Most skincare ingredients have murky origin stories—discovered by accident in some pharmaceutical lab, then quietly added to formulations without fanfare. MSM is different. This sulfur compound has a specific birthplace, a specific researcher, and a specific moment when everything changed.
And that moment happened less than an hour from our Washington State farm.
The OHSU Connection
In the 1960s, Dr. Stanley W. Jacob was working at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland when he began investigating a solvent called dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO. What started as curiosity about an industrial byproduct became a decades-long research program that would eventually lead to MSM's emergence as a skincare and wellness ingredient.
Dr. Jacob wasn't looking for a beauty product. He was trying to understand how sulfur compounds interact with human tissue. But the implications of his work extended far beyond the medical applications he initially pursued. By studying DMSO's metabolite—methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM—Jacob and his colleague Dr. Robert Herschler opened a door that the skincare industry would eventually walk through.
Their 1981 patent for MSM described it as an organic sulfur compound that could be safely used in biological applications. The patent noted MSM's remarkable characteristics: it was odorless, non-toxic, and could penetrate tissue in ways that other compounds couldn't.
Why Sulfur Matters for Skin
To understand why Jacob's discovery matters for your skin, you need to understand sulfur's role in the body. Sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in human tissue, after calcium and phosphorus. It's a structural component of amino acids like methionine and cysteine, which are essential for building keratin and collagen—the proteins that give your skin its strength and elasticity.
When researchers like Jacob began studying MSM, they found it provided a bioavailable form of sulfur that the body could actually use. Unlike elemental sulfur, which your body can't absorb, MSM delivers sulfur in a form that cells can incorporate into their structures.
This is why we include MSM in every Artisan product. On our Washington State farm, we've seen firsthand how this ingredient transforms formulations—it's not just an add-on but a foundational element that enhances everything else in the formula.
From Laboratory to Skincare
The journey from Jacob's laboratory to modern skincare wasn't immediate. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, MSM research focused primarily on joint health and inflammation. Studies published in journals like the Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine and Osteoarthritis and Cartilage examined MSM's effects on pain and mobility, building a scientific foundation that would later support its skincare applications.
The skincare industry began paying serious attention to MSM in the early 2000s. A 2006 study published in Natural Medicine Journal examined topical MSM applications and found promising results for skin texture and appearance. Researchers noted that MSM's anti-inflammatory properties, combined with its role in collagen synthesis, made it a logical candidate for skincare formulations.
What made MSM particularly interesting to formulators was its versatility. Unlike ingredients that target only one concern—hydration, or exfoliation, or inflammation—MSM works on multiple levels simultaneously. It provides sulfur for structural proteins while also calming inflammation and supporting the skin barrier.
The Pacific Northwest Legacy
There's something fitting about the fact that MSM research began in Portland, just a short drive from where we raise our goats and formulate our products. The Pacific Northwest has always been a place where unconventional ideas take root and grow.
Dr. Jacob continued his MSM research for decades, authoring books like The Miracle of MSM and advocating for broader recognition of the compound's potential. His work laid the groundwork for the thousands of MSM-containing products now available—including every cream we make at Artisan The Goat.
When we formulate our products, we're building on that foundation. The fresh goat milk from our farm provides lactic acid and vitamins, while the MSM provides bioavailable sulfur for skin structure and calm. It's a combination that works because both ingredients have real science behind them.
What the Research Actually Shows
Since Jacob's early work, MSM has been the subject of numerous studies examining its effects on skin health. A 2008 study in the International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research looked at MSM supplementation and found improvements in skin texture among participants. The researchers attributed these results to MSM's role in keratin and collagen synthesis.
More recent research has examined topical MSM applications specifically. A study published in PLOS ONE in 2019 examined how sulfur compounds affect skin barrier function, finding that adequate sulfur is essential for maintaining the skin's protective layer.
These studies don't promise miracles—and neither do we. But they do demonstrate that MSM isn't marketing hype. It's a compound with documented mechanisms of action and measurable effects on skin health.
Why This History Matters
Understanding where MSM comes from helps you make informed decisions about your skincare. This isn't an ingredient that appeared out of nowhere, backed only by marketing claims. It has a research lineage that stretches back sixty years, to a lab in Portland where a curious scientist started asking questions about sulfur.
That scientific foundation is why we've chosen to include MSM in every Artisan product. It's not a trendy ingredient we'll replace next season—it's a core element of our formulation philosophy, supported by decades of research that began right here in the Pacific Northwest.
