The Fungal Acne-Safe Edit

Fungal acne (technically: Malassezia folliculitis, or Pityrosporum folliculitis) isn't bacterial acne and doesn't respond to benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid the way regular acne does. It's driven by an overgrowth of Malassezia yeast, which feeds on fatty acids and oils on the skin. The uniform, itchy, small-bump rash on forehead, chest, and shoulders that refuses to clear with normal acne products? That's usually fungal acne. The treatment is antifungal (ketoconazole shampoo left on as a face mask, or prescription topical antifungals) plus — critically — a skincare routine that doesn't feed the yeast. That means no oils, no fatty alcohols, no esters with 11–24 carbon chains, and (controversially) careful use of fermented actives. These picks meet the Malassezia-safe criteria: they don't contain the ingredients that feed the yeast, they're fragrance-light, and they've been vetted against the fungal-acne reddit community's ("folliculitisscout") ingredient checker.