Dr. Dennis Gross Clarifying Colloidal Sulfur Mask for mature skin
Colloidal Sulfur
Zinc Oxide
Licorice Root Extract
Retinol
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceAverage
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for mature skin; other cleansing masks fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with mature skin: fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate pore cleansing for your normal skin due to colloidal sulfur and zinc oxide, which help decongest pores and reduce blemishes, but lacks specialized ingredients to address your main goal of wrinkles and fine lines.
- While glycerin provides humectant action and aloe barbadensis leaf juice offers soothing benefits, the formula is not rich enough in emollients for optimal hydration of normal skin.
- The product is safe for your normal skin, featuring soothing ingredients like aloe barbadensis leaf juice and bisabolol, with no risks of irritation from harsh components.
How to apply
- Use this cleansing mask PM as part of your weekly routine, starting once a week and increasing slowly if needed.
- Apply this cleansing mask after using your cleanser and enzyme powder, but before your toner and moisturizer.
- Smooth an even layer of the cleansing mask over your face, making sure to gently avoid rubbing .
- Apply the cleansing mask to clean and completely dry skin to help target your fine lines effectively.
- Be sure to avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, users frequently report that this mask effectively calms inflammation, reduces redness, and shrinks active breakouts, often with overnight improvements, making it particularly beneficial for acne-prone and oily skin. A notable drawback is the strong sulfur scent, and some users express frustration with the pump packaging.
Highlights
Rapid acne reduction Mostly Mentioned
- “pimples dramatically reduced”
- “stops spots in tracks”
- “calms aggravated acne”
- “zaps zits fast”
Soothes redness Often Mentioned
- “calmed the redness”
- “minimizes inflammation”
- “skin less angry”
- “takes away redness”
Unpleasant sulfur scent Often Mentioned
- “smells like rotten eggs”
- “stinks”
- “smell is strong”
- “scent lingers”
Non-drying formula Sometimes Noted
- “doesn't dry out skin”
- “skin feels soft”
- “not tight”
- “moisturizing for clay”
Pore and oil control Sometimes Noted
- “pores vanished”
- “absorbs excess oil”
- “blackheads minimized”
- “skin less oily”
Versatile use Sometimes Noted
- “overnight spot treatment”
- “great under makeup”
- “use as primer”
- “leave on overnight”
Faulty pump packaging Sometimes Noted
- “pump is terrible”
- “hard to get out”
- “had to unscrew top”
- “pump stopped working”
High price point Rarely Noted
- “pricey for size”
- “expensive”
- “wish it was cheaper”
- “costly investment”
Potential irritation Rarely Noted
- “broke me out”
- “caused peeling”
- “eyes watered”
- “too strong”
Texture issues Rarely Noted
- “pills up”
- “hard to spread”
- “thick consistency”
- “crumbles if rubbed”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, lookfantastic.com, lovelyskin.com, influenster.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Dr. Dennis Gross Clarifying Colloidal Sulfur Mask work for mature skin?
This mask works moderately well to clear pores on mature skin, but it lacks specialized ingredients to smooth fine lines and wrinkles. To truly fit mature skin, a product of this type needs richer softening ingredients and targeted smoothing components.
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for mature skin?
This mask is only an average fit for mature skin because it focuses on clearing pores with colloidal sulfur and zinc oxide rather than smoothing wrinkles, and it lacks rich softeners for deep moisture. To truly fit mature skin, a product of this type needs effective anti-wrinkle ingredients alongside deeply hydrating agents that keep the skin plump and smooth.
What does Sulfur do for mature skin?
Sulfur helps calm acne-prone skin and supports overall clarity with rare mild side effects. To properly care for mature skin, a product of this type needs added moisture-locking ingredients and gentle hydrators to prevent dryness.
What does Zinc Oxide do for mature skin?
