The Return of Sulfur in Skin Care

Sulfur had a big moment in the 90s. Not that the ingredient went anywhere, it could be found in plenty of products over the past few years, but now it’s truly trending again. The acne-fighting bacteria-blocking ingredient is starting to pop up in more products, and for good reason.

What is sulfur?

Sulfur is a naturally occurring element found in plants, soil and water. “We most commonly associate sulfur with rocks and minerals. However, it’s also an amazing skin treatment due to its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties,” explains Diana Dixon, Vice President of Product Development at Starface.

It’s antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and helps dry out oily skin

Sulfur is best known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. However, it’s also great for absorbing oil and exfoliating skin, says Fort Lauderdale, FL dermatologist Dr. Matthew Elias. According to Dixon, “Adding sulfur into your skin-care routine will do wonders for your skin. It’s a gentle and effective acne treatment that’s clinically proven to clear pores, absorb excess oil and visibly reduce inflammation.” Sulfur also helps prevent future breakouts, notes Dixon.

Cosmetic chemists in Residence at Revela Gloria Lu and Victoria Fu say there is data that indicates sulfur can help as an antibacterial and keratolytic agent, helping to speed up cell turnover and dry out oily skin. “This is why you’ll most commonly see three percent to 10 percent sulfur used in over-the-counter acne treatments,” they explain.

“More recently, the combination of sulfur and sodium sulfacetamide has been studied for conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, and rosacea,” Lu and Fu say. Dr. Elias notes that sulfur is also great for treating dandruff.

Sulfur in skin care is trending

Lu and Fu say sulfur has been used in topical skin care since the 60s. The ingredient saw a spike in popularity in the 90s, and now it seems to be trending again. “Beauty trends tend to cycle like fashion, so we’re not too surprised,” Lu and Fu say. Dixon notes that sulfur is currently a rising search trend among beauty consumers.

Dr. Elias contributes social media to the renaissance of once trending ingredients like sulfur. “Sometimes old treatments become vogue again so that influencers have something unique and different to promote. We see this across the spectrum in social media, not just skincare,” says Dr. Elias. However, this is not to discredit the ingredient. “Sulfur is still a great treatment and is used daily by board-certified dermatologists for skin disease.”

How to include sulfur in your skin-care routine

“Despite the buzz around sulfur, we would consider this more as a supporting ingredient rather than a solo superstar for acne. It’s definitely not a replacement for gold standard acne topicals like benzoyl peroxide, adapalene or prescription topicals,” Fu and Lu say. They note that consumers should keep in mind that most sulfur products will include other active ingredients and clays. “We definitely recommend giving the ingredient lists a scan to make sure you’re not overlapping too many actives or adding to skin dryness. A healthy barrier is important to fighting acne breakouts!” They suggest doing a patch test to ensure your skin responds well to the product.

Expert-recommended sulfur skin-care products to try

Dixon recommends Starface’s newly launched Super-Sulfur Magic Mask ($19). The product features a fun, vibrant blue color and 10 percent maximum strength sulfur, kaolin clay and blueberry extract to treat and prevent breakouts. “We chose to formulate our mask with 10 percent sulfur—the maximum over-the-counter strength—to reduce acne severity at the most effective level,” says Dixon.

Depending on your skin-care concern Dr. Elias recommends Mario Badescu Drying Lotion ($17), Prosacea Rosacea Treatment Gel ($9) and Clearogen Sensitive Skin Mineral Sulfur Acne Treatment ($37). If you want to try a prescription product, Dr. Elias recommends talking to a board-certified dermatologist about Sumaxin Wash and Pads, Ovace Wash and Avar Cream. Lu and Fu suggest trying Naturium’s 8% Sulfur Spot Treatment ($13) and iNNBeauty Pimple Paste Duo ($26).

