SKINFOOD Black Sugar Perfect Enzyme Powder Wash for combination skin

How to apply

Questions and answers

What the research says

• A fixed combination of hydroxypinacolone retinoate, retinol glycospheres, and papain glycospheres in aqueous gel applied once daily for 12 weeks achieved a 41% mean reduction in GAGS score and a 40.8% mean reduction in total lesions, with 15.3% of patients experiencing mild to moderate local side effects, in 94 evaluable patients with comedonal-papular, mild to moderate acne of the face.

  Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2015

• An emulsion containing 10% lactobionic acid significantly reduces human skin surface pH without causing skin irritation or barrier impairment.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

• Soaps containing betaine caused the least skin irritation compared to other tested soaps in twenty-eight healthy subjects, though irritation did not decrease with increasing concentrations of betaine.

  Skin Research and Technology, 2003

• Lactobionic acid produced better skin performance with a lack of skin irritation and barrier impairment compared to glycolic acid in 77 healthy volunteers.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010

• A combination of Aloe barbadensis leaf extract and trimethylglycine in a 1:1 mass ratio synergistically increased aquaporin 3 expression by up to 380% in keratinocytes and safely improved skin hydration in healthy volunteers.

  Molecules, 2024

• The combination of sucrose dilaurate and sucrose laurate suppressed HMGB1 release, melanin production, melanocyte dendricity, and melanosome transfer in vitro, and reduced the appearance of facial spots compared to vehicle in an 8-week human use test.

  Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022

• Sucrose ester in an ibuprofen hydrogel increased skin hydration and ibuprofen penetration more intensely than a gel without sucrose ester without causing greater alterations in the stratum corneum structure in hairless mice.

  Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2012

• Topical application of the nonsugar fraction of brown sugar prevented chronic UVB-induced skin thickness increases, elasticity loss, wrinkles, pigmentation, and vascular changes in melanin-possessing hairless mice, which may be mediated by inhibiting MMP-2 and VEGF expression.

  Journal of Natural Medicines, 2009

• Hydrolyzed corn starch containing maltotetraose activated the NRF2 pathway, upregulated antioxidant-responsive genes, increased NRF2 protein expression and nuclear translocation, and reduced reactive oxygen species levels in human keratinocytes exposed to oxidative stress.

  PloS One, 2026

• Topical papain treatment may slightly decrease pain within 30 minutes in humans stung by Chrysaora chinensis compared to placebo.

  Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2016

• Reflux extraction of Carica papaya leaves yielded higher antioxidant capacity and superior in vitro wound-healing activities including fibroblast proliferation, cell migration, and collagen synthesis in human skin fibroblasts compared to ultrasonic-assisted extraction and agitation.

  Molecules, 2020

• Carica papaya leaf extracts obtained via supercritical fluid and conventional methods demonstrated antioxidant and cytoprotective effects on skin fibroblasts against oxidative stress, driven by their respective lipophilic and hydrophilic constituents.

  Molecules, 2021

• Topical application of a 2% cream containing combined fruit extracts for 56 days significantly reduced wrinkle depth by 11.5%, length by 10.07%, and area by 29.55% in 21 female subjects compared to a placebo.

  Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2015

• A topical cream containing 4% Ficus carica fruit extract applied to the cheeks of human volunteers for 8 weeks significantly decreased skin melanin, trans-epidermal water loss, and sebum, and significantly increased skin hydration compared to a base control.

  Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2014

• A Ficus carica cell suspension culture extract reduced epinephrine, interleukin 6, lipid peroxide, and protein carbonylation, induced ceramide synthesis, and decreased transepidermal water loss and sebum production in skin cells and in vivo.

  Antioxidants, 2021

• Co-culturing mesenchymal stem cells and human keratinocytes on nylon66 electrospun scaffolds loaded with Beta vulgaris extract enhanced cell proliferation and promoted epithelial differentiation compared to mono-cell culturing.

  Materials Science & Engineering. C, Materials for Biological Applications, 2017

• An aqueous extract of Beta vulgaris reduced lipid accumulation and reactive oxygen species in human HaCaT keratinocyte cells treated with palmitic/oleic acids or hydrogen peroxide.

  International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2026

Why other products fit combination 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

• Daily treatment with a facial serum containing multiple acids reduced post-inflammatory hyperchromia lesion grade and number by 29.4% at 56 days, and decreased skin oiliness by 30.7% at 7 days in Brazilian patients with acne vulgaris.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021

Ingredients

Zea Mays Starch, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Diglycerin, Betaine, Allantoin, Maltodextrin, Papain, Water, Iron Oxides Ci 77492, Lactobionic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Sucrose, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Iron Oxides Ci 77499, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Cysteine, Methionine

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.