10 best pimple patches, tried and tested on acne-prone skin

When testing, I found Hero’s mighty patch the best pimple patch. Owing to their thickness, I’d recommend wearing them overnight for around six to eight hours. While I slept, they absorbed all the gunk out of early-stage spots and whiteheads. I also found them to be effective even before a whitehead came up.

They’re practically see-through, and I could hardly feel them on my skin. But even better, I found them to have great staying power, remaining in place even after a full night’s sleep.

I tested the thicker original patches, but you can also buy a thinner daytime version (£7.99, Boots.com), as well as a larger version (£11.99, Boots.com) suitable for body acne or larger breakouts, which I’m sure would be just as effective.

It’s recommended to apply Cetaphil’s gentle clear pimple patches on early-stage spots as opposed to whiteheads, as they prevent spots from developing, so that’s exactly what I did during testing. I found that they worked in six hours, minimising the size and redness of blemishes.

I wore them during a workout and they stayed in place, so I can confirm that they are sweat-proof. And they can be worn under make-up, however, they are a little thicker than I expected, so they don’t appear completely seamless on the skin.

I’d recommend applying to your freshly dried skin as the patch won’t stick very well if there is any moisture, which was the case with all the patches I tested.

These power patch skin restore patches hail from Purifide, an acne-focused brand. They target whiteheads and are also packed with acne-fighting ingredients – niacinamide helps reduce inflammation, salicylic acid minimises sebum, while anti-bacterial zinc helps to calm the skin.

These patches can be worn during the day or overnight, up to 12 hours. I found that they work well even after the first use, minimising the sebum from spots after one night’s wear. I was impressed with how well these adhere to the skin, lasting well all night.

The patches come in two sizes and are relatively thin, meaning they’re generally discreet, even under make-up. Even better, you’ll be able to wear them to the gym as they’re water- and sweat-proof, which is always a plus.

These Garnier pure active invisible pimple patches can be worn under make-up, thanks to their thin design. When worn properly, on clear and dry skin, I found they stuck well and lasted throughout the day, and didn’t lift when applying foundation or powder on top. If you’re not a fan of wearing a pimple patch in broad daylight, I tested wearing these overnight and they stayed in place well.

The brand says it takes eight hours for these patches to flatten and reduce the appearance of spots, which I found to be true. The only downside is that they’re not suitable for large spots.

The Inkey List’s hydrocolloid invisible pimple patches are truly the best invisible spot stickers I’ve ever tried. The ingredients (salicylic and succinic acid) are fantastic for targeting spots, while the hydrocolloid smooths out whiteheads in a matter of hours.

I found that they work best at soothing medium-sized spots. I preferred to wear them overnight, but should you wish to wear them during the day, I found they decreased the size of whiteheads after just four hours.

As per Dr Ioannidi’s recommendation, I applied these using tweezers, and as they are so thin, I’d recommend you do the same.

I have continued to repurchase these Dots for Spots pimple patches over the years. These hydrocolloid patches are impressive at sucking all the gunk out of a spot. Small in size and sticking very well, they provide adequate cover when worn during the day or night.

They work best for spots that have come to a head, and from experience, they take around seven to eight hours to work on whiteheads. They are just thick enough that you can easily apply them without tweezers (although to avoid bacteria, I’d recommend using them), but still camouflage well on the skin.

Carbon Theory’s microdart technology targets whiteheads, cystic and stubborn pimples. The addition of salicylic acid also aids the spot treatment.

After applying these patches to cleansed and dry skin, gently press down on the spot for 20 seconds. It’s recommended to keep the patch on for about four hours (applying a new one as necessary). I left them on for a few hours and found my spots were less red and sore. You can definitely notice the patches on the skin, but they are relatively thin and stick well.

They help reduce inflammation of under-skin spots, and I found they stopped pimples from progressing further, while kick-starting the healing process. Although some reviewers have mentioned the patches left a little redness and irritation after removal, I didn’t have any problems, but you may want to patch test on a different area before using these on your face.

Taking the form of small, bright yellow stars, Starface’s hydro-star spot stickers are the cutest-looking patches I tested.

Their sticking power is not the best, and the size may be a bit small if you need to cover a bigger spot. But they seem to be popular with celebrities, with the likes of Anne Hathaway and Hailey Bieber having been spotted wearing the brand’s star-shaped spot stickers. However, I found these patches only work for a short amount of time (about four hours), so I’d keep these for smaller breakouts as opposed to deep, cystic spots.

Peace Out’s acne dots patches are on the thicker side, and although they didn’t seem to stick well at first, they stayed put throughout the day. You may not want to wear these patches out and about, as they are visible, but they work really well when it comes to removing sebum from whiteheads and protecting the area.

As well as hydrocolloid, salicylic acid is included to help clear sebum, while healing vitamin E and aloe vera leaf extract help to soothe redness and inflammation. Peace Out, a brand known for its effective acne-fighting products, delivers once again with these patches.

The ZitSticka patches were truly revolutionary when they first launched, as it was one of the first brands to create a microdart patch for spots. While the original ‘killa’ patch is still great for deep cystic spots, the ‘hyperfade’ version aims to target pigmentation, which I suffer from, after a breakout.

From ascorbic acid to niacinamide, the ingredients are fantastic for hyperpigmentation and wound healing. After trialling them, I found I needed more than one patch to diminish pigmentation, so you might end up needing a whole box for just one spot, which makes these a pricey option.