Mastisol is a liquid skin adhesive used in medical settings to help dressings, tapes, and wound closure strips stick firmly to skin. It is not a wound glue itself. Instead, it acts as a tackifier: you apply it to the skin first, let it dry, and then place the dressing or tape on top for a significantly stronger hold. It’s commonly found in emergency departments, operating rooms, and outpatient clinics wherever standard adhesive tape alone isn’t reliable enough.
Common Medical Uses
The most widespread use for Mastisol is reinforcing adhesive wound closure strips (commonly known by the brand name Steri-Strips). After a wound is sutured or in cases where stitches aren’t needed, these thin strips hold the skin edges together while healing takes place. Mastisol applied underneath makes the strips far less likely to peel off from moisture, movement, or oily skin.
Beyond wound closure, Mastisol is used to secure a range of medical devices and dressings that need to stay put. These include catheter dressings (particularly for IV lines and epidural catheters), ostomy appliances, nasal cannulas, and any bandage that covers a high-movement area like a joint or the neck. In each case, the goal is the same: create a stronger bond between skin and adhesive so the dressing doesn’t lift prematurely.
What’s in It
Mastisol contains four main ingredients: denatured alcohol (which makes up the bulk of the liquid and evaporates on application), gum mastic (a natural tree resin that provides the stickiness), styrax (a balsam that adds flexibility to the adhesive film), and methyl salicylate (a wintergreen-scented compound). It does not contain latex, which makes it a practical option for patients with latex allergies who still need strong adhesive reinforcement.
The gum mastic comes from the Pistacia lentiscus tree and is the key ingredient responsible for adhesion. Once the alcohol carrier evaporates, the resin forms a thin, tacky film on the skin that dramatically increases the grip of anything pressed onto it.
How It Compares to Tincture of Benzoin
The older and cheaper alternative to Mastisol is compound tincture of benzoin (CTB), which has been used for the same purpose for decades. Head-to-head, Mastisol outperforms it by a wide margin. Investigational data shows Mastisol provides 7 to 8 times greater adhesive strength than tincture of benzoin. It also causes significantly less skin discoloration and carries a much lower rate of allergic cross-reactivity.
Tincture of benzoin is still widely available because it costs less per application, but allergic contact dermatitis is a notable drawback. Benzoin products have a considerably higher risk of triggering skin reactions compared to Mastisol. For patients who need dressings to stay secure for days at a time, or who have a history of skin sensitivity to adhesives, Mastisol is generally the better choice.
How to Apply It
Mastisol typically comes in small single-use vials inside a sterile blister pack. To use one, you crush an inner glass ampule inside the vial to release the liquid, then peel open the pack and remove the vial. Flip it upside down to dispense Mastisol onto clean, dry skin in a thin line, roughly half an inch wide, along the border where the dressing edge will sit. Avoid applying it directly over an open wound or a catheter insertion site.
After applying the liquid, wait 20 to 30 seconds for it to dry and become tacky before pressing the dressing or tape into place. This short drying time is important. If you apply the dressing while the Mastisol is still wet, the bond will be weaker than if you let the alcohol fully evaporate first. Once dry, the adhesive film is clear and flexible.
Removal
Because Mastisol creates such a strong bond, peeling off a dressing without preparation can irritate or even damage the skin underneath. Using an adhesive remover solvent is the recommended approach. Products designed for this purpose dissolve the resin bond so the dressing lifts away without pulling on the skin. Solvent-based removers also clear leftover adhesive residue, which can trap bacteria if left behind. Baby oil or mineral oil can work in a pinch, though dedicated medical adhesive removers work faster and more completely.
Skin Reactions and Precautions
Mastisol is well tolerated by most people, but allergic contact dermatitis is possible. The gum mastic resin (a form of colophony) is the most likely culprit, with patch testing studies showing about a 2% reaction rate to this type of allergen. Symptoms of a reaction include redness, itching, and a rash in the shape of the area where Mastisol was applied. If you’ve had reactions to rosin-based products (found in some bandages, waxes, and even violin bow rosin), mention that to your care team before Mastisol is used.
One important limitation: Mastisol should not be used on newborns. A systematic review of adhesive use in hospitalized neonates specifically recommended against bonding agents like Mastisol because they increase epidermal stripping. Newborn skin is thinner and more fragile, so the strong adhesion that makes Mastisol useful in adults becomes a liability. For older children with intact, healthy skin, it is used in pediatric settings, though extra care during removal is still warranted.