If you've researched MSM at all, you've probably encountered it first as an oral supplement. Athletes take it for joint health. Wellness enthusiasts use it for inflammation. The supplement aisle is full of MSM capsules and powders promising various benefits.
But here's a question that deserves more attention: when you swallow an MSM supplement, how much of it actually reaches your skin?
Running a skincare company from our Washington State farm has taught me to think carefully about delivery mechanisms. It's not enough for an ingredient to be beneficial in theory—it has to actually get where it needs to go. And when it comes to MSM and skin health, the route you choose matters more than you might think.
The Oral Supplement Journey
When you take an MSM supplement orally, it enters your digestive system first. From there, it's absorbed through the intestinal lining into your bloodstream. Your liver processes it. Your body distributes it based on competing priorities.
Here's the challenge: your body has a hierarchy of needs. When sulfur-containing compounds enter your system, your body directs them first to essential functions—detoxification, protein synthesis for vital organs, enzymatic processes. Your skin, while important, isn't at the top of that priority list.
This doesn't mean oral MSM is useless. Research has shown benefits for joint health, exercise recovery, and overall inflammation. Many athletes—including members of our own family—supplement with MSM and feel genuine differences.
But if your primary goal is improving skin health specifically, oral supplementation is an indirect route. You're hoping that after your body handles its more urgent sulfur needs, some will remain for your skin's collagen production, keratin synthesis, and barrier function.
The Case for Topical Application
Topical application offers something different: direct delivery.
When you apply MSM-containing skincare to your face or body, the compound doesn't have to survive digestion, compete with other bodily needs, or wait its turn in a systemic distribution queue. It's right there, at the site where you want it to work.
MSM is a small molecule with good permeability characteristics. Research suggests it can penetrate the skin barrier and reach the layers where collagen and elastin synthesis occurs. This is particularly true when MSM is formulated with complementary ingredients that support absorption—like the goat milk we use in every product.
Our goat milk's natural lactic acid provides gentle exfoliation, helping remove dead skin cells that might otherwise impede penetration. Its small fat globules create an effective delivery system. And its skin-matching pH means it works with your skin rather than against it.
What the Research Tells Us
Studies on topical MSM, while still an emerging area, show promising results. Research has demonstrated that MSM applied to the skin can reduce inflammation, support tissue repair, and improve skin's overall appearance and texture.
One area where topical MSM particularly shines is post-exercise application. Athletes experience localized inflammation and micro-damage from training. Applying MSM directly to affected areas—through products like our Muscle Cream or Active Cream—delivers anti-inflammatory support exactly where it's needed.
This targeted approach is why athletes who use both oral supplements and topical MSM often report that the topical application provides more noticeable, immediate effects on their skin and the tissues beneath it.
The Bioavailability Question
Bioavailability—the degree to which a substance is absorbed and available for use—is the key consideration here.
Oral MSM has reasonable bioavailability. Studies suggest absorption rates around 80-90% from the digestive tract. But that absorbed MSM then distributes throughout your entire body. The amount that ultimately reaches your skin depends on many factors: your overall sulfur status, your body's competing demands, your circulation, and more.
Topical MSM bypasses this whole-body distribution. While we don't have precise absorption percentages for topical application (this varies based on formulation, skin condition, and application area), the MSM that does penetrate is concentrated where you've applied it.
Think of it this way: oral supplementation is like watering your entire garden with a sprinkler and hoping enough reaches the roses. Topical application is like directing a gentle stream right at the roots of the plant you're trying to nurture.
The Athletes' Perspective
Our family's experience with MSM spans both oral and topical use. With four college athletes—two at the Division I NCAA level—we've had plenty of opportunities to compare approaches.
The oral supplements made a noticeable difference in joint comfort and overall recovery. That's well-documented and matches what research shows.
But when we developed our Muscle Cream and Active Cream with topical MSM, the feedback was immediate and specific. Athletes reported targeted relief. They could apply it exactly where they needed it—sore muscles, stressed skin, areas of inflammation—and feel results in those specific spots.
This isn't to say one approach is universally better than the other. They serve different purposes. But for skin health specifically—whether you're addressing athletic stress, chronic sensitivity, aging concerns, or persistent dryness—topical delivery has clear advantages.
Combining Approaches
There's no reason you can't do both. In fact, a combined approach might be optimal for some people.
Oral MSM supports your body's overall sulfur status, helps with systemic inflammation, and addresses internal needs. Topical MSM provides targeted delivery to your skin, concentrating benefits exactly where you're applying it.
If you've been taking oral MSM supplements but haven't seen the skin improvements you hoped for, adding topical MSM might be the missing piece. You've been supporting your body's sulfur needs generally—now you're also delivering it directly to your skin.
Formulation Matters
Not all topical MSM products are created equal. The concentration matters, obviously, but so does the formulation context.
MSM works best when paired with ingredients that support absorption and complement its effects. This is why we combine it with fresh goat milk, which provides natural lactic acid for gentle exfoliation and a delivery system that works with your skin's natural chemistry.
We also consider the overall formulation philosophy. Our products don't contain the harsh synthetic ingredients that can irritate sensitive skin or compromise the skin barrier. When you're trying to support skin health with MSM, it doesn't make sense to undermine that goal with irritating additives.
The Practical Bottom Line
If you're specifically concerned about skin health—whether that's aging gracefully, managing sensitivity, recovering from athletic exertion, or simply maintaining healthy, resilient skin—topical MSM deserves serious consideration.
Oral supplements have their place. They support overall wellness and address systemic needs. But they're an indirect route to skin benefits, relying on your body to distribute sulfur where it's needed after handling other priorities first.
Topical application puts MSM directly where you want it. No digestive journey. No competing bodily demands. Just sulfur-rich support delivered straight to your skin.
That's why every product we make on our Washington State farm contains MSM. It's why we formulate with absorption in mind, using fresh goat milk as our base. And it's why athletes and non-athletes alike tell us they feel a difference they didn't get from supplements alone.
Your skin doesn't have to wait in line. Topical MSM lets you deliver what it needs, directly.
