Does Toothpaste Get Rid Of Blemishes?

Throughout the years in magazines and on line, you’ve probably heard this tip before: applying toothpaste as a spot treatment to blemishes can help it and make it go away faster. So I decided to investigate the ingredients and see for myself if this was really true.

Here are the ingredients in a tube of Aquafresh toothpaste:

PEG-8 – binding agent, stabilizer and emollient

Sorbitol – thickening and slip agent

Sodium Saccharin – gives flavoring

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – cleansing agent…

Calcium Carbonate – chalk with absorbent action

Sodium Benzoate – preservative

D&C Red #30- dye to give color

FD&C Blue #1 – dye to give color

Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium- thickening agent

Calcium Carrageenan – thickening and binding agent

Sodium Monofluorophosphate – fluoride

Titanium Dioxide – thickening and whitening agent

Hydrated Silica (gel) – dehumidifying and dehydrating agent

Based on the ingredients alone, the three ingredients that have some potential properties that could help a quicker recovery for blemishes are: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a detergent-based, cleansing agent (that I avoid in all my gel cleansers since it is too drying), Calcium Carbonate, a chalk that does have an absorbing effect that could offer mild oil and bacteria-reducing action, and Hydrated Silica, a dehydrating ingredient that may also have an oil-absorbing, bacteria-fighting effect.

I then tried it myself on my own blemish and while it didn’t have a profound drying effect, it can confidently say that it did help a little. If you’re in a pinch, I think it could be helpful but if you’re looking for something stronger that will deliver faster results, you’re better off with specifically-formulated spot treatment products.

Do you have an at-home remedy for drying blemishes?

Here are the Renée Rouleau problem skin treatments:

Night Time Spot Lotion – For drying out blemishes fast

Daytime Blemish Gel – For use under makeup

Anti-Cyst Treatment – For healing stubborn cystic blemishes that develop deep within the skin

Post-Breakout Fading Gel – For fading red or dark marks leftover from blemishes

Read: How Renée Uses the High Frequency Device to Clear a Blemish Fast

Which skin care products are best for you? See our nine skin types or take the Skin Type Quiz and get products recommended.

Need expert advice from a licensed esthetician? Schedule a virtual consultation to get customized advice in person, over the phone or online via Skype or Face Time.

For more expert advice check out the blog. Also sign up for our skin tip e-newsletter, follow Renée Rouleau on Twitter and Instagram and join the discussion on our Facebook page. You’ll be your own skin care expert in no time. Get the #ReneeRouleauGlow!

Renée Rouleau

Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”