Mario Badescu Skincare Guide: What to Buy, What to Skip

Mario Badescu is a family-owned skincare brand that started in 1967 as a facial salon in Manhattan and now sells inexpensive cleansers, mists and spot treatments at Ulta, Target and other retailers. Its best-known product is the pink Drying Lotion, a $18 overnight spot treatment, followed by the Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. The Drying Lotion works for many people with occasional whiteheads, the mists are mostly scent and water, and the brand's 2013 and 2014 lawsuits over undeclared steroids in two creams are worth knowing before you buy.

If you're unsure about a bottle, you can scan its barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check the formula against your skin type. Pori flags ingredients; it doesn't diagnose skin conditions.

This guide covers who makes Mario Badescu, what is in the famous products, what the steroid lawsuits alleged, and what to buy or skip. We compared published ingredient lists, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin. Prices are Ulta regular prices as of November 2026, unless we say otherwise.

Who is Mario Badescu and who owns the brand?

The brand is named after its founder. According to the company, Mario Badescu was a Romanian-born chemist and pharmacist who ran a skin laboratory in Vienna before moving to New York in 1966. In 1967 he began mixing products and giving facials in a small studio on East 52nd Street, and the salon still operates in Manhattan.

The company describes itself as family-owned and run across three generations. It says its formulas are developed and produced at its own facility in Edison, New Jersey, and that it does not test on animals. Those are the brand's own statements. Unlike CeraVe or La Roche-Posay, Mario Badescu does not belong to a large group such as L'Oréal, so there is no parent company publishing ingredient research or safety data alongside it.

What is in Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, and does it work?

The Drying Lotion is a two-layer liquid in a 1 oz bottle: clear alcohol on top, pink sediment at the bottom. Ulta and Target both list it at $18. The ingredient list on Target's Ulta Beauty listing reads: isopropyl alcohol, water, calamine, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, sulfur, camphor, talc, glycerin and salicylic acid.

• Sulfur: an old acne ingredient that dries the surface of a spot and absorbs oil. Our guide to sulfur for acne covers how it works.
• Salicylic acid: a beta hydroxy acid that loosens dead cells inside pores. Here it is the last ingredient on the list, so the amount is likely small.
• Calamine and zinc oxide: the pink sediment. They sit on the spot and dry it out.
• Isopropyl alcohol and camphor: the first gives the fast-drying effect; both can sting and irritate.

The directions are specific. At night, after cleansing, you dip a cotton swab into the pink sediment without shaking the bottle, dab it on the spot without rubbing it in, let it dry and rinse it off in the morning. The brand says not to use it on broken skin.

The listings we checked show no Drug Facts panel and no percentages, so the Drying Lotion is sold as a cosmetic. That matters for expectations. It can make a surface whitehead flatter and drier overnight, which is why it has a loyal following. It won't do much for deep, painful cysts or for acne across the whole face. For those, a regular treatment such as benzoyl peroxide or adapalene is the better plan; see our guides to cystic acne and whiteheads.

What is in the Mario Badescu Facial Spray?

The Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater is the brand's other famous product. Ulta sells it in 2, 4 and 8 oz bottles, with the 8 oz at $14. Ulta also lists other versions, such as aloe with cucumber and green tea, and aloe with chamomile and lavender.

Ulta's ingredient list for the rose spray starts with water, propylene glycol and aloe leaf juice, then rosa canina (rose hip) extract, thyme, bladderwrack and gardenia extracts. Further down it lists parfum (fragrance), citronellol and geraniol, plus two dyes, Red 33 and Blue 1. Rose water itself does not appear on that list. The rose scent comes from the fragrance and its components.

A mist like this feels nice and can freshen up makeup. It adds very little hydration on its own, because water evaporates quickly. If your skin is sensitive to scent, the fragrance and the two fragrance allergens on the label are reasons to skip it. Our article on fragrance and essential oils in skincare explains why those ingredients bother some people, and what toner does covers what a mist or toner can and can't do.

What was the Mario Badescu steroid lawsuit about?

Two of the brand's creams, Healing Cream and Control Cream, were the subject of lawsuits alleging they contained corticosteroids that were not on the label. Both creams were marketed as botanical products.

