This $12 Acne Balm Is Here To Restore Your Post-Zit Skin

Treating a zit typically begins the second you feel that uncomfortable bump start to stir underneath the skin, then ends once your pimple is a mere shadow of its former 3D self. At this point, you can at least cover any remaining discoloration with concealer and go on with your life. To really optimize that healing time, though, you could turn to good light’s New Moon Balm — a just-launched concoction that helps your skin bounce back to its happy pre-zit state.

Good light launched in March 2021 as a non-binary beauty brand aimed at inclusive (and always gentle) skin care — and it’s quickly become a favorite among Gen Z beauty aficionados. With the addition of the New Moon Balm to its lineup, David Yi, co-founder and CEO of the brand, says he wanted to create a product that speeds up the skin’s renewal process so that the annoying wait period between pimple/inflammation/redness is less of a drawn-out headache — but he wanted something that would do the job while being gentle on the complexion. “Acne is a journey, isn’t it? I think in our current acids-obsessed era we want quick solutions to long-term issues,” he tells Bustle. “What we need is to hit pause, allow our skin to reset, and listen to what it needs. Sometimes all it takes for acne is using less.”

Yi admits he used to mix retinoids with beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs) and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) whenever he had a breakout, which led his skin to look like an “angry tomato.” Over-exfoliating wreaks havoc on the skin microbiome after all, which is why good light decided to incorporate nourishing ingredients rather than strong actives in its restorative balm.

The New Moon Balm features four key ingredients: panthenol, aka vitamin B5, to restore the skin barrier; allantoin, a calming MVP that promotes faster skin cell turnover; hyaluronic acid to keep the skin hydrated; and vitamin E, a multitasker that strengthens and moisturizes the complexion. The end result is a super soothing balm that instantly soaks into the skin without any greasiness or pilling. “It’s a skin savior that will transform compromised skin back to its smooth, sublime state,” says Yi.

While it’s great for restoring your skin post-breakouts, the balm can be used to renew a long list of other complexion woes — think post-hair removal irritation, razor burn, sunburn, dry cuticles, chafing, dry patches, tattooed skin, and post-extraction inflammation... anything that calls for a reset. And that’s how the product got its name: Similar to how a new moon symbolizes the start of a new lunar cycle, the New Moon Balm is all about healing and starting fresh — something everyone’s skin could use once in a while. Snag the multitasker for your beauty cabinet below.

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