TikTok Swears by Murad's Deep Relief Acne Treatment for Cystic Breakouts

If you've ever had a deep, cystic breakout, you know how painful and stubborn they can be—not to mention the emotional turmoil they can cause. It's no wonder, then, that often people resort to prescription treatments or in-office cortisone steroid shots to treat this type of acne. But more drastic measures don't have to be your only options: with its viral spot treatment, Murad is offering another solution, no derm required.

The Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment ($44) was formulated specifically to treat deep breakouts—and according to TikTok, it works like a dream. This spot treatment went viral on the app, with users showing impressive before-and-after shots of their breakouts. But is this product really worth the hype? Read on for all of the details on the Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment—plus, our honest review.

The Product

Murad's Deep Relief Acne Treatment's formula is full of acne-fighting ingredients, including 2% salicylic acid, amino acid tecnhology, phyosteriod, and an invisible film-forming polymer. So, um, what does all of that mean? As a chemical exfoliant, salicylic acid can help target inflammation and reduce excess oil. Meanwhile, the amino acids combat acne-causing bacteria and the phytosteroid calms pain and reduces redness. Finally, the polymer acts as a seal for all of these ingredients, so that the spot treatment is as effective as possible.

And TikTok's not the only one who loves this combination. Per Murad's website, in an 8-week study, 82% of participants noticed their breakouts were "less red" after using Murad's Deep Relief Acne Treatment. 88% said the treatment "calmed and soothed their acne."

How to Apply

Before applying this spot treatment, start by thoroughly washing your face. Then, use a cotton swap (or a cotton round or a clean finger) to apply the formula directly on your breakouts. After letting it dry, follow up with moisturizer.

You can apply this product twice a day, morning and night. Just keep in mind that you should put sunscreen overtop the treatment if you're applying it during the day.

The Hype

When it comes to achieving clear skin, TikTok's ready to try almost anything. Fortunately, this time, it seems like they found a product worth going viral. In one video, which now has 3.4 million views, a TikTok user showed her 5-day journey using the Deep Relief Acne Treatment.

At the start, she explains, "I have some deep-set acne going on in this area. It's very congested." But over the five days, her skin noticeably improves to the point where you can barely see the breakouts. Her take on the product? "This is unreal. Best thing I've ever used, hands down. Run, don't walk."

In another video, a TikTok user gave her review of the product. "I have these two hormonal pimples going on, which are super painful and they're looking kind of red, kind of angry," she explained. After two days of use, she gave an update, "Overall, the area just feels a lot less painful. It looks a lot less red. It's less swollen."

Before completely buying into the TikTok hype, we decided to put the product to the test ourselves. Ahead, our honest review of the Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment.

The Review

"Getting on a prescription-strength retinoid and birth control has really gotten my acne under control, but no one (and no acne treatment) is perfect. I still experience the odd breakout here and there, and when I do, hydrocolloid pimple patches are typically my first line of defense to dry out the breakout and keep me from picking. That being said, patches can take a few days to flatten my whiteheads. So when I saw Murad's new spot treatment going viral on TikTok for working overnight miracles on breakouts, I jumped at the chance to try.

"I applied this treatment right before bed and found that my pimple had practically disappeared overnight. As you can see, the whitehead is completely gone—and the surrounding inflammation is significantly subdued. My only complaint is that this definitely dried out my skin in the area where I applied it (you can see that my skin is a bit red and flaky in that area), so be sure to really focus your application only on the active breakout. That being said, I personally find that a dry patch is much easier to deal with (and apply makeup over) than an active breakout, so I will definitely be using this treatment again." —Holly Rhue, Associate Editorial Director