Calamine Lotion

This is an old-school remedy for anything itchy, red, and broken out.....and it’s great as a primer for oily areas. I’m 51 and have been using Calamine Lotion since I was a teenager. My skin is dry as a bone nowadays, but I will still use this product for the occasional itchies (especially winter skin). Calamine lotion is a must have in my skin and makeup arsenals.👍🏼

This is a great spot treatment for acne. My mom told me about this, she used this when she was a teenager and was too poor to buy BP treatments. Instead of irritating the crap out of your blemishes like BP does, it dries but soothes them away. For really nasty cysts I first apply a layer of Mario Badescu buffering lotion which is basically sulfur and zinc. After that dries I apply the calamine. However, the calamine does leave a pink spot so this is best used at night or at home.

very good product for spots and pimples, I use it overnight. helps to calm the redness on the spot and heals it quicker.

I bought this because of reviews on MUA and it really does work!!!! I have a really bad habit of picking at any blemishes I have (trying so hard to quit) and yesterday I felt a bit one brewing under the skin on my cheek. I tried squeezing it once which obviously was a bad idea and made it red and inflamed. To stop myself I took a q tip and put some calamine on it and left it overnight. The results in the morning were amazing!! The swelling Went down completely and the redness reduced 90%. I am so pleased with the results. Plus you only need a tiny bit of product and the bottle is huge so for $3 Canadian a bottle will last you forever.

I will say though, I’ve seen a lot of reviews about putting this on a popped pimple and I do not advise it unless you’re okay with having a pink spot on your face until the scab heals. I found putting it on acne scabs only made me want to pick them more because the pink product gets soaked into the scab and stays even after washing. Definitely an HG product for those pimples that are at the beginning stages!

Works for some spots, not for others. I find it is ineffective on my deep cysts but on smaller acne it helps clear it. Definitely worth the buy. I also use this under makeup to hide the redness of the cyst ( normal makeup doesn’t cover them for long and I’m not a fan of heavy makeup while I’m breaking out) so I’m not longer worried that there’s going to be big red beacons on my chin and forehead. I rated packaging 2 because the one I buy comes in a large glass bottle I have to use my own plastic travel bottles for it.

LONG READ! - During my 26 years of life, I have struggled with my skin on many levels. I am writing this review because I truly hope I can help someone feel better about their skin by using this.

My skin is fair in complexion, very oily on my nose, moderately oily on my forehead and just minimally oily on my chin, but normal to dry on my cheeks - so basically combination skin in extremes. I am prone to clogged pores when i try most new products which leads to white heads, which then leads to me picking the buggers and being left with red, scabbed skin which is OH SO pleasant to deal with when wearing makeup the next day. I am sure that I am not alone when I say that after having extracted pimples and going to sleep, my face is so red I sincerely dread waking up in the morning and trying to cover it up. It just feels shitty knowing you have to deal with that in the morning (cue the violins please).

Moving onto my best friend, Calamine Lotion. I one day stumbled upon this gem reading a review on acne.org - they said it was effective in reducing redness, clearing pimples, and it was cheap. I am somewhat addicted to trying new things, and I thought - what the hell... sounds pretty decent. I put the calamine lotion on my face that night, and left it on for a few hours, washed it off and woke up the next morning with noticeably calmer skin, even the pimples that were picked before were too. I remember being in shock thinking to myself - wtf!!! this actually worked???

When applying this as a mask, because it has bentonite clay as a main ingredient, it will definitely pull whatever gunk you have to the surface be it oils and congestion. So on this note I do advise to not to blame this if you get a pimple or two the next day, its bringing the dirt to the surface and they will be gone shortly.

Freshly popped pimple - if you know you popped the living shit out of your pimple and there is no life left, put this on for an hour or two, and once this is removed your little friend will be significantly flatter, less irritated, and on its way to healing.

