When i first started using the buffering lotion i was thrown off because of the consistency of it. When applied to the skin it almost felt like a microdermabrasion exfoliating wash. There is a small granular type consistency that sits on the bottom of the bottle and that is what caused the solution to have that texture. It feel very smooth and the face and has a 'milky' feel to it. Buffering Lotion has dramatically cleared black heads and improved my skin appearance. I really love this stuff.

This is the only topical treatment I've ever used that legitimately works to target cystic acne. Most other treatments make them come to a head, or worse, do nothing and the pimples just sit there. This one really does bring them down before they come to a head and make them hurt less, if you use it right when you notice them forming.
For me, this means using it every night, between stress and hormones I have at least one of these pimples forming or on its way out. I use about 5 drops for each section of my face (left cheek, right cheek, forehead, and then put the remainder on my chin and nose) as a preventative measure, and if that seems like a lot of product, it's really not. This bottle will last a long time. The pimples go down over about 4-5 days for me, but when they're gone, they're gone, and if you've ever had cystic acne, you know how valuable that is. There's a good amount of alcohol in it so it will dry your skin out, and you have to work it in quickly because the powder makes it dry in a strange texture if it just sits on top of your skin.
Overall I'd absolutely recommend this treatment if you have cystic acne, it's really worked for me.

I've been using this for about a month on my chin and jawline for cystic pimples. Sometimes there are just 1 or 2 but a few weeks ago I had a full on breakout of probably 15-20 just around my chin and mouth. My friends love Mario Badescu products and I decided to give it a whirl since it's the only product I've ever seen targeted at cystic breakouts. I use it every day at least once without irritation. My breakouts have calmed down and the only new cyst that appeared while using this subsided within days instead of weeks. I still have spots/scars but not really bumps, and I plan on using AHA to reduce the scarring. I also started taking the Nature's Cure pills shortly after I started using this which was dumb because I'm not sure which one is working but I was desperate and my face looks better so I plan to keep up with both of them.

I have been using this product for the past night, and for today too (it is evening now).

i noticed a big difference when i woke up this morning; my pimples that needed to be popped (they had a little white head) HAD SHRUNK. id purposely left them to see if they would go down in size and they did.
i was so impressed, today i popped them and managed to also get a head out of a cystic spot, two in fact.
i put the buffering lotion over the two spots still spurting out the clear watery liquid that isnt pus, then also placed healing cream over them, and went to sleep for two hours. woke up to a completely BUMP FREE head. it has eliminated the "after bump" that normally stays for the next 18 hours after i have popped a cystic spot.

the product is a white liquid that needs to be shaken before use. it comes in a plastic bottle that has one of those 'precision' spouts for application, you just have to tip it and pour a little onto your fingers and it spreads to easily because it is a complete liquid.
when i did put this on my open wound (the pimple spot) it did sting but not too much.
i bought it on beatuybay.com for the price of $24-$18 i forgot how much exactly and i have also forgotten the size of the tube, though it is not more than 20ml for sure.
it is quite expensive compared to other pimple products such as clearasil and neautrogena but it is by far the most effective.
i would reccomend this to anyone who has problems with pimples and who pops their pimples and is looking for an effective treatment to lower the bumps. because i have only been using this two nights in a row (when it says on the bottle to use every other night) i cant comment on its ability to prevent future spots from occuring.

I have those tiny bumps under the skin that doesn't surface. If I squeeze hard enough the pus will come out but it will ruin my skin and there are heaps of them all over my face. I decided to give this a go and within a couple of usage the bumps are going away. It can be abit drying but I rather have dry skin then those nasty bumps. It also helps cystic acne form to a white head so the pus can get out and heal. It has a strong alcohol scent but it will fade. I'm still using this and so far very impressed!

Wow. So thankful that I found this product. While the packaging leaves something to be desired, I can deal with that in exchange for the product's efficacy. Though I am on acne medication, I still get those horrible face demons known as cystic pimples. Nothing and I mean NOTHING will help those monsters. Benzoyl peroxide and salasylic acid are pointless and only make it worse. However, this buffering lotion works miracles for me. I have three of those buggers on my face right now and I put this stuff on last night...two of them, which were a little smaller, are literally gone. The other, which was quite bigger and redder, is still there but at about half the size it was last night. I do remember that this stuff stopped working for me after awhile so I don't know if my skin built up a resistance to it or what but for the most part, it is the best thing I have ever tried to get rid of my cystic pimples. Believe me, I am THE bargain shopper and $18 dollars for one product would usually pain me, but when I know something is worth it, I'll make the investment. The Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion is definitely worth it!

This really helps with my skin. It's not a miracle worker, but I notice a difference. My skin isn't all that bad aside from the cystic spots I get during my hormonal fluctuations, but I'm prone to those little under the skin bumps. This really helps me with that. My skin's clarity is much better when usuing this. It even helps a bit with the cysts. I can use this all over my face, every night, without irritation. It feels moisteruzing and I can use this with or without a moisturizer underneath. I've gone through a few bottles and I will repurchase. It lasts forever, too!

LOVE! let me start by descibing the kind of acne i have- my skin is fairly clear... the bumps i get are under the skin and you can't really see them but whenever i look close in the mirror they are white/blackhead type acne.. so i mess with them, trying to get the stuff out, which turns them into HUGE, RED cystic bumps that can't be popped. first time i used this lotion i could tell a difference overnight. it get rid of what i wanted it to within 2 1/2 days... it's helped keep my breakouts under control and stops anything from forming. ONE complaint- it's a weird texture. almost straight liquid... wish it was more solid so applying it would be easier, but it's not that big of a deal

I was hopeful for this because I was desperate to try to at least calm my cystic acne. I didn't expect miracles because my acne is hormonal, but I got no results from this. I have oily, acne-prone skin (hormonal, cystic acne). My acne is a constant hormonal, which means that I have it all the time, not just when I get my period. I used this consistently every night after fully cleansing my face. Unfortunately this did nothing to decrease the amount of time of the cystic acne, decrease painfulness or size or frequency of breakouts.
I also did not like the packaging because if too much dropped out of the dropper then it would get all over the bottle, and it could be hard to control the amount.

Purchased this ~4 months ago to use on cystic acne. Haven't tried this on other types of acne, so I'm not sure how effective it is.
For me, this product hasn't been very effective consistently. I've used it on both large, painful, inflamed nodules and the under-the-surface stuff that lurks beneath the skin but hasn't quite come out yet. For the most part (so far as I noticed), it hasn't reduced the size of the pimples or relieved any pain/redness or helped heal any quicker.

As for the ingredients, the MB website touts the acne-fighting powers of Vitamin B and herbal extracts....not sure about their efficacy... It also contains niacinamide. My sunscreen contains this stuff as well, but I don't think it does much for my acne. If you have had success with niacinamide products in the past, I imagine the buffering lotion would be a much better choice for you.

I found the product to be rather expensive, though I expect it will last a decently long time.

Other than that, I haven't had any adverse reactions to it. I have mild acne and my skin is not sensitive.