Pore-clogging ingredients / Colloidal Sulfur

Is Colloidal Sulfur comedogenic?

It can. This ingredient carries moderate pore-clogging risk.

Comedogenic rating: 3/5; Moderately comedogenic
Evidence confidence: moderate; Most published lists include this ingredient, with ratings that vary by about one point.
Also appears as: No common label aliases

What is Colloidal Sulfur?

Finely divided sulfur suspended in lotion form, used in acne and rosacea masks and spot treatments. Effective against blemishes for many, but the colloidal form appears on published comedogenicity lists — a reminder that 'acne treatment' and 'pore-safe' aren't synonyms.

What to do if you're acne-prone

Position matters: high on the ingredient list means more of it in the formula. If you're very breakout-prone, choose an alternative; otherwise watch how your skin responds.

Where this rating comes from

Our ratings consolidate two lineages: the original rabbit-ear comedogenicity assays published by James Fulton and colleagues (Fulton, Pay & Fulton, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1984; Fulton, Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, 1989), and the pore-clogger lists maintained by acne-specialist estheticians in the Face Reality lineage that refine those assays with decades of client observation. This ingredient appears across both lineages with ratings that vary by about one point; we show the consensus value.

Last reviewed 2026-08-15 by the PorePass editorial team.

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Related pore-clogging ingredients

Comedogenicity ratings come from published ingredient studies and esthetician-compiled lists. They are imperfect and formulation-dependent, and this page isn't medical advice. Reactions vary by skin, concentration, and the rest of the formula.