Nessa Barrett uses a sulfur anti-acne soap bar for breakouts. She showed the small bar in Vogue's Beauty Secrets video as part of her acne-prone routine, as seen in Vogue's Beauty Secrets video. Sulfur soap is a wash made with precipitated sulfur 10% and sold as an acne medication. Barrett said a recent first-time bad breakout pushed her toward careful skincare.
Medical information disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a physician or other qualified health professional about symptoms, medications, tests, or treatment decisions.
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What did Barrett show?
Vogue frames the video around Barrett's Korean beauty interest, her acne breakout, and her step back from social media. The routine centers on gentle care after that first bad breakout.
Vogue's shoppable list names oils, peels, toner, snail mucin, retinol serum, sunscreen and makeup. It leaves the sulfur-soap bar unnamed, so shoppers must pick from sulfur soaps rather than buy her exact bar.
What does sulfur soap do?
U.S. labeling lists precipitated sulfur 10% soap as a medication for the treatment of acne.
It is marketed under the over-the-counter monograph. A dermatologist-developed product page says the formula is antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal. It says the soap removes dirt and excess oil, while salicylic acid exfoliates dead cells and unclogs pores.
How do you use it?
The National Library of Medicine DailyMed labeling directs a simple routine, detailed in DailyMed drug labeling. Use a light moisturizer and sunscreen alongside it. Stop raising frequency if skin feels tight, dry, or stingy.
- Lather with warm water
- Apply only to affected areas
- Rinse and pat dry
- Start once daily, then rise to two or three times daily only as tolerated
When should you hold back?
Sulfur soap is for external use only. Keep it off broken skin and large areas, avoid the eyes, and stop use and ask a doctor if strong irritation occurs. Using it with other topical acne drugs raises dryness risk.
Guideline support is weak. Dermatology Times, reporting on American Academy of Dermatology acne guidelines, states very little evidence supports topical sulfur or sulfacetamide for acne, as summarized in Dermatology Times reporting. If burning spreads, rinse off, pause use, and ask a doctor.
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