Hero Cosmetics is a skin care brand that creates solutions for those times when you have a “pimple emergency” (aka you need to get rid of a blemish ASAP).
Rather than popping a pimple, you can use Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch, or what the brand refers to as your “blemish hero”. This hydrocolloid acne patch can help to visibly flatten and naturally extract pimples overnight so that you can wake up to clearer-looking skin.
While the Mighty Patch is Hero Cosmetics’s best selling product, they also offer an entire skin care line with everything from cleansers to toners to serums and more.
In this review, we’ll discuss the top 10 best Hero Cosmetics products, including the key ingredients and the research that supports (or doesn’t support) their use in skincare.
We’ll also share a few Hero Cosmetics reviews so that you can get an idea of what customers really think of these products.
What Are The Top 10 Best Hero Cosmetics Products?
The Hero Cosmetics skin care collection consists of acne patches, post-blemish products, barrier support, daily care, and body care. Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 best Hero Cosmetics products.
Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch The Original
Mighty Patch The Original is a medical-grade hydrocolloid patch that’s designed to be placed on a pimple overnight so that the plant-based gel can gently absorb and trap the “gunk” inside the pimple.
The patch naturally extracts pimples without hurting your skin, thereby allowing your skin’s natural healing to take over. There are no ingredients in Mighty Patch The Original, just the hydrocolloid. We’ll explain how hydrocolloid patches work in the Key Ingredients section below.
In addition to The Original, you can purchase Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Invisible for use during the day, as well as Mighty Patch Surface, an extra-large (60mm x 25mm) hydrocolloid acne patch that covers breakout areas to extract large pimple clusters in just 6 hours. Both of these variations work in the same way as The Original.
Bottom Line: Mighty Patch The Original is a hydrocolloid patch that does not contain active ingredients, just the hydrocolloid, in order to help visibly flatten and naturally extract pimples overnight.
Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Micropoint for Blemishes
Mighty Patch Micropoint for Blemishes is a microneedle patch with 173 Micropoints that deliver active ingredients directly where they need to go. These patches attack emerging pimples early, stopping them in their tracks. According to the brand, most people see results in just 1 to 2 patches, including: Smaller, flatter zit, easily-extracted whitehead, less redness, reduced pain, and faster healing.
The active ingredient in Mighty Patch Micropoint for Blemishes is 0.5% salicylic acid, a type of beta hydroxy acid (BHA). After entering the pore, salicylic acid exfoliates the pore lining and dissolves keratin, the protein that acts as a “glue” to keep dead skin cells together in the stratum corneum. This helps to clear pores of the dead skin cells that can lead to blemishes.
Another way salicylic acid helps to fight acne is through its antibacterial activity — it has the ability to neutralize the bacteria P. Acnes that is present in acne papules. Lastly, salicylic acid has anti-inflammatory properties and, therefore, can help to calm and heal existing blemishes.
Bottom Line: The Mighty Patch Micropoint for Blemishes includes salicylic acid as a key ingredient to exfoliate and clear out pores.
Hero Cosmetics Rescue Balm
Hero Cosmetics Rescue Balm is designed to be used after you’ve just “patched” (or popped) a pimple to help speed healing. You’ll notice this balm has a very soft, silky texture that soothes the skin, unlike most acne products that can feel harsh and dry out a pimple.
That’s because Rescue Balm is packed with nourishing emollients like shea butter, as well as humectants — like glycerin, panthenol, and beta glucan — to draw moisture into the skin.
There’s also oligopeptides, which are small peptides that have just a few amino acids (between two and 20), allowing them to be absorbed into the skin (in contrast to polypeptides and proteins that are too large to be absorbed).
The oligopeptides in Hero Cosmetics Rescue Balm send a signal to the skin to repair itself when needed. That means they can help trigger healing for the red, oozy, scaly situation that typically happens after a pimple has popped.
Bottom Line: Hero Cosmetics is packed with nourishing emollients, hydrating humectants, and skin-repairing oligopeptides, which all work together to help speed up healing after a blemish is popped or “patched”.
Hero Cosmetics Lightning Wand
Hero Cosmetics Lightning Wand is a brightening serum that helps to fade signs of post-acne marks with key ingredients like niacinamide, tranexamic acid, glycolic acid, vitamin C, and plant extracts.
Niacinamide is a multi-tasking ingredient that helps to reduce excess oil and decrease the bacteria that are responsible for causing acne. It also helps to repair the skin barrier and improve skin moisture, as well as reduce inflammation, blotchiness, hyperpigmentation, and wrinkling, according to the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology
Tranexamic acid is included in the Hero Cosmetics Lightning Wand because of its ability to inhibit plasmin, which means that it helps to break down proteins in the skin that contribute to melanin production.
Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that exfoliates the skin by targeting corneocytes (dead skin cells) in a process called corneocyte desquamation. By enhancing their breakdown and increasing the separation of skin cells, the rate of cell turnover is increased, leading to smoother, more radiant skin.