It's Personal Find a Doctor

Find a NewBeauty "Top Beauty Doctor" Near you

Select a state State AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC FL GA HI IA IL IN KY LA MA MD MI MN MO NC NE NJ NV NY OH OR PA SC TN TX UT VA WA WI Select a state Specialty Cosmetic Dentist Dermatologist Facial Plastic Surgeon Hair Restoration Specialist Oculoplastic Surgeon Periodontist Plastic Surgeon Prosthodontist Vein Specialist Select a state Treatment Abdominal thread lifts Accent your Body Acne Treatments Alexandrite Laser Arm Lift Asclera Bellafill Belotero Blue Light Body Body Lift Botox Botox Browlift Brachioplasty Brazilian Butt Lift Breast Augmentation Breast Augmentation with Fat Grafting Breast Implants Breast Implants with Saline Breast Implants with Silicone Breast Lift Breast Lift with Implants Breast Reconstruction Breast Reduction Browlift Butt Enhancement Carboxytherapy Cellulite Treatment Cheek Augmentation Cheek Augmentation with Fat Grafting Cheek Implants Cheek Lift Chemical Peels Chin Augmentation CO2 lasers Cool Lipo CoolSculpting CoolTone Crowns Dental Bonding Dental Implants Dimpleplasty Diode Laser Dysport embrace Active Scar Defense Emsculpt Endermologie Endoscopic Browlift Endoscopic Facelift Endoscopic Tummy Tuck Erbium Lasers Exilis Ultra 360 Eyelift Eyelift with Fat Grafting Face Facelift Facelift with Fat Grafting FaceTite Fat Melters and Fat Reducers Fat Transfer Forma Fractional CO2 lasers Fractional Resurfacing Lasers Fractora Glycolic Peels Glytone Enhanced Brightening Cream Gum Dermabrasion Gum Lift Hair Hair Removal Hair Transplant Hair-Loss Treatment Injectables & Fillers for Cheek Augmentation Injectables & Fillers for Eyelift Injectables & Fillers for Lip Enhancement Injectables And Fillers Injectables and Fillers with Fat Grafting Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Invisalign Isolaz Juvéderm Juvéderm Volbella Juvéderm Voluma Kybella Lactic Acid Peels Laser Liposuction Lasers Lateral Tension Tummy Tuck Limited Incision Facelift Lip Enhancement Lip Enhancement with Fat Grafting Lip Implant Lip Lift Liposculpture Liposuction Liquid Facelift Long Pulsed N: Yag laser Lower Blepharoplasty Lower Body Lift Lower eyelid surgery Lower Facelift MACS Lift Mandelic Peels Microdermabrasion Microinjection Microneedling Microwave Laser Treatment Mini Tummy Tuck Mini-Facelift Mommy Makeover Nd: Yag Neck Liposuction Necklift Nonsurgical Facelift Nonsurgical Rhinoplasty Obagi Blue Peel Otoplasty Perlane Phenol Peels Photobiomodulation Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Photofacial PiQo4 Plasma Resurfacing Lasers Power Assisted Liposuction Prevelle Pulsed Dye Radiesse Radio Frequency with Microneedling Radio Frequency-Assisted Lipolysis Red Light Restylane Restylane Defyne Restylane Lyft Restylane Refyne Restylane Silk Revision Rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty Salicylic Peels SculpSure Sculptra Aesthetic Selphyl Silhouette Instalift Skin Skin Tighteners Skin Treatments Slim Lipo Smart Lipo SMAS facelift Smile Smile Makeover Smoothshapes Straightening Stretch Mark Treatments TCA Chemical Peels Teeth Whitening Thermage ThermiTight Thigh Lift Titan Tooth Contouring Traditional Facelift Tumescent Liposuction Tummy Tuck Ulthera Ultherapy Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction Umbilicoplasty Upper Blepharoplasty Upper eyelid surgery Vanquish ME VASER Lipo Vein Treatments Velashape Velasmooth Veneers Xeomin Search

SEA-MALLS | CURATED | QUALITY | VALUE | CONVENIENCE

Find High Quality Products, Carefully Curated from the best Malls for your convenience on https://sea-malls.com/.

Professor Owl carefully selects what’s currently trending; Top Quality, From Crystals to Dresses; If it’s not good enough for Professor Owl, it has no place on https://sea-malls.com/Trusted by Customers across 6 Continents, Professor Owl always says, “Quality and Value are NOT mutually exclusive”.

With Products Always on Sale, Over 100, 000 Five Star Reviews & Always FREE Shipping Globally, https://sea-malls.com/ delivers high quality, trending products at real value & true convenience.

50Pcs Eyelash Brushes Makeup Brushes Disposable Mascara Wands Applicator Multicolors Eye Lashes Cosmetic Brush Makeup Tools

https://sea-malls.com/fifty-disposable-mascara-brushes/

Lash Lift Kit used by Professionals. Eyelash Perming Kit Lash Set.

DIY and save today!

https://sea-malls.com/eyelash-lift-and-perming-kit/

Elegant Magnetic Eyelashes with Magnetic Liquid Eyeliner & Magnetic False Eyelashes & Tweezer Set as well Magnetic Eyeliner with Long False Eyelashes

https://sea-malls.com/magnetic-magnetic-false-eyelashes-and-eyeliner-set/

MD Advanced Lash Growth Serum

https://sea-malls.com/md-advanced-lash-growth-serum/

Originally posted on: https://www.newbeauty.com/sulfur-skin-care/