Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Grooming
  3. Evergreens

The 7 Best Men’s Acne Spot Treatments For Super Clean Skin

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Those annoying zits do have a way of popping out when you most want to avoid them, such as when you have a party coming up or date. Yikes! Fortunately, you can treat that one embarrassing acne blemish with the help of a non-drying acne spot treatment. Here is our roundup of the best acne spot treatments from some of our favorite skincare and grooming brands to help you treat random eruptions and acne scars. Restore your face to its former glory in 2022.

Related Guides:

Perricone MD Acne Relief Maximum Strength Spot Gel

Perricone MD Acne Spot Treatment
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Perricone MD — a brand known for its three-tier skincare and wellness system — has unveiled a new acne-fighting skincare line, and its spot gel is by far our favorite. Featuring a 2% concentration of zit-blasting salicylic acid, we found this spot gel helped reduce redness and swelling within hours of application.

Buy at Amazon Buy at Walmart

Recommended Videos

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Acne Eliminating Gel

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Dr. Dennis Gross skincare specializes in treating specific skin concerns like acne, which is why it’s no surprise that their spot gel works like a charm. Salicylic acid is the star ingredient here, and it comes in a lightweight formula for a super-easy application.

Buy at Dermstore

Murad Rapid Relief Acne Spot Treatment

Murad Rapid Relief Acne Spot Treatment
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This invisible gel can shrink a pimple in just four hours. Woke up with a giant zit? No problem. Apply this speedy spot treatment and it could be gone by lunchtime. It’s a fast-acting formulation that uses salicylic acid to exfoliate and clear pores, bringing down the redness quickly. Murad Rapid Relief Acne Spot Treatment is one of the best grooming products you’ll find.

Buy at Amazon Buy at Walmart

Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Spot Treatment

Kiehl's Blue Herbal Spot Treatment- .5 oz.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This blemish treatment has been a star in Kiehl’s lineup since 1964. Salicylic acid kills the eruption-causing bacteria, ginger root soothes and absorbs excess oil, and frankincense calms down your sebum (oil) production. Be sure to add this to your post-shave routine to take down annoying bumps and dislodge ingrown hairs. What’s more, you can use Kiehl’s Herbal Spot Treatment can be used to treat maskne.

Buy at Amazon Buy at Sephora

Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment

Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Benzoyl peroxide is an extremely effective ingredient used in most acne treatments. It really works. However, a high dose can irritate and dry out your skin, causing redness and inflammation. This pimple treatment is formulated with just the right amount to kill acne bacteria without causing further flare-ups. Best of all, you can find Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment right in your local drugstore at a great price, making it your potential go-to acne medication.

Buy at Walgreens

Dr. Sebagh Breakout Spot-On

Dr Sebagh Breakout Spot-On, 15ml
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When you need the pimple gone yesterday, reach for Dr. Sebagh’s powerful Breakout Spot-On. Dab it on the second you’re cursed with a blemish and watch it shrink like magic. This potion also reduces redness, tightens pores, and calms your skin. File this pimple treatment under pricey, but it’s worth the investment.

Buy at Mr Porter

Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment

Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Because you want that zit gone yesterday, this gel works fast to dissolve the oil gunking up your pores. Once your skin is clear, the medicated salicylic acid sinks in to reduce swelling and redness. Infused with skin-soothing witch hazel, we strongly recommend the non-drying Clean and Clear’s Acne Spot treatment if you have an oily, normal, or combination skin type.

Buy at Walmart

Christian Gollayan
Former Former contributor
As the former Associate Managing Editor, Christian Gollayan was in charge of the entire editorial team across The Manual. He… Read Full Bio
The Manual’s Grooming Awards Are Open for Submissions
Head, Person, Face

For eight years, The Manual’s Grooming Awards have done one thing: told readers which products actually work. Not which ones arrived in the nicest box, not which brand bought the most media. Which ones survived months of daily use on our own faces, in our own showers, and were still worth reaching for at the end.

This year, we’re opening the awards to submissions.

Read more
Who says wearing a hat worsens hair loss? GroWell disagrees
Driving, Person, Transportation

A couple of years ago, I took a flight to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines to meet with a hair transplant expert. It wasn’t for my scalp; it was for my beard. Stress-induced alopecia had ravaged one side of my face, and I was horribly self-conscious about it. Even images I took for my articles here on The Manual I would limit to the right side of my face. Ultimately, I got the transplant on the left side and went home happy. Now my right side is following suit, and I am considering the same thing again.

But what if I didn’t have to do all of that? What if there was a better way to treat hair loss? The secret is to get out in front of it early. Don’t wait. That doesn’t mean book a ticket on “Turkish Hairlines” and start going under the knife (dramatic, but you get the point). Instead, there is a better way to start early. Red light therapy. But, guys don’t always have the time. So the fix is in GroWell’s red light therapy hat. Who said wearing a hat causes you to go bald? That old wives’ tale is a thing of the past.

Read more
Why ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky Is Dead Wrong About Pedicures — and the Late Kobe Bryant Would Agree 
Accessories, Formal Wear, Tie

If the name Dan Orlovsky rings a bell, you probably know him for two things. He’s the quarterback who infamously ran out of the back of the end zone in 2008 as a member of the Detroit Lions. The move is considered such a bone-headed move that when Cody Kessler did the same thing in 2016, pundits wrote that Kessler pulled a Dan Orlovsky. The name also might ring a bell because of his takes as an NFL analyst on ESPN.

It turns out that there’s now a third reason why the name rings a bell. Earlier this week, Orlovsky said he’s completely against men getting pedicures. The subject came up after football fans learned that Florida Gators football coach John Sumrall, a no-nonsense tough guy, loves getting pedicures. Orlovsky appeared on Mike Greenberg’s Get Up show and made his feelings known.

Read more