The 2013 California class action

In February 2013, buyers filed a class action in Los Angeles County Superior Court (Choi v. Mario Badescu Skin Care Inc., case BC501173). It alleged that Healing Cream and Control Cream contained two undisclosed steroids, hydrocortisone and triamcinolone acetonide, and that these can cause burning, itching and thinning of the skin. The case settled. Under the settlement, buyers could claim a $45 certificate for each of the two creams, usable on Mario Badescu products or at its New York salon, with a final hearing set for May 2014.

The 2014 New Jersey lawsuit

On September 25, 2014, 31 former customers sued Mario Badescu, Inc. and its New York salon company in New Jersey Superior Court (Restaino et al. v. Mario Badescu, Inc., MID-L-5830-14). According to the plaintiffs' lawyers, the complaint alleged that the creams contained hydrocortisone and triamcinolone acetonide, the latter above prescription strength, and that users developed problems including Cushing's syndrome, adrenal suppression, cataracts and glaucoma. These are allegations from the plaintiffs' side. We did not find a public record of how that case ended.

We could not confirm from the brand whether either cream is still made. Two practical points remain. First, if you still have an old jar of Healing Cream or Control Cream, don't use it. Second, if you used either cream for a long time and your skin changed, tell a dermatologist which product it was. Steroid creams are useful medicines when a doctor prescribes them, for a set time and a set area. The problem alleged here was that buyers didn't know they were using one.

Which Mario Badescu cleanser should you buy?

The cleansers are cheap, but they are older-style formulas: most carry fragrance, several use parabens, and one uses a harsh detergent. Here is how three common ones compare.

The Enzyme Cleansing Gel is the safest everyday pick of the three for normal to oily skin. It holds a 4.2-star average from more than 1,000 Ulta reviews, and the most common complaint is that it doesn't remove makeup well. On makeup days, pair it with an oil or balm first; our guide to double cleansing shows how.

The Cleansing Oil turns milky when you add water and rinses off. One odd detail: it is sold as "with Chamomile," yet Ulta's ingredient list names lavender oil and no chamomile. If lavender irritates you, skip it. Our roundup of the best cleansing oils for makeup removal has fragrance-free options.

The Glycolic Foaming Cleanser is the one we'd be careful with. Its first ingredient is sodium lauryl sulfate, a strong detergent that can dry and irritate (see sulfates in face wash). It also contains glycolic acid, fragrance and diazolidinyl urea, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. The brand itself says it isn't a daily wash, isn't for sensitive skin, and shouldn't be used with prescription topicals or on broken-out skin. It also says to wear sunscreen while using it and for a week after.

What should you skip from Mario Badescu?

• Any old Healing Cream or Control Cream. These are the creams named in the steroid lawsuits.
• The Glycolic Foaming Cleanser if your skin is dry, sensitive or on a retinoid. A gentle wash plus a separate leave-on acid is easier to control. Our guide to exfoliating acids for beginners explains how to start.
• The Facial Spray if fragrance bothers you. It is mostly water, propylene glycol and scent.
• The Drying Lotion on broken or picked skin, or all over the face. It is a spot product with alcohol and camphor.
• Doubling up drying products. Drying Lotion on top of a glycolic wash and an acne cream is a fast route to flaking. Add one product at a time; our guide to introducing new products shows how.

Is Mario Badescu good for acne-prone or sensitive skin?

For acne-prone skin, the Drying Lotion is a reasonable spot treatment for surface whiteheads. Most of the rest of the line won't treat acne, and the fragrance in many products is a risk if your skin reacts easily. If you want a daily acne wash, a fragrance-free salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide cleanser is a better base; see the best face wash for acne.

For sensitive skin, read every label. Fragrance, lavender oil, essential-oil allergens such as geraniol and citronellol, parabens and sulfates show up across the line. Patch test anything new on your jaw or inner arm for a few days first. If you have rosacea, eczema or acne that keeps coming back, a dermatologist is the right next step.

How does Mario Badescu compare with other drugstore brands?

Prices are close to CeraVe's, at roughly $14 to $18 a bottle at Ulta. The difference is in the formulas. Brands like CeraVe, La Roche-Posay and Cetaphil keep most of their face cleansers and moisturizers fragrance-free and built around barrier ingredients. Mario Badescu leans on botanical extracts and scent. If you love the Drying Lotion, keep it as your spot treatment and build the rest of your routine from simpler fragrance-free basics. Our drugstore skincare routine and the cleansers catalogue are good places to start.