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that protects skin from free radical damage. It’s also known to reduce the formation of dark spots while promoting a brighter, more even skin tone.
Lastly, there’s a few skin-brightening plant extracts in Hero Cosmetics Lightning Wand, such as licorice, turmeric, and willow bark extract.
Bottom Line: Lightning Wand is formulated to help fade signs of post-acne marks with skin-brightening ingredients like niacinamide, tranexamic acid, glycolic acid, vitamin C, and botanical extracts.
Hero Cosmetics Mineral Melt
This body moisturizer melts onto skin, instantly softening and hydrating thanks to a combination of emollients like shea butter, sweet almond oil, and caprylic/capric triglyceride.
There’s also glycolic acid to smooth and brighten the appearance of skin, as well as bakuchiol aka the “plant-based alternative to retinol”. Just like retinol, bakuchiol has been shown to diminish the appearance of wrinkles and reduce the effects of sun damage (including uneven skin tone).
The name of this moisturizer comes from the “Mighty Mineral Complex” that consists of silver, malachite, and copper to balance skin bacteria.
Unfortunately, this moisturizer includes many synthetic fragrance ingredients, which have the potential to cause skin sensitivity reactions.
Bottom Line: A mineral-infused body moisturizer with nourishing emollients, anti-aging glycolic acid and bakuchiol, and skin-balancing minerals, but keep in mind the formula includes fragrance.
Hero Cosmetics Deep Scrub
This once-per-week body scrub promises to visibly renew and smooth skin with physical exfoliants like sugar and pumice to buff away the buildup of dead skin cells and other impurities.
You’ll also find activated charcoal in this scrub. Activated charcoal works by trapping toxins and impurities in its millions of tiny pores. Rather than absorbing the toxins, however, activated charcoal works through adsorption (the chemical reaction where elements bind to a surface). Thus, activated charcoal helps to purify and detox the skin.
There’s also nourishing emollients like jojoba oil, shea butter, and coconut oil to help soften skin and lock in moisture.
Bottom Line: A once-per-week body scrub that uses sugar, pumice, and charcoal to exfoliate and purify skin, while emollients help soften skin and lock in moisture.
Hero Cosmetics Superlight Sunscreen SPF 30
With a light-as-air, breathable texture, this Hero Cosmetics sunscreen is ideal for acne-prone skin. The formula includes the mineral sunscreen zinc oxide, which provides broad spectrum SPF 30 protection.
While mineral sunscreens are known for causing a white cast, this isn’t the case for Hero Cosmetics sunscreen based on the reviews we read. For example, one review says, “It blends in nicely and very quickly, leaves literally zero white cast, and doesn’t clog my pores/break me out.”
One reason for this could be the sheer green tint, which also helps to conceal redness with its green color. That’s because colors that are opposite of one another on the color wheel — like red and green — cancel each other out.
Lastly, we love that the brand has included several antioxidants in this formula — such as green tea, turmeric, vitamin E — to help protect the skin against free radical damage. This is important because the harmful effects of free radicals occur as direct chemical alterations of the cellular DNA, the cell membrane, and proteins, including collagen. Damaged collagen manifests as signs of premature skin aging, including wrinkles, lines, and sagging skin.
Bottom Line: An ultra-lightweight mineral sunscreen that leaves zero white cast and helps to correct redness with a sheer green tint while also combatting free radicals with plenty of antioxidants.
Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser
This cleanser starts as a jelly and turns into a foam, using surfactants like decyl glucoside and cocamidopropyl betaine to clean the skin.
A surfactant molecule contains one end that is hydrophilic (attracted to water) and one end that is lipophilic (attracted to oil). This allows surfactants to attract and suspend oils, dirt, and other impurities that have accumulated on the skin and wash them away, leaving the skin clean.
The formula also includes two AHAs, glycolic and mandelic acid, as well as poly hydroxy acid (PHA) gluconolactone to exfoliate dead skin cells, revealing brighter, healthier skin underneath.
Plus, natural exfoliating konjac jellies and willow bark extract further assist in unclogging pores and promoting a more even skin texture.
Bottom Line: A jelly cleanser that foams as you wash away dead skin cells and impurities thanks to surfactants, AHAs, gluconolactone, konjac jellies, and willow bark extract.
Hero Cosmetics Balancing Capsule Toner
This alcohol-free toner is designed to deliver moisture into multiple layers of skin with 8 types of hyaluronic acid (HA) with varying molecular weights. The purpose of using these different types of HA is due to the structure of HA; it’s just way too big to penetrate into the deeper layers of skin!
Products that use just one form of HA can actually draw moisture out of the skin making the surface feel soft and hydrated temporarily, while making your skin feel dry after the product is rinsed. Not cool!
That’s why we’re impressed that the brand has included 8 types of HA in this formula, creating a toner that offers multi-depth hydration and visible plumping without drawing water out of the skin solely to improve temporary surface hydration.
