Toothpaste can temporarily dry out a pimple, but it does more harm than good. The ingredients that create that drying sensation also irritate skin, damage its protective barrier, and can leave you with a worse breakout than you started with. The American Academy of Dermatology is blunt about it: keep toothpaste on your teeth, not your face.
Why Toothpaste Seems to Work
The idea isn’t completely random. Toothpaste contains baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and menthol, all of which pull moisture out of tissue. When you dab it on a swollen pimple overnight, you wake up to a flatter, drier spot, and it feels like a win. Some toothpastes also contain triclosan, an antibacterial agent that can kill surface bacteria. That combination of drying and mild antimicrobial action is why this home remedy has persisted for decades.
The problem is that none of these ingredients are formulated for skin. They’re designed to clean tooth enamel, which is the hardest substance in your body. Facial skin, especially skin that’s already inflamed from a pimple, is far more vulnerable.
How Toothpaste Damages Your Skin
The most significant culprit is a foaming agent called sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS. It’s what makes toothpaste lather. On skin, SLS distorts cell membrane proteins, impairs your skin’s barrier function, and causes dehydration. A damaged barrier doesn’t just feel tight and dry. It actually shifts the balance of bacteria living on your skin, increasing populations of potential pathogens while reducing the protective species that help skin heal. In other words, the very thing you’re using to fight a pimple can set the stage for more breakouts.
Beyond SLS, the baking soda in toothpaste is abrasive and highly alkaline. Healthy skin sits at a slightly acidic pH (around 4.5 to 5.5). Pushing it toward alkaline territory weakens its defenses. Hydrogen peroxide, meanwhile, can cause a chemical irritation that looks a lot like a mild burn: redness, peeling, and a stinging sensation that lingers after you wash the toothpaste off. Some people develop full contact dermatitis, with cracked, peeling skin around the area and persistent itching.
Color dyes, whitening agents, and artificial flavors round out the list of things in toothpaste that have no business touching inflamed facial skin. As dermatologist Ramone F. Williams has put it, none of these ingredients fight acne, but they can all irritate or harm your skin.
If You Already Applied Toothpaste
Rinse the area gently with cool water and pat dry. If the skin is red, stinging, or peeling, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly two to three times daily to help restore the moisture barrier. Avoid putting any active acne treatments on the irritated spot until the redness and sensitivity calm down, which usually takes a day or two. Protect the area from sun exposure while it heals, since damaged skin is more prone to dark marks and discoloration.
What Actually Works on Pimples
Two over-the-counter ingredients have strong evidence behind them, and both are inexpensive.
- Benzoyl peroxide kills acne-causing bacteria beneath the skin while removing excess oil and dead cells. It’s one of the most effective acne-fighting ingredients available without a prescription and works especially well on red, pus-filled pimples. Products come in 2.5%, 5%, and 10% concentrations. Start low. The 2.5% version causes less dryness and irritation while performing nearly as well as higher strengths for most people.
- Salicylic acid dissolves the debris clogging your pores and dries out excess oil. It’s best for blackheads and whiteheads rather than deep, inflamed pimples. Over-the-counter products range from 0.5% to 2% for leave-on treatments. Used regularly, it also helps prevent new clogged pores from forming.
If you want something gentler for a pimple you’ve already picked at, hydrocolloid pimple patches are a solid option. These small stickers are made from a wound-healing gel that absorbs pus and oil, helping drain the blemish while covering it to prevent infection and further picking. They won’t irritate the surrounding skin the way a drying agent can. Some patches include added salicylic acid or tea tree oil, but the plain versions work well on their own and are the safest choice for sensitive or already-irritated skin.
Why the Drying Approach Backfires
The appeal of toothpaste, and of any harsh drying agent, is the visible shrinking effect. But aggressively drying out a single pimple strips the surrounding skin of its natural oils. Your skin responds by producing more oil to compensate, which can trigger new breakouts in the same area. This cycle is why people who rely on harsh spot treatments often feel like they’re chasing pimples from one part of their face to another.
Effective acne treatments work differently. Benzoyl peroxide targets bacteria without obliterating your skin’s moisture barrier. Salicylic acid dissolves buildup inside the pore rather than scorching the surface. Both are formulated at a pH that’s compatible with skin. Toothpaste is formulated for enamel, at a pH and concentration that skin was never meant to handle. The distinction matters, even if the overnight drying effect looks similar at first glance.