Mario Badescu • Anti Acne Serum • Treatments

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susieglass on 4/6/2013 6:55:00 AM more reviews by susieglass

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

This didn't really do anything for me. Easy to apply, mess-free, invisible once on, and no problems applying makeup over it... but it didn't clear up my spots (jawline and chest area). It didn't really cause any either, but I'd rather spend money on something I can see a difference with.

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ccede on 10/23/2012 2:33:00 PM more reviews by ccede

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I already follow a pretty strict face regime with a couple of Mario Badescu products. I recently added this to my arsenal. Although I don't break out as often as I used to, I do get small bumps on my cheeks and sometimes on my chin and forehead (which I think is because of my MUFE primer or powder..can't figure it out). I use this at night. At first, I applied a lot because I was a bit doubtful of it working well. Now, I just apply a thin layer over a bit of benzoyl peroxide on acne-prone areas. I haven't broken out and have noticed that some small bumps have completely disappeared and never made it to become pimples. This was a huge relief because I get super annoyed when I treat a small bump and it still comes to the surface. I believe this works, but you have to give it time and perhaps combine it with another acne medication.

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kookielovins on 5/26/2012 8:45:00 PM more reviews by kookielovins

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Other   Eyes: Black    

This product is not strong/efficient enough to keep my acne at bay. In addition to the product being so/so, after a few uses, the print on the bottle starts to disintegrate which is gross and inconvenient. This is due to a few squeezes on the hard, little bottle. The texture is greasy. You also do not get much product.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Beautyy on 3/9/2012 3:27:00 PM more reviews by Beautyy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I don't know how anyone uses this. It's so thick & sticky it's disgusting. I literally used it once & never touched it again. It was so difficult to apply from the consistency. I hated it from the start.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Angeldoll on 11/25/2011 9:30:00 AM more reviews by Angeldoll

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This did nothing for my skin at all. I used it for several weeks, it was very sticky and just sat on top of my skin instead of penetrating into it. I love Mario Badescu's other products but this was one just did not give any results good or bad.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

clarefromcali99 on 10/16/2011 9:55:00 PM more reviews by clarefromcali99

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have really bad chin acne that started flaring up when I was in my mid-20s. I think it's hormone-related or possibly stemming from diet (when I was in the hospital for several days, I ate/drank nothing but ice and didn't get a chance to wash my face and never had a single zit). Anyway, this product, along with Aveeno's facial wash, really keeps my acne at bay. I really like it.

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priscillaaa on 2/20/2011 12:49:00 AM more reviews by priscillaaa

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

It does work for me, HOWEVER, it breaks me out even more at first.

I tested this product out on my forehead one night because I had a few tiny pimples, the next morning I had even more!
I kept using it consistently and then my pimples started to go away.

So I think this takes time for you skin to get used to.. but it happens every time.

Sometimes I don't use it for a week or two, and pick it back up, and the whole cycle starts again.

It was a waste of my $20!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

votedugliestboy on 2/14/2011 9:35:00 PM more reviews by votedugliestboy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

This is the type of product you must include in a consistent skin regimen.

The serum is gel-like in consistency and the glycerin base retains moisture in sensitive, dehydrated skin...yay! It takes a few days to see the difference. The drying mask and healing and soothing mask are the best compliment, alongside their staple drying lotion. So far...less blackheads, breakouts stopped in their tracks, and random keratin plugs falling off throughout the day :)

I recommend you find a professional to assess your skin. The ladies at my local ULTA confirmed what the Mario Badescu staff had recommended to me. After trying some samples (which lasted me a couple weeks), I decided to buy. I was afraid to try some thing out because a few items contain alcohol. I have not experienced sensitivity with any of the products. They have literally given me back my 16 year old complexion everyone used to rave about

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road2lane on 5/22/2010 11:11:00 PM more reviews by road2lane

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I love some of there other stuff this one though seemed to do nothing for me...
Did not break me out, did not make my acne better.

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123dear on 5/19/2010 12:20:00 AM more reviews by 123dear

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I like this product. It reduced and prevented my ance..it works just fine on my skin..I used it all over my face twice a day..in the morning and at night....BAD thing about this product is the pakaging!! .. I Hate it!! because it's so HARD to get the gel out from the bottle...But i will repurchase it though...Mario Badescu please make a new package for us!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* renyun on 5/17/2010 3:32:00 PM more reviews by renyun

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

If you have extremely oily skin then I suggest not buying this product. I have a lot of little bumps on my forehead so I was excited to try this product out. Unfortunately, this product not only did not reduce my blemishes, I actually broke out even more. I think the heavy gel consistency has actually been clogging my pores which aggravate my blemishes even more. DO NOT BUY IF YOU HAVE OILY SKIN. Severely disappointed, will not repurchase.

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ficklepickle on 4/11/2010 8:40:00 PM more reviews by ficklepickle

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Not sure if it did anything for my skin. I used it in both preventive and healing purposes. I do not see any effect unfortunately.

