimple Patches: Differin Acne-Prone Skin Patches

Why they’re great: Differin built its name on the acne-fighting ingredients in its adapalene retinoid gel, and these super discreet clear patches are a terrific addition to their lineup. They come in two sizes and soothe the site with cica grass and willowherb extract while also deploying pore-clearing salicylic acid to the area. I find that they stay “presentable” longer than most other patches, too; they don’t get quite as cloudy, so I’ll wear these on long-haul flights or when I need a 8+ hour slumber while healing a baddie blemish.

The Best Pimple Patch for Cystic Acne: ZitSticka Killa Microdart Patches

Why they’re great: These are the Big Boss patches; or rather, they’re what I deploy when I need to defeat a Big Boss blemish. I keep them in a safe place until that moment, and let the other patches tackle the standard-fare breakouts. The microneedles in this patch deliver a generous amount of salicylic acid into each pimple—it’s my surefire way to halt a cystic pimple and prevent it from bursting open on my skin. It saves me months of recovery with any dark spot remnants, too. Bless you, ZitSticka: All-time great product, right here, and the price is worth it.

The Best "Embrace It" Pimple Patch: Starface Hydro-Star Pimple Patches

Why they’re great: We all owe Starface some serious gratitude for turning acne into a cheeky game, since these have made it cool to show off your pimple patch. Starface sells tons of different colors, shapes, and has even had cool collabs with brands like Sesame Street or Spongebob. No, you probably won’t walk into the workplace with a Cookie Monster patch on your face anytime soon, but a teenager wearing one may not think twice—and if you want a cheeky solution at home, these make the process of healing acne a little less chore-like.

The Best Dual-Sized Pimple Patches: Good Light Luna Fast-Acting Pimple Patches

Why they’re great: These straightforward hydrocolloid patches are not just a great value, but they also come in two different sizes, so that you can either err on the side of discretion or on the side of added coverage. You can even upgrade to their 72-count box for an even better value; it’s an easy way to stock up and never run out. Anecdotally, the smaller ones have also come in handy with healing papercuts and hangnails overnight, so I don’t have to endure those annoyances for more than a day or two.

The Best Salicylic Acid Pimple Patch: Cardon Prickly Pimple Patch

Why they’re great: These micro dart patches are my most frequently toted patches when I travel. That’s when I’m most likely to get blemishes from the dry airplane circulation or the abrupt change to my diet and new humidity levels. The soothing cica grass and salicylic acid in each little needle make a huge difference in deflating both burgeoning blemishes and volcanically large ones. I love the name “Prickly Pimple Patch” too, since Cardon itself is named after a cactus.

The Best Range of Sizes: Frontman Zit Patches

Why they’re great: These square patches are extremely discreet, and better yet, they come in three different sizes—8, 10, and 14mm widths—to keep you covered no matter the size or location of your breakout. Give Frontman’s entire acne-angled assortment a try; we even gave their tea tree and salicylic acid Zit Spray a GQ Grooming Award.

The Best Pimple Patches for Large Breakouts: Hero Mighty Patch Surface

Why they’re great: If you commonly experience a swath of pimples in any one area, then Hero’s XXL hydrocolloid patches are a great way to cover them all up without compromise (or without having to deploy four or five smaller patches strategically to the same general area. The OG acne-patch brand has a variety of shapes and sizes in their assortment, including a nose strip for blackheads, too.

The Best Gel Barrier Pimple Relief (Alternative for Patches): Kiehl's Truly Targeted Acne-Clearing Solution

Why it’s great: Dr. Henry and I share adoration for Kiehl’s “pimple patch” gel. “This is a great option for those that want to treat their acne spots discreetly,” she adds. “They function similarly to a patch but are breathable and invisible. They are an elegant alternative, and Kiehl’s [in particular] is tolerated even by the most sensitive skin types.” I think of this as a really functional solution; maybe you don’t care about showcasing the blemish itself, but want to cover it with active ingredients and quarantine it from germs and dry air to promote faster healing.

When you apply a pimple patch to freshly washed and dried skin, the magic instantly begins. It all starts with the bandaging itself, and from there, other variables or ingredients can be added. And no, these patches aren’t soaking up the trapped gunk inside the pore, unless the pimple has been popped. (But don’t try to pop it right away—acne patches can promote healing without creating the potential for broken skin.)

With some exceptions, most pimple patches these days have some kind of hydrocolloid bandage on their sticky undersides. (And typically a polyurethane upper half.) Hydrocolloid is a gel—which can be made from a large range of specific ingredients—that seals off the skin, keeping bacteria out while trapping moisture inside the inflamed area so that it can heal properly. Hydrocolloid dressing can also absorb some of the excess fluid inside the inflamed area. But above all, its job is to protect the site and promote quick healing.

Also called microdarts, these tiny spines penetrate the skin to deliver active ingredients into the skin. They can work in tandem with hydrocolloid while simultaneously flooding the pore and surrounding area with an ingredient like salicylic acid (see below). These microdarts don’t hurt, though you will feel their textured surface as you press them into place.

