"Picture eczema like an open wound. Now imagine pouring alcohol over it. This is exactly what you're doing when you apply creams with harmful ingredients."
That quote comes from an eczema sufferer describing their experience with mainstream skincare products. It captures something important: for people with eczema, finding products that don't make things worse can feel nearly impossible.
We hear from eczema sufferers regularly at our Washington State farm. They've tried everything. They've followed dermatologist recommendations. They've spent hundreds of dollars on products labeled "gentle," "sensitive skin approved," and "dermatologist tested"—only to experience burning, stinging, and flare-ups that leave them crying themselves to sleep from the itching.
MSM won't cure eczema. Nothing will—it's a complex condition involving immune function, barrier impairment, and genetic factors. But MSM can offer something valuable: genuine support for chronically irritated skin without the inflammatory triggers that make so many products problematic.
Understanding Why Most Products Fail Eczema Skin
Before discussing how MSM can help, it's worth understanding why so many products fail people with eczema.
Eczema involves a compromised skin barrier. The protective outer layer that normally keeps moisture in and irritants out doesn't function properly. This creates a vicious cycle: irritants penetrate easily, causing inflammation; inflammation further damages the barrier; the damaged barrier lets in more irritants.
Many common skincare ingredients—even those in "sensitive skin" products—can trigger this cycle. Synthetic fragrances, certain preservatives, alcohol-based formulations, and even some ingredients meant to be beneficial (like niacinamide for some people) can cause reactions in barrier-compromised skin.
When customers tell us "my skin hates everything," they're often describing this reality. Their skin isn't inherently difficult—it's damaged and reactive, and most products aren't formulated with truly compromised skin in mind.
How MSM Approaches Eczema Differently
MSM offers several properties that make it particularly suited for eczema-prone skin.
Anti-Inflammatory Action: Inflammation is central to eczema. The redness, the swelling, the maddening itch—all stem from an inflammatory response. MSM has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in research, helping calm the overactive immune response that drives eczema symptoms.
This isn't about suppressing inflammation artificially (the way steroids do, with their long-term consequences). It's about providing a compound that supports your body's natural ability to regulate inflammation.
Sulfur for Barrier Repair: Remember that compromised skin barrier? Your body needs sulfur to produce keratin and other structural proteins essential for barrier function. MSM provides bioavailable sulfur directly to the skin, supporting the repair processes that eczema constantly undermines.
Gentle, Non-Irritating Profile: MSM doesn't contain the common triggers that cause eczema flare-ups. No fragrance. No harsh alcohols. No known sensitizers. For skin that reacts to everything, this matters enormously.
The Hydration Connection
One underappreciated aspect of eczema management is the role of genuine hydration versus surface-level moisturizing.
Many eczema creams create a barrier on top of the skin to trap moisture. This can help, but it doesn't address the underlying dehydration at deeper levels. Water-based lotions, meanwhile, can actually worsen things—studies suggest water-based formulations cause burning in a significant percentage of people with broken skin.
MSM can improve cell membrane permeability, helping nutrients and moisture actually penetrate into cells rather than just sitting on the surface. Combined with the right base ingredients, this supports hydration that goes beyond temporary surface relief.
This is why we use fresh goat milk as our foundation. Goat milk's small fat molecules and skin-matching pH create an effective delivery system that works with compromised skin rather than against it. The natural lactic acid provides gentle exfoliation without the harshness of synthetic AHAs that can devastate eczema skin.
What Research Shows
Scientific investigation into MSM for skin conditions continues to evolve. Studies have demonstrated MSM's ability to reduce inflammatory markers, support tissue repair, and improve skin hydration.
Research specifically on eczema is limited but growing. What we do have suggests that sulfur deficiency may play a role in barrier dysfunction, and that providing bioavailable sulfur can support improvement.
Anecdotally, the reports from eczema sufferers who've tried MSM-containing products are encouraging. Reduced redness. Less itching. Skin that feels calmer, not assaulted.
One of our own customers shared: "I rarely use any skincare as I am often irritated by the ingredients. I tried the cream today and was so happy to feel soft and supple skin for the first time in so long." That's the kind of feedback that confirms we're on the right track.
The Importance of What's NOT in Your Products
For eczema sufferers, what a product doesn't contain often matters as much as what it does.
Our formulations avoid the common triggers that send eczema skin into crisis mode. No synthetic fragrances—a known eczema trigger that hides in countless "unscented" products under misleading labels. No harsh alcohols. No irritating preservatives.
We've seen the frustration customers experience when products marketed as "natural" or "gentle" still cause reactions. Often, those products contain triggering ingredients despite their marketing claims. One customer told us about getting an allergic reaction from a "natural" rose balm loaded with perfume. Another described burning from a cream that was supposedly formulated for sensitive skin.
When you're dealing with eczema, you can't trust marketing language. You have to examine actual formulations. And you need products made with genuine understanding of what compromised skin can and cannot tolerate.
Managing Expectations
I want to be clear about what MSM can and cannot do for eczema.
MSM is not a medication. It won't cure eczema or replace medical treatment for severe cases. If you're dealing with serious flare-ups, weeping lesions, or skin infections, please work with a healthcare provider.
What MSM can do is provide supportive care that doesn't make things worse—and may actively help your skin calm down and function better. For many eczema sufferers, finding products that don't trigger flares is a victory in itself. Finding products that actually support improvement is transformative.
Our Active Cream and Muscle Cream both contain MSM alongside other calming, supportive ingredients. Athletes with eczema particularly appreciate that they can address both their training recovery needs and their skin sensitivity with products that won't backfire.
A Different Approach to Difficult Skin
Living with eczema means living with uncertainty. Will this product be okay? Will tomorrow bring a flare-up? Will you ever find something that actually helps?
We can't promise miracles. Eczema is complex, and what helps one person may not help another. But we can promise products formulated with genuine understanding of what sensitive, compromised skin needs—and what it can't tolerate.
MSM is central to that approach. It provides anti-inflammatory support without harsh chemicals. It delivers sulfur for barrier repair without irritating additives. It works with your skin's natural processes rather than overwhelming them with aggressive actives.
If you've tried everything and nothing works, maybe it's time to try something genuinely different. Not another heavily-marketed product with triggering ingredients hiding behind "gentle" labels. But simple, intentional formulations built around ingredients like MSM that support skin health at a fundamental level.
Your skin doesn't have to hate everything. It just needs products formulated for what it actually is—not what marketers wish it were.