Plus, there’s also plenty of soothing ingredients in this formula, such as green tea, zinc PCA, and snow mushroom. These ingredients will help to reduce inflammation and calm redness.
Bottom Line: A super hydrating toner with 8 types of hyaluronic acid and skin-soothing ingredients.
Hero Cosmetics Clarifying Prebiotic Moisturizer
This moisturizer goes on smoothly, sinks in without any stickiness, and hydrates skin all day long. Plus, the inclusion of prebiotics helps to support the skin’s microbiome.
The microbiome is a population of many types of bacteria (over 10,000 different species) that are both good and bad. When there’s more bad bacteria than good, skin conditions like acne, sensitive skin, and bumpy, uneven skin texture can develop. Thus, keeping the microbiome balanced is critical in maintaining healthy skin.
Prebiotics support the microbiome because they feed the skin’s good bacteria.
There’s also pore-clarifying extracts in this moisturizer, such as sage leaf, willow bark, and witch hazel. Furthermore, there’s plenty of hydrating ingredients, including glycerin, squalane, and multiple forms of hyaluronic acid.
Bottom Line: A prebiotic moisturizer that supports the skin’s microbiome while also clarifying pores and hydrating.
What Are The Key Ingredients in Hero Cosmetics Products?
As you can probably tell from our introductions to the Hero Cosmetics products in the last section, this brand focuses on using evidence-based ingredients in their products, including:
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Niacinamide
- Oligopeptides
- Salicylic Acid
- Tranexamic Acid
- Vitamins C and E
All of these ingredients have research to support their benefits when applied to the skin. The brand combines these ingredients with plenty of soothing botanicals, such as aloe vera and squalane, as well as safe synthetics, such as silicones and humectants.
And let’s not forget about the Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch products. These hydrocolloid acne patches help naturally extract pimples without hurting your skin, thereby allowing your skin’s natural healing to take over. But how exactly does the Mighty Patch work?
To understand how the Mighty Patch works, we’ll have to explain how hydrocolloid dressing can help heal wounds.
The active surface of a hydrocolloid dressing is coated with a gelling agent, such as pectin or gelatin. The gelling agent creates a moist environment for the wound to heal while also drawing out the pus and fluid inside the wounds and suspending them on the bandage. Amongst the medical community, it’s widely accepted that moist wound healing is much better than dry dressings.
Similar to how a hydrocolloid dressing can help heal a wound, a hydrocolloid acne patch — like The Mighty Patch — speeds healing of blemishes by absorbing pus and oil from the inflamed spot while simultaneously maintaining moisture.
In addition, The Mighty Patch helps reduce inflammation, protects the area from contamination by microorganisms, and minimizes scar formation. Not to mention that these patches prevent you from picking or popping a zit!
However, The Mighty Patch (or any other hydrocolloid acne patch) is only meant to be used on mild to moderate acne; not severe or cystic acne.
Dr. Lavanya Krishnan, a board certified dermatologist, told Healthline that these patches are best for “treating the superficial kind of acne, like pus-filled bumps, blackheads, and whiteheads. It’s unlikely these patches penetrate to the level that will be able to help cystic acne.”
How Much Do Hero Cosmetics Products Cost?
Hero Cosmetics products are pretty affordable, with the prices being comparable to higher end drugstore brands such as Olay and Burt’s Bees. For example, the Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Original costs $12.99 USD for a box of 36 patches, while the Lightning Wand costs $19.99 USD.
Where to Buy Hero Cosmetics Products?
Hero Cosmetics products are sold on the brand’s website (herocosmetics.us), as well as from authorized online retailers such as Amazon, iHerb, SkinStore, Target, Thrive Market, and more. The brand has a list of authorized retailers on their website.
What is The Hero Cosmetics Return Policy?
The Hero Cosmetics return policy states, “We offer a 30 day return policy. If for some reason you did not love your Hero product, we are here to help! Please email us at [email protected] with your order number and reason for return and our team will get back to you to start the process. You will receive a prepaid shipping label for returns. Returns will be refunded the purchase price (minus original shipping).”
Is Hero Cosmetics Cruelty Free?
Yes, Hero Cosmetics is cruelty free. The brand’s animal testing policy states, “We do not test on animals in any country, nor do we work with suppliers or manufacturers that test on animals. The products we create represent our values, including the belief that animals should not be hurt at the expense of good skin.”
Is Hero Cosmetics Vegan?
Yes, Hero Cosmetics products are vegan.
Our Verdict
Overall, we think that Hero Cosmetics products are formulated well with ingredients that have evidence to support their skin care benefits.
Pros
- Products contain evidence-based ingredients (niacinamide, AHAs, tranexamic acid, etc.)
- Many positive Hero Cosmetics reviews
- Hero Cosmetics is cruelty free
Cons
- Some Hero Cosmetics reviews mention that the Mighty Patch did not work
- Some Hero Cosmetics products include fragrance
References:
J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2010 Feb; 3(2): 22–41
