Fungal acne safe ingredients are the ones malassezia yeast cannot eat: squalane, mineral oil and petrolatum, short-chain esters like caprylic/capric triglyceride, silicones, humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid, most actives, and the mineral sunscreen filters.
Malassezia metabolises fatty acids roughly 11 to 24 carbons long and most esters of them, so almost every plant oil, most emollient esters and the polysorbates are commonly avoided. 80 of the 216 ingredients in this database carry no malassezia flag — but being fungal-acne safe says nothing about whether an ingredient clogs pores, and those two lists overlap far less than people expect.
Only 54 of our 216 ingredients (25%) clear both filters — no malassezia flag and a comedogenic rating of 0–2. Going the other way, 41 of the 136 malassezia-flagged ingredients are themselves rated 0–2, so a fungal-acne flag is not a clogging verdict either. Counted from our own dataset on 2026-09-14; disputed ratings are counted at their midpoint.
The checker below is open in fungal-acne mode and loaded with a typical moisturiser list. Two of its ingredients are malassezia-flagged despite rating 2 for pore-clogging — replace the list with the one off your own bottle. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Fungal-acne (malassezia) flags reflect community consensus, not settled science. Ingredients here are commonly avoided because the yeast can feed on certain fatty acids, esters and polysorbates — evidence for any single ingredient is limited. Treat it as a starting point, not a diagnosis.
Recognized 10 of 11 listed ingredients · 1 not in our database (often water, fragrance, extracts or actives that don't clog).
Your report: 10 ingredients checked, 2 commonly flagged
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We add ingredients to the database as published sources come in. Leave your email and we'll tell you once these have ratings — that's the only reason we'd write.
Technically a liquid wax whose structure mimics skin sebum. Usually rated 2, with some sources placing it as low as 0. Well tolerated by many.
Gentler swaps: Squalane, Hemp Seed Oil, Sunflower Oil
Rich in oleic acid, which can disrupt the skin barrier in some people. Rated around 2 but its high oleic content makes it a common trigger for congestion.
Gentler swaps: Squalane, Hemp Seed Oil, Sunflower Oil
A universal humectant rated 0/5. Non-comedogenic and fungal-acne safe, suitable for all skin types.
Vitamin B3, an oil-regulating active rated 0/5. Non-comedogenic and often recommended for acne-prone skin.
The stable, hydrogenated form of squalene. Rated 0-1, lightweight, and one of the go-to fungal-acne-safe emollients. Do not confuse with squalene.
The salt form of hyaluronic acid, rated 0/5. A universally tolerated humectant.
A light, coconut-derived ester of short C8-C10 fatty acids. Low comedogenicity and, because its chains are shorter than C11, it is widely used as a fungal-acne-safe oil substitute.
A breathable silicone that smooths and blurs. Rated 1/5 and fungal-acne safe; occasionally blamed for congestion when layered heavily, but the ingredient itself is low-risk.
Provitamin B5, a soothing humectant rated 0/5 and safe across skin types.
A broad-spectrum preservative rated 0/5 for clogging, mildly irritating for a few.
Sorted by comedogenic rating, lowest first, so the ingredients that clear both filters sit at the top. Tap any name for its sources and the full breakdown. An "unrated" row means no source we use publishes a 0–5 number for it — we ship it blank rather than invent one.
| Ingredient | Category | Pore-clogging |
|---|---|---|
| Acetone | Solvent | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Allantoin | Active | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Aloe Vera | Botanical | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Ascorbic Acid | Active | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Carbomer | Thickener | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Ethylparaben | Preservative | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Glycerin | Humectant | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Hyaluronic Acid | Humectant | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Isopropyl Alcohol | Solvent | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Kaolin | Mineral | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Magnesium Aluminum Silicate | Mineral | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Methylparaben | Preservative | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Mineral Oil | Occlusive | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Niacinamide | Active | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Panthenol | Humectant | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Papain | Active | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Petrolatum | Occlusive | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Phenoxyethanol | Preservative | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Propylene Glycol | Humectant | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Propylparaben | Preservative | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Sodium Hyaluronate | Humectant | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Sodium PCA | Humectant | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Tocopheryl Acetate | Antioxidant | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Xanthan Gum | Thickener | Low risk · 0/5 |
| Beta Carotene | Antioxidant | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Butylene Glycol | Humectant | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Calendula | Botanical | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Candelilla Wax | Wax | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Caprylic Acid | Fatty acid | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride | Emollient | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Carnauba Wax | Wax | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Cyclomethicone | Silicone | Low risk · 1/5 |
| D&C Red #4 | Colorant | Low risk · 1/5 |
| D&C Red #6 | Colorant | Low risk · 1/5 |
| D&C Red #7 | Colorant | Low risk · 1/5 |
| D&C Red #9 | Colorant | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Dimethicone | Silicone | Low risk · 1/5 |