Zinc oxide helps protect mature skin from UV damage and may reduce skin roughness and wrinkle depth when combined with antioxidants. This type of product needs ingredients like hyaluronic acid and soothing minerals to keep dry or thinning skin feeling smooth and calm.
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for mature skin?
This cleansing mask fits into a weekly routine as a nourishing mask step, though a product for mature skin needs rich emollients and specialized ingredients to smooth wrinkles and fine lines.
Can I use this mask with benzoyl peroxide, and in what order?
You can use this mask in your routine, but apply it on a different day or time than benzoyl peroxide to keep your skin from becoming too dry. This product helps decongest pores with colloidal sulfur and zinc oxide, yet mature skin needs rich nourishing masks with firming ingredients and extra softeners for deep moisture.
How often should I use this mask?
This mask works for clearing pores on your mature skin, but mature skin needs rich nourishing ingredients and targeted wrinkle-smoothing components to look its best.
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for mature skin?
This mask is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for mature skin, as it features ingredients that help decongest pores and calm the skin. However, since it lacks specialized ingredients for wrinkles and fine lines, mature skin needs a product with richer softening ingredients and targeted anti-aging components.
Is this mask fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (farnesol). Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Biomimetic hyaluronic acid-stabilized zinc oxide nanoparticles selectively inhibited C. acnes, outperformed erythromycin in preclinical acne models, and safely reduced acne lesions and redness in a clinical trial.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2025Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.
Biomedicines, 2025A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Azelaic acid was probably less effective than benzoyl peroxide in acne treatment response, while showing little or no difference compared to tretinoin, and adverse events were mild and transient across evaluated topical treatments.
Journal of Evidence-based Medicine, 2020Topical application of precipitated sulphur 2-8% petrolatum achieved a 95% clinical and ectoparasitological cure rate in 40 ambulatory scabies patients without relevant adverse effects.
Revista de Investigacion Clinica; Organo Del Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion, 2004Topical 10% benzoyl peroxide and 2%-5% sulfur cream achieved "good" to "excellent" results with no undesirable side effects in 113 consecutive patients with acne.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1966Nels cream achieved a similar reduction in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesion counts compared to 5% benzoyl peroxide in acne vulgaris patients, but caused significantly fewer side-effects such as peeling and dryness.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2000Topically applied coated and uncoated zinc oxide nanoparticles under flexing and massage are retained in the stratum corneum with no significant penetration into the viable epidermis and no cellular toxicity in human skin.
Nanomedicine, 2016Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2015Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.
Advanced Science, 2025Topical 0.4% retinol significantly increased epidermal thickness, dermal vascularity, and extracellular matrix production by stimulating keratinocyte proliferation, endothelial cell proliferation, and fibroblast activation in naturally aged human skin compared to vehicle.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2017Topical bakuchiol 0.5% applied twice daily compared with retinol 0.5% applied daily significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with no statistical difference between the compounds in 44 patients over 12 weeks, while retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019Silicone particles encapsulating retinol increased its half-life by 9-fold and yielded 12-23% lower skin irritation in human subjects compared to Microsponge particles while maintaining biological activity.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2018A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010
Why other cleansing masks fit mature skin better
Topical palmitoyl pentapeptide (pal-KTTKS) provided significant improvement versus placebo control in the reduction of wrinkles and fine lines in Caucasian female subjects.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2005Profhilo treatment led to significant improvements in superficial skin hydration and transepidermal water loss over time in Chinese females, while demonstrating good product tolerability.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2026
Ingredients
Water, Kaolin, Colloidal Sulfur, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Peg-100 Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Zinc Oxide, Bentonite, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Opuntia Vulgaris Extract, Willow Bark Extract, Bisabolol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Farnesol, Rosamarinus Officinalis Oil Leaf Rosemary Oil Leaf, Phenylethyl Resorcinol, Retinol, Tocopheryl Acetate Vitamin E, Sodium Pca, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Bht, Phenoxyethanol
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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