This Face & Body Spray Finally Helped Me Banish Body Acne Once & For All

I would love to pretend I’m all demure and elegant and that, firmly in my 30s, my skin is finally on my side and never breaks out. But let’s be honest here: Body acne never left me. When I was a teen and young adult, I’m sure hormones had plenty to do with it. Now, I know it’s because of the gym. Anytime I work out — which is usually a few times a week — if I don’t come home and shower immediately, it’s going to cause a breakout on my back, shoulders, and chest. But because I’m usually squeezing in workouts between work and taking care of my son, there’s rarely a time I get to pull off the ASAP shower. Enter: hypochlorous acid spray, specifically the one from SkinSmart.

Tower 28 is the brand that put hypochlorous acid on my radar with their SOS Daily Rescue Spray, which promised to reduce redness and irritation. People on TikTok were quick to point out that you could get a larger bottle of Skin Smart’s Facial Cleanser for less on Amazon, so I nabbed one to try. (The name is confusing because this is also a spray, not a face wash.) The product was supposed to be easy for athletes on the go to spritz on and let air dry to prevent breakouts, while also being safe for sensitive skin. Well, that was three years ago, and I’ve kept a bottle in my gym bag ever since.

Stats

• Price: $17.46 for 8 fluid ounces
• Sizes: It only comes in the one size, so sadly there’s no TSA-friendly option.
• Who it’s for: Teenagers and active adults struggling with acne

The Ingredients

The star of this spray is hypochlorous acid (which sounds similar to hydrofluoric acid, but I promise this isn’t the same thing as what Walter White used in Breaking Bad). It’s an antimicrobial compound that gets rid of bacteria on the skin that, when you get sweaty and your pores open up, are more likely to cause acne on the face and body. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, according to Dr. Oma Agbai, FAAD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California.

Studies have shown hypochlorous acid to be as effective at treating acne as benzoyl peroxide, while causing no side effects, so it’s worth trying if benzoyl peroxide has been drying or irritating for you, Agbai says.

Buyer beware, though: Hypochlorous acid comes in many concentrations — it just so happens to be an effective disinfectant for surfaces around the house, too. Be sure you are purchasing a spray intended for use on the skin, not the kitchen counters.

“Industrial or household disinfectants are formulated at much higher concentrations and are not designed for use on skin,” Agbai cautions. “The formulations that have been tested for acne are dilute, stabilized medical or cosmetic preparations intended for topical use. Use products labeled and tested for dermatologic application; do not substitute a surface disinfectant for a skin product.”

The Packaging

As far as skincare products go, this packaging is kind of unsexy — but often, the best products are. You could find cuter, more colorful hypochlorous acid sprays if fun packaging makes a difference to you, but SkinSmart’s product is one of the most competitively priced sprays on the market (Walgreens has an equally unsexy but well-priced bottle that’s a few ounces smaller for $9.99). The bottles hold up well in my gym bag, the sprayers work well and have never broken on me, and the size is great because they last forever.

How I Use The SkinSmart Facial Cleanser Spray

I have two bottles of this stuff: one lives in my gym bag and the other in my bathroom. When I’m getting dressed to go work out, I’ll spray it all over my chest, back, shoulders, and face, and let the mist dry. Then I just get dressed and go to the gym.

When I get back in my car, I’ll usually quickly spray my face and — if I’m parked somewhere not visible to my fellow gym patrons — I’ll mist my chest and back with it again too. Or, I’ll just wait and do it when I get home, before heading into the rest of a hectic evening getting my son bathed and put to bed.

I can tell a major difference when I forget to take my little SkinSmart bird bath. I’ll wake up the following day with painful, under-the-skin blemishes around my sports bra line and on my lower back where my leggings sit. But when I use it before and after a workout, it keeps the pimples at bay until the day is over and I get a chance to take a legit shower. I also love using it on days I know I’ll be outside and sweating, whether it’s doing yard work, chaperoning a field trip, or attending a football game.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• It works so well to prevent acne and doesn’t dry out or sting my skin.
• The spray applicator works well at covering a large surface area and dries down quickly, so it’s an easy addition to your routine while getting ready for the gym.
• SkinSmart’s spray is one of the cheapest per fluid ounce, which I care about way more than how cute the branding or the bottle is.
• SkinSmart is 100% vegan, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, steroid-free, and alcohol-free. It is also FDA-cleared, which means it has undergone extensive lab testing and has been proven safe and effective.

Cons:

• I could see how the little clear cap might be easy to lose. I’ve never lost mine but I’m pretty good about that sort of thing, so maybe just keep a close eye on it when you pop it off to use the product. (It has never fallen off in my bag or anything.)

Final Verdict

Put simply, this product works. It fills that perfect little need I had for something to help me prevent face and body acne from workouts. I guess the alternative to using this would be taking a full-body shower before and immediately after the gym, and that’s just not realistic. This spray is so quick and easy to use, leaves behind to scent or trace it was ever there, and seriously works.

The TL;DR

SkinSmart’s Facial Cleanser spray is an acne-prevention staple in my routine and always will be.

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