Sulphur is one of the oldest anti-acne treatments; it has been in use since Roman times. People don’t give sulphur its due; it’s a mighty yet inexpensive ingredient. I use skincare and shampoos with sulphur, and after many years, I am used to its characteristic scent. However, for those of you who can’t stand the malodour, I think this product can be an answer if you want to incorporate this ingredient into your routine. 

Sulphur reacts with an amino acid cysteine in the skin degrading keratin (keratolytic effect). This process aids shedding dead skin cells resulting in fewer whiteheads and blackheads, which develop from dead skin cells and sebum build-up. Moreover, sulphur has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. I use sulphur regularly, and it helps to keep acne and folliculitis (fungal acne) at bay, which both are difficult to battle. This product has an uncomplicated formula; there are two ingredients: sulphur and polyethene glycol. If you can’t use the latter for some reason, please check out at this mask, it, as well, yields excellent results. The water-free formula and natural properties of the active component eliminate the necessity for preservatives. This product is suitable for all skin types, but I would caution people with sensitive skin to be careful as it can be quite harsh; even small quantities of sulphur can be sensitising and drying. There’s a milder, 5% sulphur version available as well if you are keen on trying this ointment. 

This product is terrific; it clears my skin much faster than other sulphur products that I’ve tried. Having been using sulphur for years, when I first applied this ointment, I decided to keep it on my face for more than twenty minutes which I sometimes do with the Earth’s Care Acne Treatment Mask. Unfortunately for me, this product is much more robust than the products I am used to— keeping the ointment on my skin for longer than the recommended time provoked irritation that lasted a few days. Now I always remember to set up a timer for a good ten minutes to evade needless complications. Using this product twice a week makes a visible difference in the clarity of my skin. I also get fewer flareups of folliculitis, a big concern for me, especially this year, when wearing face masks contributes to frequent rebounds of spots on my chin. 

The viscous, gritty gel spreads with ease on the skin; you can also wet your fingers to facilitate the process. The gel itself doesn’t have a particular scent of its own. You only get a faint odour of sulphur after a few minutes of the product sitting on your skin. It’s when sulphur begins to interact with cysteine and produces hydrogen sulfide that exudes the foul smell of rotten eggs. I must say that the polyethene glycol does a great job at masking the stench of sulphur as it unperceivable while the product sits on the face. You only get to the full experience of sulphur once you wash the gel off. The sulphur and its byproduct that remain on the skin will upset your nose if you don’t remove them entirely. As the ointment is quite sticky, splashing water won’t be enough. I would recommend removing it with a damp flannel or even following with a cleanser to ensure that all of the sulphur is gone. Observing these two steps can render using this sulphur ointment much more acceptable for those sensitive to offensive smells. 

I highly recommend this product since sulphur is a fantastic ingredient for many skin conditions. There is a reason why it has been in use for millennia. I like this ointment a lot; it does a great job of controlling my acne and folliculitis, and it doesn’t reek like other products with sulphur. Last but not least, it is inexpensive, the small tube of 74g costs roughly €5, which, depending on how often you use the product, will probably last you about a year.

Ingredients: polyethene glycol, sulphur (the packaging). 

The De La Cruz, Ointment, Acne Treatment with 10% Sulfur retails for about €5 at iHerb.com [aff].