This Magical Product Made All My Breakouts Disappear

by Faith Xue

You know when you think of a particular beauty product and you just feel an overwhelming rush of positive emotions (e.g., gratitude, warmth, undying love)? Like, you know you probably shouldn’t feel this strongly for something that isn’t a human being, and perhaps it’s slightly unhealthy and doesn’t speak well of the state of your life, but you can’t help it anyway? That’s how I feel toward the miracle product that is Medik8’s betaGel. This small, unassuming tube of clear gel came across my desk a few weeks ago, and since I have discovered it, I can honestly say—not to sound completely cliché but knowing it will sound that way—my life has changed for the better. And by my life, I mean my forehead—which has a direct effect on my mood and state of emotions and therefore is pretty much the same thing as my life. Allow me to explain. Keep scrolling to find out why I want to yell my love for this little-known spot treatment from the rooftops.

Related: Are You a Victim of Hormonal Breakouts? Read This Now.

It was any other Tuesday (or so I thought), and my fellow Byrdie editors and I were meeting with Dara Kennedy, the lovely and knowledgeable founder of nontoxic-beauty boutique Ayla. She left me with a few of her favorite products, one of which happened to be this slightly medicinal-looking acne gel from London-based line Medik8. “This is one of our best sellers,” she tells me. “It literally clears up zits overnight.” I nodded politely and set it aside on my desk, having heard this promise from, oh, I don’t know, every single acne product that has ever existed. A few weeks went by before I thought of the product again, and that was because I was experiencing another bout of a random breakout I had been suffering from for the past six months. This breakout would erupt randomly, without warning, and I would always wake up with a cluster of small, gross-looking whiteheads in the middle of my forehead and even sometimes reaching down to my eye area. It would last a few days, during which time I was mortified to go out in public or do anything social, and then disappear of its own accord. It was the bane of my existence, and I had tried everything (and as a beauty editor, you really know I mean everything) to remedy it, with no avail.

The breakout had reared its ugly (white) head yet again, and I could tell from the bumps that were appearing that I would wake up with a forehead zit situation in full force. I happened to notice the betaGel still on my desk from the prior week’s deskside and decided to take it home to see if it lived up to its bold claims.

To put it shortly, it did. The gel looked like any other acne spot treatment gel, clear and fragrance-free, but I was surprised that it didn’t burn like the other gels when I applied it (somewhat desperately) to my forehead before bed. The next morning, I woke up feeling resigned, knowing it was going to be one of “those days”—but it wasn’t. No, I stared into the mirror at a reflection with a forehead that was completely blemish-free, where there had been a burgeoning breakout just a few hours before. No angry red bumps or even a hint of them remained. My forehead was smooth and clear, showing no evidence of the angry breakout from the night before. I was shocked. I was ecstatic. I didn’t quite know what to do with myself, and so resorted to immediately shoving my forehead in my co-worker’s face when she walked into work that morning. (She was impressed too, by the way.) But, perhaps this was just a strange coincidence. There was always a small chance that it was one of those fluke experiences that doesn’t reflect on the actual product. So, a few weeks later when the same annoying breakout started showing up (can someone diagnose me, please?), I—with a wary but hopeful heart—applied Medik8’s betaGel to my forehead again before bed, not knowing what to expect. In the morning, my forehead was once again smooth, clear, and bump-free. I could not believe it. I had actually found an acne product that does what so many thousands of other acne products promise: get rid of acne overnight. 

Related: How to Beat Body Breakouts Once and for All

High on life and in a remarkably good mood, I hit up Kennedy and asked her how exactly she came to find this little-known skincare gem. “I came across Medik8 when I was searching for a brand that was sort of like a clean, green Skinceuticals—well respected by professionals and laser-focused on the use of effective ingredients at the right concentrations, without the extra ‘fluff,’” she told me. “I love the fact that they are so creative with their formulations, combining different actives at different concentrations to achieve the best results—and sometimes, contrary to expectation, that means using less of a given active ingredient.” She told me about her own experience with betaGel, which was similar to mine in the fact that it made her zits disappear overnight, and explained a bit more about Medik8’s creative formulation. “Instead of throwing a ton of salicylic acid at the problem, betaGel combines less salicylic acid than you typically find in acne treatments with azelaic acid, niacinamide, and dioic acid, which helps heal breakouts, calm redness and irritation, and prevent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.” So basically, this miracle product is a potent combination of all the best ingredients to not only treatacne, but also prevent it from leaving marks and scarring—all without stripping the skin with harsh ingredients. In other words, it was the holy grail of acne products.

As for the feedback Kennedy has gotten from her customers? Well, their reactions seem to be akin to my own. “Our customers love this product,” she says. “A lot of people tell us that it works overnight. Many people have told us that it’s helped with scarring. We have a lot of parents who buy it for their teenage (and adult) children because they really see it helping—as a mom, that’s particularly touching for me to hear. Once you try it and see how well it works, you never want to be without it.” As someone who has experienced the powers of this magical under-the-radar beauty gem, I can echo that sentiment wholeheartedly. In fact, I almost considered not writing this story for selfish reasons, but decided it was better to share my discovery with the world. Karma and such, you know.

You can buy Medik8 betaGel at AylaBeauty.com.

Keep scrolling to shop some other great products that soothe acne flare-ups!

Kate Somerville EradiKate Mask Foam-Activated Acne Treatment

Related: Expert Advice to Fight Adult Breakouts  

Protective Nourishment Cranberry Mint Gelt 

Skin Inc. Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask 

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