When people ask what makes our skincare different, I often start with an ingredient most have never heard of: sulfur. Not the harsh, acne-treatment sulfur of decades past, but organic sulfur in the form of MSM—a compound so fundamental to skin health that I'm genuinely surprised more brands don't prioritize it.
Here on our Washington State farm, we've built our entire product line around this "forgotten" mineral. Every cream we make contains MSM. And once you understand what sulfur actually does in your body, you'll understand why.
Sulfur: The Fourth Most Abundant Mineral in Your Body
Let's start with a fact that surprises most people: sulfur is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, right behind calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. It's not some obscure trace element. It's a major player.
Your body uses sulfur constantly. It's essential for synthesizing proteins, supporting enzymatic reactions, and maintaining the structural integrity of connective tissues. But here's what matters most for your skin: sulfur is absolutely critical for producing collagen, keratin, and elastin—the proteins that determine whether your skin looks firm and healthy or thin and aged.
Without adequate sulfur, your body simply cannot build these proteins properly. It's like trying to construct a building without enough steel beams. The structure suffers.
The Collagen Connection
Collagen gets enormous attention in the skincare world, and rightfully so. It's the most abundant protein in your body and the primary structural component of your skin. But here's what the collagen supplement industry often fails to mention: your body needs sulfur to synthesize collagen.
Specifically, sulfur helps form the disulfide bonds that give collagen its strength and structure. These bonds are like the cross-links that hold everything together. When sulfur is scarce, collagen synthesis slows down, and the collagen that does get produced may be weaker and less stable.
This is why topical MSM makes so much sense. Rather than just slathering on collagen (which has molecular weight issues that limit skin penetration anyway), you're providing the raw material your skin needs to manufacture its own collagen more effectively.
Keratin and Your Skin's Protective Layer
Keratin is another sulfur-dependent protein, and it's the primary component of your skin's outermost layer—the stratum corneum. This layer is your body's first line of defense against environmental damage, pathogens, and moisture loss.
Strong, healthy keratin means a strong, healthy skin barrier. Weak keratin means a compromised barrier that lets moisture escape and irritants penetrate. If you've ever felt like your skin reacts to everything, like even "gentle" products make your face feel like it's on fire, a weakened keratin structure may be part of the problem.
Sulfur is essential for keratin production. The amino acids cysteine and methionine—both sulfur-containing—are keratin's building blocks. When you provide your skin with bioavailable sulfur through MSM, you're supporting the production of stronger, more resilient keratin.
The Glutathione Factor
Here's where the science gets particularly interesting. Sulfur is required for your body to produce glutathione, often called the "master antioxidant."
Glutathione doesn't get the marketing attention of vitamin C or vitamin E, but it's arguably more important. It's your body's primary internal defense against oxidative stress—the cellular damage caused by free radicals, UV exposure, pollution, and inflammation.
When glutathione levels are low, oxidative damage accumulates faster than your body can repair it. This shows up in your skin as premature aging, hyperpigmentation, and that dull, tired look that no amount of highlighter can fix.
By supporting glutathione production, sulfur helps your skin defend itself from the inside out. It's not about masking damage—it's about preventing it in the first place.
Why Modern Life Leaves Us Sulfur-Depleted
If sulfur is so essential, why don't we hear more about deficiency? Part of the answer is that sulfur deficiency doesn't present as dramatically as, say, iron deficiency. It's insidious. It shows up as gradual decline rather than acute symptoms.
But sulfur depletion is more common than you might think, and modern life is largely to blame.
Industrial agriculture has stripped sulfur from soil. A century ago, farmers commonly used sulfur-rich fertilizers. Today, nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) fertilizers dominate, and soil sulfur levels have plummeted. The vegetables we eat contain less sulfur than they did generations ago.
Food processing makes things worse. Cooking, especially boiling, destroys sulfur compounds. Processed foods—even those made from originally sulfur-rich ingredients—have had much of their sulfur content degraded.
And then there's the lifestyle factor. Physical stress, inflammation, and exposure to environmental toxins all increase your body's sulfur demands. Athletes, in particular, burn through sulfur at elevated rates.
MSM: Bioavailable Sulfur for Your Skin
This brings us to MSM—methylsulfonylmethane. MSM is an organic sulfur compound that occurs naturally in plants and animals. It's one of the most bioavailable forms of sulfur, meaning your body can actually absorb and use it effectively.
When applied topically, MSM can penetrate the skin and provide sulfur directly where it's needed. Studies have shown that MSM has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it particularly valuable for irritated, reactive, or condition-prone skin.
For our family—with four college athletes putting their bodies through intense training—MSM became essential. We saw the difference it made in recovery, in how skin handled the stress of constant physical exertion. Our Muscle Cream and Active Cream both feature MSM prominently because we formulated them for exactly this kind of use.
But you don't have to be a Division I athlete to benefit. Anyone whose skin shows signs of depletion—persistent dryness, loss of firmness, chronic sensitivity—may be experiencing the effects of insufficient sulfur.
The Synergy with Goat Milk
We pair MSM with fresh goat milk in every product for good reason. Goat milk contains its own sulfur-rich amino acids, creating a complementary effect. Its natural lactic acid helps with gentle exfoliation, improving absorption. And its pH closely matches human skin, so it delivers these benefits without disrupting your skin's acid mantle.
This isn't about throwing trendy ingredients together and hoping for the best. It's about understanding how ingredients work together at a fundamental level.
What the Research Shows
The scientific literature on MSM continues to grow. Studies have demonstrated its anti-inflammatory effects, its ability to support collagen production, and its role in reducing oxidative stress. Research on athletes has shown MSM supplementation can reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and support faster recovery.
While more research specifically on topical MSM for skin health would be welcome, the existing evidence—combined with the foundational understanding of sulfur's role in skin biology—makes a compelling case for including MSM in skincare formulations.
Reclaiming the Forgotten Mineral
Sulfur may not have the marketing appeal of hyaluronic acid or the buzz of retinol. It's not new. It's not exotic. But it's essential.
When customers tell us they've "tried everything and nothing works," we often wonder: have they tried giving their skin the basic building blocks it needs? Not aggressive actives. Not dramatic chemical interventions. Just the fundamental materials for healthy skin function.
That's what sulfur provides. That's why MSM is in every product we make. And that's why we believe this "forgotten" mineral deserves far more attention than it gets.