The most common active ingredient infused into some pimple patches is salicylic acid, which is one of acne’s worst enemies. “Salicylic acid, a penetrative BHA exfoliant, is effective in a patch when the acne cysts requires a product that's both anti-inflammatory in nature to aid in reducing the size of the pimple and quick acting in diminishing the levels of bacteria and debris,” Henry says.

​​Acne patches also often include toning ingredients like niacinamide, soothing ones like aloe vera, or hydrating ones like hyaluronic acid. Each brand has its own formula—some of them focusing solely on the hydrocolloid absorption—to achieve its end.

It can be a good opportunity to flood the area with these additional ingredients, Dr. Henry says. “Niacinamide is great for reducing dark spots and soothing the skin, and hyaluronic acid helps to hydrate the skin, so the inclusion of the two into a pimple patch works to keep skin hydrated, counteracting the drying effects of a salicylic acid-infused patch as they work to ameliorate skin texture, hyperpigmentation and to repair skin barrier damage,” she explains.

Press an acne patch onto freshly cleansed skin, with the hydrocolloid underside directly atop the zit itself. Leave it in place for two to eight hours (overnight tends to work best), in order to let it fully extract the sebum and grime. At the end of your wear, simply peel it off, use a cleanser, nourish the area, and continue your skincare routine as you otherwise would.

Not all pimple patches are one in the same in terms of their range of benefits or discretion. Yes, most of them incorporate hydrocolloid technology to deflate inflammation and promote faster, cleaner healing, but innovation has taken the category in a few different directions. Here are the most important things to consider before you make a purchase.

When do you anticipate wearing these pimple patches? Some designated daytime options are ultra thin and translucent, thus they blend more discreetly into your skin tone. Others even allow you to apply concealer over top of them. Perhaps you’re indifferent to whether or not people can see the patches—you’d rather they see that instead of a red bulging pimple—in which case you can shop the entire range. You might even be a prime candidate for a brightly colored Starface patch.

Someone who experiences chronic breakouts may be less of a candidate for these topical badges than someone whose pimples appear once every few days or weeks.

Also, while pimple patches are great to heal or conceal a small, minor blemish, they become increasingly important for cystic acne: “Cystic pimples or nodules often do well with these hydrocolloid patches,” says Dr. Henry. “These lesions often contain fluid and inflammatory cells that such patches extract well.” Something with micro darts and salicylic acid can also help to deliver the active ingredient into the depths of that blemish.

If you commonly experience clustered outbreaks, then consider a larger hydrocolloid patch, which is also available through brands like Hero.

See also: What the Location of a Pimple Tells You

If you see that your acne patch has become puffy and cloudy after multiple hours of use, this isn’t actually the gunk that it has absorbed from within the active pimple (unless, say, you applied it to an oozing blemish). This is a common misconception—yes, the patch absorbs fluids from the inflamed area, but it’s not extracting trapped sebum.

It’s all part of skin’s natural healing process, notes Dr. Henry. “Moisture and exudate [skin secretions] accumulate and get absorbed under a hydrocolloid patch which causes the material to distend,” she says. And once your patch turns white and puffy, then it’s time to swap it out, or to let the skin breathe a little bit. (Most patches will wear six to eight hours before this point, if applied to clean, dried skin.)

Our favorite patch is actually a two-in-one box from Peace Out, which contains thinner and more discreet daytime patches as well as denser patches that are better for at-home and overnight use, when the discretion isn’t as necessary. Their daytime patches even allow you to apply concealer or makeup over top, if you want further blending.

Most pimple patches advertise two to eight hour wear. But don’t exceed this, says Dr. Henry. “Wearing the patch any longer, especially on uncleansed skin, creates risks of new bacterial growth, dryness, and irritation from the adhesive.”

Pimple patches with active ingredients like salicylic acid are the best options for cystic acne. By wearing it overnight after the first sign of a deep, cystic blemish, you can possibly avoid eruption altogether, and even relieve pain after a good night’s sleep.

I wish I could tell you that I never get any pimples. But despite all my skin care wisdom, genetics just have their way. I get numerous cystic pimples in a year, and the worst ones will leave dark spots behind for months afterwards if I don’t intervene with something like an acne patch. I’m also someone who loves to conceal any blemish that sprouts up; this is why I’ve grown to adore the category of acne patches. I’m going through multiple patches in a week, even if I’m being overly dramatic on which blemishes need covering. And since I work from home, I rely on these more than I would need concealer. All of that to say, I’ve sampled my way through the category, and this list includes bestsellers and picks that are highly effective, usually discreet, and many of them are also quite affordable. (Not all, but most.) This category of products has brought me a lot of relief, and I hope these picks will improve your life, too.

Adam Hurly has been covering skin care products and the grooming industry since 2013. For most of that time, he's been GQ’s primary grooming contributor, too. For this article, Adam also spoke with board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon Dr. Michelle Henry of Skin & Aesthetic Surgery of Manhattan, who also routinely shares expertise with TV audiences (Dr. Henry is a frequent dermatology guest on The Today Show in particular).