Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Mask for oily skin
Average
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for oily skin; other cleansing masks fit it better.
- Journal of Evidence-based Medicine, 2020
- Revista de Investigacion Clinica; Organo Del Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion, 2004
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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 suitability for your oily skin due to sulfur and zinc oxide, which provide mild seboregulation and anti-inflammatory actions, but it lacks more potent ingredients to fully address your main goal of reducing oily shine.
- The mask provides excellent pore cleansing with sulfur and kaolin to decongest pores and reduce blemishes, offering general skincare benefits for your oily skin.
- The product is generally safe for your oily skin, though the presence of sulfur and fragrance carries a slight risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use this cleansing mask PM as part of your weekly routine, starting 1×/week and working up if tolerated.
- Apply this cleansing mask after your cleanser and enzyme powder, and before applying your hydrating toner.
- Smooth an even layer over your face using clean fingers, avoiding harsh rubbing.
- Apply this cleansing mask on clean, dry skin to help control excess oil effectively.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and always do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsThis mask is highly praised for its ability to rapidly clear cystic and hormonal acne, absorb excess oil, and reduce redness. While users consistently report significant improvements in skin clarity and texture, many caution that the product can be quite drying and has a potent, lingering sulfur scent.
Highlights
Effective acne treatment Mostly Mentioned
- “cleared up my cystic acne”
- “sucks the gunk out”
- “best sulfur acne mask I've ever used”
- “prevented future breakouts”
Unpleasant smell Mostly Mentioned
- “smells horrific”
- “smell did get pretty bad”
- “towels will smell like sulfur”
- “rotten egg smell”
Oil and pore control Often Mentioned
- “great for oilier skin”
- “decreases oiliness”
- “pores look cleaner”
- “absorbs excess oil”
Drying and irritating Often Mentioned
- “can be drying”
- “irritates eyes”
- “caused peeling”
- “burning sensation”
Fast acting Sometimes Noted
- “visible results overnight”
- “dries pimples quickly”
- “works as intended fast”
- “great spot treatment”
Good value Sometimes Noted
- “container lasts forever”
- “a little dab does the job”
- “worth the investment”
- “lasts about 2 years”
Smooth application Sometimes Noted
- “goes on smoothly”
- “silky texture”
- “washes off quickly”
- “nice cooling sensation”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “taken aback by the price”
- “expensive ($52)”
- “bit pricey”
- “wish it was cheaper”
Packaging concerns Rarely Noted
- “wish it came in sustainable packaging”
- “jar packaging”
- “prefer tube”
Sensitizing Rarely Noted
- “feels a little tingly”
- “burning sensation”
- “too strong for daily use”
- “irritating on large areas”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, lovelyskin.com, influenster.com, walmart.com, skinsort.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Mask work for oily skin?
This cleansing mask works reasonably well for oily skin because sulfur and kaolin clean out pores and reduce blemishes, though it has only a mild effect on oily shine. It is generally safe, but sulfur and fragrance carry a slight risk of irritation. Oily skin needs products with salicylic acid, niacinamide, and purifying clays to better control oil and enhance texture without irritation.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2004Journal of Controlled Release, 2025
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for oily skin?
Sulfur and kaolin clay make this mask a good fit for oily skin by helping to cleanse pores and reduce blemishes. Zinc oxide and soothing aloe also help calm the skin, though an oily skin type needs stronger ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide to fully reduce oily shine and manage oiliness without irritation.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2004Journal of Controlled Release, 2025
What does Sulfur do for oily skin?
Sulfur helps calm oily skin and manages breakouts by gently reducing surface oil and clearing pores. This ingredient has a long history of safe use in skincare with uncommon, mostly mild side effects largely limited to the skin.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2004Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1988
What does Kaolin Clay do for oily skin?
Kaolin Clay helps oily skin by soaking up extra oil and clearing the skin while keeping it calm and comfortable. Using it twice a week can improve acne, skin evenness, and hydration while reducing dryness and irritation.
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This cleansing mask goes into the weekly routine after the cleanser and enzyme powder, and before a hydrating toner, treatment, and moisturizer. This type of product needs stronger ingredients like niacinamide or targeted oil-control actives to fully reduce oily shine on this skin.
Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this mask in your weekly routine, but avoid applying it on the same nights as retinol because the sulfur may cause irritation when combined with strong treatments. Use the mask on a separate recovery night, following it with a hydrating toner and moisturizer to keep your skin calm and smooth.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2004Journal of Controlled Release, 2025
How often should I use this mask?
This cleansing mask fits into a weekly routine for oily skin as a weekly cleansing mask step. Sulfur and kaolin help decongest pores and clear blemishes, though sulfur and fragrance carry a slight risk of irritation.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2004Journal of Controlled Release, 2025
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This mask is unlikely to clog your pores because it uses kaolin and bentonite clays to deeply cleanse and clear out congestion. However, because it contains sulfur, it may cause mild drying or irritation, and a product for this skin needs stronger oil-balancing ingredients to fully control shiny skin.
Is this mask fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum).
What the research says
Azelaic 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, 1966Vectorization of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid with clay enabled its penetration into deeper skin layers and led to a significant clinical reduction in fine lines in the crow's feet area compared to placebo after 28 days.
Skin Research and Technology, 2024Twice-weekly use of a clay mask over 4 weeks in 75 adults with oily or combination skin improved acne-related outcomes, sebum content, skin evenness, hydration, and reduced dryness and irritation.
Skin Research and Technology, 2023Clay jojoba oil facial masks reduced total skin lesions by a mean of 54% after 6 weeks in 133 participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and mild acne compared to baseline.
Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 2012Quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/organic montmorillonite nanocomposite demonstrated superior moisture-adsorption and retention compared to hyaluronic acid, good UV-protection ability, negligible dermal irritation, and prominent moisture-retention efficacy on human stratum corneum when formulated into a cosmetic cream.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 2017A novel water-in-oil emulsion with a lecithin-modified bentonite prevented epidermal degradation and inflammatory protein secretion induced by urban dust and cedar pollen more effectively than a conventional water-in-oil emulsion in a reconstructed human epidermis model.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020Bentonite nanoparticles and honey co-administration improved skin wound healing in BALB/c mice by reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and increasing fibroblastosis, new epithelium thickness, granulation area, and collagen density compared to the untreated control group.
The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2025A 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 oily skin better
Chemical peels with 30% supramolecular salicylic acid effectively treated acne and reduced facial sebum secretion while improving skin hydration and barrier function in 25 patients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Ingredients
Sulfur, Water, Bentonite, Kaolin, Propylene Glycol, Talc, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Zinc Oxide, Polysorbate 20, Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891, Carbomer, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
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
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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