| PEG-400 | Solvent | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Simethicone | Silicone | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Squalane | Emollient | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Talc | Mineral | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Titanium Dioxide | Mineral | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Zinc Oxide | Mineral | Low risk · 1/5 |
| Benzoic Acid | Preservative | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Bismuth Oxychloride | Mineral | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Camphor | Active | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Capric Acid | Fatty acid | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | Fatty alcohol | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Cetyl Alcohol | Fatty alcohol | Low risk · 2/5 |
| D&C Red #19 | Colorant | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Lauryl Alcohol | Fatty alcohol | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Phytantriol | Other | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Stearyl Alcohol | Fatty alcohol | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Tocopherol (Vitamin E) | Antioxidant | Low risk · 2/5 |
| Cetrimonium Bromide | Surfactant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| Colloidal Sulfur | Active | Moderate · 3/5 |
| D&C Red 17 | Colorant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| D&C Red 21 | Colorant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| D&C Red 3 | Colorant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| D&C Red 30 | Colorant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| D&C Red 36 | Colorant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| Disodium PEG-2 Sulfosuccinate | Surfactant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| Isocetyl Alcohol | Fatty alcohol | Moderate · 3/5 |
| Myristyl Alcohol | Fatty alcohol | Moderate · 3/5 |
| Sodium Laureth Sulfate | Surfactant | Moderate · 3/5 |
| Algin | Thickener | High risk · 4/5 |
| Ascophyllum Nodosum (Knotted Wrack) | Marine / algae | High risk · 4/5 |
| Chondrus Crispus (Irish Moss) | Marine / algae | High risk · 4/5 |
| Coal Tar | Other | High risk · 4/5 |
| Laminaria Extract | Marine / algae | High risk · 4/5 |
| Plankton Extract | Marine / algae | High risk · 4/5 |
| Spirulina | Marine / algae | High risk · 4/5 |
| Algae Extract | Marine / algae | High risk · 5/5 |
| Carrageenan | Thickener | High risk · 5/5 |
| Red Algae | Marine / algae | High risk · 5/5 |
| Sodium Chloride | Other | High risk · 5/5 |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate | Surfactant | High risk · 5/5 |
| Agar | Thickener | Unrated |
| Chlorella | Marine / algae | Unrated |
| Isononyl Isononanoate | Ester / emollient | Unrated |
Pore-clogging and fungal acne are two different mechanisms, so they produce two different avoid-lists. A comedone forms when an ingredient sits in a follicle and blocks it; the 0–5 comedogenic scale scores that tendency. Malassezia folliculitis is an overgrowth of a yeast that eats particular fatty acids, so the question there is not "does this block a pore" but "is this food". An ingredient can fail either test independently.
The clearest demonstration is in the numbers above. 12 of the 80 unflagged ingredients rate 4 or higher for clogging — including algae extract, carrageenan, red algae. Someone treating "fungal acne safe" as a general safety label would put those straight onto congestion-prone skin. In the other direction, 41 flagged ingredients rate 0–2 and are fine for anyone who does not have malassezia folliculitis in the first place.
All 49 plant and animal oils in the database are malassezia-flagged — 0 of them are unflagged. The triglycerides in an oil break down into exactly the C11–C24 chain lengths the yeast uses, which is true regardless of how the oil scores for pore-clogging. Sunflower, hemp seed and argan oil all rate 0 on the comedogenic scale and are all still on the commonly-avoided list. If you are treating fungal acne and want slip, the substitutes are squalane and caprylic/capric triglyceride, both of which appear near the top of the table above. If fungal acne is not your concern, the oils ranked by comedogenic rating is the list you actually want.
This page is free and public — no email needed to read it, and nothing here is gated. But which ingredients carry a malassezia flag changes as published sources come in. Leave your address and we'll write once when it does; that's the only reason we'd write.
Ingredients malassezia cannot feed on: it metabolises fatty acids roughly 11 to 24 carbons long and most esters of them, so what is left safe is broadly squalane, mineral oil and petrolatum, short-chain esters like caprylic/capric triglyceride, silicones, humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid, most actives, mineral sunscreen filters, and most preservatives. Of the 216 ingredients in our database, 80 carry no malassezia flag.
Not automatically, and this is the most common mistake. They are two separate filters. Only 54 of our 216 ingredients (25%) are both unflagged for malassezia and rated 0–2 on the comedogenic scale. 12 ingredients are fungal-acne safe yet rate 4 or higher for clogging pores.
Yes. Squalane is a saturated hydrocarbon, not a fatty acid or an ester of one, so malassezia has nothing to metabolise. It also rates 1 on the 0–5 comedogenic scale, which makes it one of the few emollients that clears both filters — it is the swap this checker suggests most often.
In our dataset, no. All 49 plant and animal oils we rate carry a malassezia flag, because the triglycerides in them break down into exactly the chain lengths the yeast uses. That holds even for oils with a comedogenic rating of 0. If you need slip without an oil, squalane and caprylic/capric triglyceride are the usual substitutes.
Less reliable than comedogenic ratings, and we would rather say so. The chain-length mechanism is real, but which specific ingredients trigger flares in which people is poorly studied. Treat a flag as 'commonly avoided' rather than 'proven to cause fungal acne', and use it to structure an elimination test, not as a diagnosis.
Fungal-acne (malassezia / Pityrosporum folliculitis) flags reflect community consensus that Malassezia yeast metabolises fatty acids roughly C11-C24 and their esters, plus polysorbates. The clinical evidence for individual ingredients is far weaker than for comedogenicity; treat these flags as 'commonly avoided', not proven. Informational only, not medical advice.
Start from a blank list in the pore-clogging ingredient checker, or use the free pore clog checker with a sample already loaded.