Comparing a Few Zit Zappers

After reading the article on bird poo facials below, I went searching for other natural acne products. I started by going through everything you would find in a drugstore and reading the ingredients lists for all acne products at Walgreens.com and CVS.com. Yuck and double yuck. Benzoyl Peroxide and lots of Parabens. I have never been able to use BZ. It does clear up my acne, but it also burns my skin so that I am peeling and flaky for days afterward.

I hit a couple popular products with celebs and magazines and then went comparison shopping for ingredients for less expensive items. Keep in mind these are ingredients comparisons only. There is no way to tell the strength of ingredients in particular products, some may be concentrated and others diluted.

Popular But Pricey:

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
$17, 1 oz

• Ingredients:
  
• Isopropyl Alcohol
  
• Deionized Water (Aqua)
  
• Calamine
• Camphor
  
• Colloidal Sulfur
• Salicylic Acid
  
• Glycerine
  
• Zinc Oxide
  
• Titanium Dioxide
  
• Talc

Verabella Kiss Zit Goodbye
$18.50, size ??

INGREDIENTS:

• Alcohol
• Salicylic Acid
• Camphor
• Tea Tree Oil
• Witch Hazel

MyChelle Clear Skin Serum
$23.24, 30 ml=1 oz
(I had to truncate the ingredients list because they explain the origin and purpose of each ingredient, not readable.)

• Ingredients:
• Distilled water,
• witch hazel,
  
• Ethanol (alcohol),
• Organic aloe vera extract,
  
• Azelaic acid (skin lightener),
  
• Oleic acid, L-lactic acid,
  
• Glycerin,
  
• Salicylic acid,
  
• beta-hydroxy acid,
  
• Vitamin B,
  
• Vitamin A,
  
• Cranberry extract,
• Ylang ylang essential oil,
  
• Patchouli essential oil,
  
• Tea tree oil, L-limonene,
  
• Totarol,
  
• Hydrolyzed yeast protein,
• Vitamin B6,
• Allantoin,
  
• D-biotin

Comparable Bargain Mixes:


Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick
$5.19, .26 oz

• Ingredients:
• Tea Tree Oil
• SD alcohol 40-B (from yellow corn)
• calendula flower oil
• borage seed oil
• yarrow oil
• parsley seed extract
• willow bark extract (Salicylic Acid)
• lemon oil
• fennel oil
• water
• tea tree leaf oil
• juniperus communis fruit oil
• eucalyptus globulus leaf oil.

Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick
$5, .33 oz

• Ingredients:
• Witch hazel extract
• grain alcohol
• Eco-Harvest tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
• calendula
• essential oils of blue chamomile
• rosemary
• lavender
• thyme
• birch and petitgrain.

Earth Science Problem Skin Treatment
$5.35, 6 oz

• Ingredients:
• Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract
• salicylic acid
• sodium hyaluronate
• uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw) extract
• centella asiatica (gotu kola) extract
• guaiazulene
• peg-35 castor oil
• aloe barbadensis leaf juice
• vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) fruit extarct
• echinacea angustifolia extract
• salix alba (willow) bark extract
• glycerin and fragrance (parfum).

After breaking these products down to their base ingredients, I think you could probably make a fairly effective pimple potion of your own - especially using the 'Kiss Zit Goodbye' list. The only tricky ingredient being Salicylic acid. But, you could use a crushed uncoated aspirin as a topper after applying the liquid mix.