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Casanchez18 on 3/30/2010 11:15:00 PM more reviews by Casanchez18

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I use this product everyday for about half a year, and I really think its helped my skin become more clear. I'm not saying it cleared everything up, but it has improved my skin.I normally apply it before I apply any mositerizer to my face, before my make up.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* jandi on 3/19/2009 12:45:00 AM more reviews by jandi

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Did not seem to do much for me (although I get the nasty cystic type acne, so it might not be the right treatment for it). The texture is kind of sticky, so you can't really wear it during day time. The packaging is pretty awful, it is nearly impossible to get the product out once you have used about half of it. Will not repurchase.

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MauraLynn on 3/7/2009 9:57:00 PM more reviews by MauraLynn

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I don't know what's all this fuss about the serum not working, too oily, clogging the pores... and other whatnots.

...but that's maybe I haven't been using it for a long time yet. I'm into my first week of using this serum, and so far, so good. I use it everyday at night on my t-zone and forehead, because this thing actually does not dry me out, unlike other acne products which I will try only to use if I spot an acne coming up.


I'm 14, asian. I get tiny, mild whiteheads on my t-zone all the time, blackheads, and the occasional pimple on my face. Basically, my skin condition has been kept at an optimistic level, but that's only due to the amount of time, effort and money I spend on searching for skincare products. Normally, an episode of pimple and whiteheads will leave me with dry skin, but with this serum, I'm pretty sure that I can prevent some blemishes from appearing before treating the few tough one that has to be treated with strong acne treatments.

It is true that this serum does leave a film on my face... but not quite that oily. Still, I only reserve this for night use. This product didn't burn my face or anything, and it smelled alright.

The serum has a gel-like consistency, which I love. I also love the packaging. It's cheap, without being crappish, and it's really sanitary. The price really is affordable. I mean, such great products for this price, and if you think about it, it's actually quite reasonable. Mario Badescu says that the reason for the reasonable price is because that they cut down on the advertising and packaging cost, which is great.

Basically, this serum has been keeping my skin condition good. Of course, as I'm only into my first week of this stuff, I can't really tell exacly how effective it is. I was first drawn to this product by the list of ingredients (I'm not mentioning them because I'm pretty sure loads of other reviews will mention the ingredients and their effects), and now I'm happy I've purchased it. If the serum keeps up with its good work, I'll be sure to use it consistently. I will update after a few weeks.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

acbaker82 on 3/6/2009 1:19:00 AM more reviews by acbaker82

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This product had a weird oily feeling, but it soaked in ok, but didn't feel the greatest. It made my face feel hot? I don't know how to explain it, it was like the oil film was clogging the heat in. I still broke out the same amount, and if I used the product over two weeks I would get bad cystic acne. I have tried using this product a few times, as I still had tons of product left over. I really tried to love this stuff but it just didn't work. Too bad, I payed over 12 bucks for this little tube of nothing!

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xomissaudrey on 2/19/2009 6:43:00 PM more reviews by xomissaudrey

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

it works alright. i don't think it prevents my breakouts very well like it's supposed to, and this is very disappointing because i LOVE mario badescu.
instead i use acne.org/danielkern.org's treatment with the AHA+ at night.
(:

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Java on 2/8/2009 9:47:00 PM more reviews by Java

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

As a spot treatment, really effective at the first sign of a pimple coming, but does not do much for the full flown ones.

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JulesJoolz on 2/8/2009 5:33:00 PM more reviews by JulesJoolz

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

So far so good! I bought this for my 14 year old son who is experience mild to moderate acne. He's been using this for only 4 days but it, along with the MB Acne cleanser and Special Cleansing Lotion, has really worked a miracle with his skin. He's also been religious about cleaning his face each morning and evening so that might have made a difference as well. Hey, at this price, it's definitely worth a try. Very impressed with Mario Badescu's line - you just have to spend some time researching and figure out which products are best for you! Only giving a 4 at this time since my son has only been using for a few days, but if the results hold, this is definitely a 5 for us!

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angielynne on 1/21/2009 11:52:00 PM more reviews by angielynne

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Other    

I use this "serum" twice a day, started a couple months ago. I use it right after I use the buffering lotion all over, and together, with the Enzyme cleanser, my skin is now clear. I don't think that this works well for a spot treatment, it is very gentle, but it seems to work well to improve, slightly, the overall appearance of my skin, as well as be preventative, keeping my pores from developing clogs. I won't go without this and the buffering lotion, just went through my first bottles of both and just ordered two more of each.

It is more like a dense gel, than a true serum, I smear it on my face and after it absorbs, which doesn't take long and I can wear it under my make up.

It is my experience that mario badscu products work most effectively with each other. They are very simple, mostly gentle products (glycolic products in the line are pretty strong) that work steadily not often quickly. It has been about two months of regular use of my current routine to really turn my skin around, but it happened without excess scarring or drying. This product was part of my routine and it will stay with it. I don't think it is like the over the counter strong spot treatments, so if that is what you are looking for, then you should not buy this.

I want to add that the bottle is a pain in the bum, not easy to get out once it gets down low, that is why i gave the packaging such a low

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