There’s a specific scent that whisks me straight back to my teenage bedroom, somewhere between antiseptic and rotting eggs. I’m talking about the scent of every “miracle” drying lotion I lathered onto my skin before bed.
Back then, I swore by Mario Badescu’s classic drying lotion, or Eve Lom’s equally pungent and oh-so-dry Dynaspot (which has, sadly, since been discontinued). These were products that promised to shrink a zit overnight (if you could endure the fumes), as well as the itchy dryness after a night covered in the stuff. Teenage acne, however, is a fickle beast; mine was mostly hormonal, and no amount of sulphur or salicylic witchcraft could coax my skin out of its tantrums.
These days, my breakouts are fewer, but infinitely more ill-timed. They tend to appear just before events I care about, and my current holy grail is more of a soother than a dedicated zit remover.
I pick up a Cortizone-10 cream from CVS whenever I visit the States. It’s cheap enough to buy in multiples and effective enough to have me mournfully counting down until my next transatlantic trip.
But I’ve been on the hunt for something speedier, with more immediate results.
So, when a little glass bottle from Malin+Goetz landed on my desk – the brand’s 10 per cent sulfur paste – I was intrigued.
It made me instantly nostalgic, in the way vintage perfumes do, or the first time you walk past a Lush shop after a decade away.
In its little glass vial lives a classic, sulfur-powered spot treatment: 10 % active sulphur, harnessed for its antibacterial and keratolytic (that is dead-skin-shedding) power, supported by salicylic acid to clear out pores without over-stripping, soothing zinc oxide to help stem signs of scarring, and cooling camphor to calm the irritated red welts. It’s all suspended in a thixotropic base of isopropyl alcohol, water, and magnesium aluminium silicate to keep the formula stable yet spreadable. All this to say: don’t shake before use.
No-nonsense spot-zapping formulas are back in fashion – acne stickers and terrifying medieval extraction contraptions be damned. The sediment-in-liquid presentation, the ritual of dipping a cotton bud straight down to the bottom without shaking, feels like skincare muscle memory.
I decided to give it a road test in the highest-stakes environment possible: a few days before Margate Pride, when an angry spot appeared dead centre on my forehead, threatening to derail both my makeup look and my mood.
What I wasn’t expecting was how much this Malin+Goetz iteration feels like the grown-up version of my teenage arsenal. It’s cleaner, more considered, and, I’m happy to report, a little less assaultive. Still sulphur-y enough to be recognisable, but without the cloying, paint-stripper edge. And, spoiler: it works.
Key ingredients
The star of the show is 10% sulphur, a long-trusted antibacterial and keratolytic active that helps dry out spots while sloughing off dead skin.
Salicylic acid works alongside it to unclog pores, while zinc oxide soothes inflammation and helps prevent post-blemish pigmentation. A touch of camphor offers a cooling, calming effect, and the alcohol-water suspension keeps the formula stable while allowing it to dry quickly on the skin.
Ease of use
It couldn’t be simpler to apply. Simply dip a cotton bud straight into the bottle (absolutely no shaking!), collect the bright white sediment, and dot it directly onto blemishes before bed. It dries quickly, doesn’t run, and stays put overnight – though the sulphur scent is still distinct enough to notice when you catch a whiff.
Functionality
This is very much a targeted spot treatment, not an all-over serum. It works best on emerging or inflamed blemishes, helping to flatten and calm them within a night or two. While it won’t prevent future breakouts, it’s an excellent SOS product for those unwelcome, right-before-an-event flare-ups. It also works under makeup the next day if you wipe away the dried residue carefully.
In my before-and-after shots, you can still see a slight bump – but it’s nothing on the unsightly whitehead there before treatment.
All in all, it’s sleek, grown-up update on the sulphur drying lotions of my teenage years, with fewer harsh edges and more refined supporting ingredients. It’s effective, quick-acting, and a welcome addition to the modern spot-treatment line-up, especially for those nostalgic for the classics but wanting a cleaner, more considered formula.
Malin+Goetz 10% sulfur paste
A targeted overnight treatment designed to shrink blemishes fast, Malin + Goetz’s Acne Treatment Nighttime combines 10% sulphur with salicylic acid to dry out spots and clear congested pores.
Zinc oxide helps soothe inflammation and minimise post-blemish marks, while camphor delivers a cooling, calming effect. The sediment-in-liquid formula is applied directly to blemishes with a cotton bud — no shaking required — forming a protective layer as it works.
Use it for sudden breakouts, and enjoy the refined, modern take on the classic sulphur drying lotion.
Buy now £25.00, Malin+Goetz
Effective alternatives
Kate Somerville EradiKate Blemish Spot Treatment
This is a potent overnight ally featuring 10% sulfur to address existing breakouts and help prevent new ones.
Kate Somerville’s classic spot treatment blends BHA salicylic acid to exfoliate and unclog pores, soothing zinc oxide to absorb excess oil and calm irritation, plus a hit of camphor for a cooling, clarifying finish.
Housed in a no-nonsense, sediment-in-liquid format, it targets blemishes with old-school efficiency.
Buy now £25.00, Cult Beauty
The Ordinary Sulfur 10% Powder-to-Cream Concentrate
A clever, mess-free spot treatment that transforms from powder into a translucent cream on contact.
It delivers a high 10% dose of colloidal sulfur to shrink blemishes in under an hour, while niacinamide and L-carnitine help control oil and soothe inflammation.
Travel-ready and discreet under makeup, it offers precision targeting without the tell-tale sulfur scent.
Buy now £9.00, The Ordinary
Dr. Jart+ Teatreement Soothing Spot
A concentrated, chalky-pink spot treatment crafted to calm angry breakouts without overdrying.
Packed with 9.9% calamine to absorb excess oil, plus Australian tea tree leaf to purify and niacinamide to regulate sebum and brighten, it’s a soothing solution for blemish-prone skin. Infused with salicylic acid and colloidal sulfur, it gently exfoliates and clears clogged pores.
Dermatologist-tested and ideal for targeted use, this non-fussy corrector delivers classic calming power with modern hydration
Buy now £19.50, Space NK