I have used this as a primer before, however, it only looks good for a few hours until it starts to get cakey and patchy. As i said, it brings out the oils and they then sit on your face under the makeup. Some people have used this in conjunction with their liquid foundation and said it looked good, I haven't tried that method.

I like to keep mine in the fridge and apply this with either a cotton pad if i want a thick layer, or a fan brush for a more thin layer. (thinner the layer the better as it is able to dry and while drying pull gunk more effectively to the surface).

In the past I have slept with this on at night, but find that it should only be a thin layer so the skin can breath a little and I would only suggest this if you have a sunburn or have really irritated your skin from something else. Sleeping with this I have found clogs pores (DUH Adrienne....) so best to keep it on as a mask.

Hope any of this helps anyone!

Calamine lotion is a basic zinc oxide coloured with ferric oxide. It has a mild drying action on the skin.This review is for pure Calamine lotion, not CaladRYL. People have been using Calamine lotion for years to relieve itchiness from chicken pox, eczema, rashes, poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak. HIstorical medical records from as early as 1500 BCE show Calamine lotion being used as a skin treatment! Many acne medications include calamine. My kids and I find Calamine Lotion to be the best medicine for soothing cystic acne and mosquito bites. In acne "drying lotions", Calamine shrinks the affected tissue and soothes itching, allowing the active ingredients (alcohol/sulfur/salicylic acid, etc.) to effectively dry out cysts or bites.

The treatment called Caladryl is Calamine lotion with an antihistimine (Diphenhydramine). Caladryl = Calamine + Benadryl.

Some treatments for sensitive skin/acne that include calamine: Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, LUSH Fresh Farmacy, Indie Lee Blemish Lotion, LUSH Aqua Marina, Lacto Calamine.

I saw that this said it was a drying lotion and that the medical ingredient was zinc. I thought this would be a great spot treatment AND IT IS even for blind pimples (under the skin) it isn't over drying and still helps draw out all the crap. its cheap and easy to find

Please read!

Folks, please be advised- this product review listing on MUA was created for calamine lotion - NOT Caladryl!!!! These are two completely different products and confusing them could be dangerous to your skin.

If you are looking for calamine lotion (popular for face primer) buy only calamine lotion - thats exactly how its listed at the store. Calamine lotion is nothing more than zinc + ferric oxide + clay + calcium hydroxide (lime) - those are the only true "active/inactive" ingredients. Its an actual lotion. Calamine lotion does NOT come in a clear form.

Caladryl and Caladryl clear are calamine PLUS an antihistamine!! It has a topical analgesic to numb pain and swelling. You do not want to slather this as a primer for your face. I'm not sure if caladryl is what folks are spot treating for acne - it may work - but just be aware that in the reviews below- its clear that some ppl are getting confused as to what product was originally being used for this entry. Look at the ingredient list for this; it shouldnt have HCl as an active ingredient!!!

I looked back at the very first entry/entries for this listing - the reviewers specifically mention plain calamine lotion and to NOT get it confused with Caladryl/Caladryl clear!! To put it simply, calamine lotion is quite basic - its zinc with clay. Caladryl has actual medicine in it, like Benadryl does to take down an allergic reaction (both end in -dryl). Please make sure you are using the right product!!! The main cover photo is misleading - its not the same thing.

I plan to try calamine lotion for my oily skin to see if it helps. NOT Caladryl.

I have no idea why they aren't marketing this as an acne treatment. This stuff is INCREDIBLE at clearing up acne.
I had severe acne, hormonal cystic on my jawline and regular acne pretty much everywhere else on my face. I tried pretty much every acne soap & treatment they had at the drugstore and nothing worked, I started googling alternative treatments and found this and it's saved my life. I slather it all over my face every night, it's very drying but I when I wake up I just wash it off and put on moisturizer and my skin feels great. Once it starts working you can probably use it less frequently or use it as a spot treatment.
Oh ya, bonus: It also helps fade the scars from the acne and reduces redness. What. The. Heck.