I used and reviewed Kate Somerville EradiKate before and it worked great for me, but it looks exactly the same as Mario Badescu Drying Lotion so I decided to go for the cheaper option this time. I previously tried Mario Badescu Drying Cream and it worked great in reducing red, bumpy under the skin acne. However, it was in a jar and I don’t need that much. If you get breakout very often then I’d definitely recommend it. 
The KS EradiKate and MB Drying Lotion both contain a clear liquid on top with pink clay sediments on the bottom. The pink part is the actual acne medication. To apply, you need to dip a cotton swab in until the tip reaches the pink clay sediments and apply the pink solution onto your acne.
In terms of ingredients, both of them are very similar. The first two ingredients, alcohol and water, are the clear solution on top to keep the pink acne-reducing powder from drying out. Both products contain sulfur and salicylic acid, which are antibacterial and helps to dissolve/shed dead skin cells and other pore clogging junk. They also contain camphor and zinc oxide to reduce skin irritations. With that said, there are a few differences between the two products (highlighted in red below).
Mario Badescu ($17) Ingredients: Isopropyl Alcohol, Aqua (Water,Eau), Calamine, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Sulfur, Camphor, Talc, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid.
- Calamine – treats pain, itchiness and discomfort.
- Titanium Dioxide – protects the skin from the sun, a brief search online actually showed that this is not great for acne-prone skin.
- Talc – absorbs moisture and prevents caking, may be bad for acne-prone skin.
- Glycerin – moisturizes the skin.
EradiKate ($26) Ingredients: (Active ingredient: 10% sulfur). Isopropyl Alcohol, Water, Camphor, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Salicylic Acid, Iron Oxides (CI 77489, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947)
- Magnesium Aluminum Silicate – natural mineral from clay used as thickener.
- Iron Oxides – nontoxic and nonirritating coloring agents.
In terms of their differences, Mario Badescu Drying Lotion contains calamine and glycerin so it is slightly more moisturizing/soothing but it also contains titanium dioxide and talc, which may be bad for acne-prone skin. While EradiKate also contains a useless ingredient, iron oxides, it is at least not potentially harmful for acne-prone skin. More importantly, the magnesium aluminum silicate in EradiKate explains the difference I felt when using both.
After opening the bottles, they both smell the same, look the same and feel like the same pink powdery clay as you dot it onto the face. However, as it dries, EradiKate stays on my acne spot while MB Drying Lotion crumbles into powders whenever I frown, laugh or move my face and only half of it stayed on the spot. I noticed that MB Drying Lotion was not as effective/fast at reducing acne as EradiKate. However, I’m not sure if it is because EradiKate has a higher concentration of acne-fighting ingredients (10% sulfur!) or if it’s because it stays on my skin better than MB Drying Lotion.
In addition to the effectiveness, EradiKate contains more actual products. When I first bought it, EradiKate is half pink powder and half water/alcohol, the red arrow indicates how much powder was left after a year of use. While Mario Badescu is only a third pink powder and two third water/alcohol, the red arrow indicates how much powder is in this brand new bottle I just bought.
Overall, EradiKate worked better for me than Mario Badescu for reducing acne, or at least it stays on throughout the night. If your skin is too sensitive for EradiKate, then maybe try Mario Badescu. When it comes to amount for the price, EradiKate contains more product than Mario Badescu so the extra price is justified. If the clear water/alcohol solution on top is mostly gone, I recommend adding distilled water+alcohol mixture to keep it wet. If it’s completely gone, then the pink solution hardens and it’s not usable anymore. I usually use clay masks as spot treatment, but for really big/bad acne, EradiKate is what I always reach for. What do you use when you get big red, bumpy and irritated acne?
Chic Dabbling 