Su
Sulfur
SulfurExfoliant
An old-school acne ingredient. Its smell and dryness push most people to masks or wash-off products.
What it does
It’s one of the oldest acne ingredients: it fights fungi and bacteria and helps skin peel. It was once widely used for acne and for seborrheic dermatitis (flaky, itchy patches). Most products now use it in masks or wash-off formats, because the smell, dryness and flaking put people off leave-on use.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusTopical sulfur has antifungal, antibacterial and keratolytic (dead-skin-loosening) activity. It was once widely used for acne, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis and other conditions, and alone or with sodium sulfacetamide or salicylic acid it has shown efficacy in many skin conditions. Side effects from sulfur on the skin are rare and mostly mild reactions where it is applied.Gupta 2004 · Journal of drugs in dermatology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
colloidal sulfur, precipitated sulfur
Pairs worth knowing
Browse all 1238 ingredients — grouped by what they do, each with whatever evidence we can cite.
This page is public so a shared ingredient card always has its sources behind it — and so you can check them without an account.
Want more like this?
Every evidence-based flag cites its source, Drop tells you when your routine is complete, and it helps you simplify — instead of selling you more. The app launches on iOS and Android in October 2026. Rate my routine works today at /rate — no sign-in.