What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Sulfur 8%
Antiseborrhoeic
Water
Skin ConditioningKaolin
Abrasive
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Propanediol
Solvent
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ganoderma Lucidum Extract
Skin Protecting
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sulfur 8%, Water, Kaolin, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Niacinamide, Acacia Senegal Gum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Acetyl Glucosamine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tranexamic Acid, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinKaolin is a clay. It is used for oil control and to help minimize pores. Like other clays, kaolin has the ability to absorb excess sebum or oil. This can help clean out pores and mattify the skin.
Some types of kaolin may have exfoliating properties. When water is added to kaolin, it becomes a paste with small abrasive particles.
Most kaolin is a white color, but may be pink/orange/red depending on where it comes from.
The name 'kaolin' comes from a Chinese village named 'Gaoling'. Kaolin clay comes from rocks rich in kaolinite. Kaolinite, the mineral, has a silicate layered structure. Kaolinite is formed from chemical weathering of aluminum siilicate minerals.
Besides skincare, kaolin is commonly used to make glossy paper, in ceramics, toothpaste, and as medicine to soothe stomach issues.
Learn more about KaolinPotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSulfur is one of skincare's oldest ingredients that has been used to treat acne, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, scabies, and tinea versicolor.
How does it work?
When sulfur touches skin, it reacts with an amino acid in skin cells (called cysteine) to create cystine and hydrogen sulfide.
That hydrogen sulfide helps loosen dead skin cells to exfoliate. And here's a geeky detail: the smaller the Sulfur particles, the more they interact with skin and the better they work.
Sulfur also has antifungal and antibacterial activity, which is why you'll see it in both acne treatments and dandruff shampoos.
In the US, acne products can use 3-10% sulfur while dandruff products use 2-5%. It's also often paired with Sodium Sulfacetamide, and using that combo twice daily for 12 weeks reduced inflammatory acne spots by about 80%.
The most common complains are the smell and dryness. Otherwise, side effects are uncommon.
If you have a "sulfa" allergy, that's an allergy to sulfonamide drugs and this doesn't mean you'll react to elemental sulfur.
A 1972 study suggested sulfur might clog pores. Elemental sulfur caused some clogged pores on rabbit ears and human backs (though the researchers noted the effect was mild).
A 1978 follow-up tested this on 52 people. After six weeks of patches with 5% Sulfur, skin biopsies showed no link between Sulfur and clogged pores. The surprise? The base the Sulfur was mixed into was what caused clogged pores. Later reviewers also noted that other studies couldn't repeat the 1972 results.
So why does Sulfur have a comedogenic rating of 3?
That number comes from a 1989 rabbit ear study by dermatologist James Fulton, which gave a 3 to water-soluble sulfur specifically. Even so, a 3 isn't a big red flag. Fulton's own scale treats 2 to 3 as borderline.
Human testing has also proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.
Learn more about SulfurWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
