Free Tool
Know in 10 seconds if your skincare is making it worse.
Most cleansers, moisturizers, and serums on the shelf contain oils and esters that feed the yeast behind fungal acne, seb derm, dandruff, and tinea versicolor. That's why your routine isn't working. Paste a label, and we'll flag the ingredients to skip.
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Seb derm-safe starter list
A practical shortlist for Malassezia-prone face and scalp routines. Click any product to run the full ingredient check, then save it into your routine.
Photograph the ingredient list on your product
Flip the product over and photograph the ingredient list on the back. The tool will pull the text out for you.
Reading ingredients...
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Each step gets checked for Malassezia safety, and the routine gets an overall score at the end.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Malassezia is a genus of yeast that naturally lives on human skin. When it overgrows, it can cause fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis), seborrheic dermatitis, dandruff, and tinea versicolor. A lot of common skincare ingredients contain fatty acids in the C12 to C24 range that this yeast feeds on, which tends to make those conditions flare. This tool flags those ingredients on a label.
Use this free tool. Paste in the product's ingredient list, scan the label with your camera, or pick a product from the built-in database of 125+ popular items (CeraVe, Vanicream, The Ordinary, La Roche-Posay, and so on). Every Malassezia-feeding ingredient gets flagged with a swap suggestion. There's more background in our Malassezia Handbook.
Avoid ingredients with fatty acid chains in the C12 to C24 range. That covers most plant oils (coconut, olive, argan, jojoba, rosehip), free fatty acids (lauric, stearic, oleic), esters such as isopropyl myristate and glyceryl stearate, polysorbates 20/40/60/80, and fermented ingredients like galactomyces ferment filtrate. Reach for squalane, MCT oil (C8/C10 only), mineral oil, dimethicone, or caprylic/capric triglyceride instead.
No. Coconut oil is loaded with lauric acid (C12), myristic acid (C14), and palmitic acid (C16), which Malassezia feeds on directly. Use MCT oil (caprylic/capric triglyceride, C8/C10 only) or squalane instead.
Look for moisturizers with no fatty acids in the C12 to C24 range and no plant oils. Good bases are squalane, dimethicone, petrolatum, or caprylic/capric triglyceride. Commonly recommended seb derm options include Vanicream products, Sebamed Clear Face Care Gel, and The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors. Run any product through the checker above if you're not sure.
Depends on the product. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser scores well and has only one flagged ingredient. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream contains cetearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol (debated fatty alcohols); some people with fungal acne tolerate them, others don't. Check specific CeraVe products in the tool above.
Tinea versicolor is caused by the same Malassezia yeast behind fungal acne and seb derm. Safe moisturizing ingredients include glycerin, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, squalane, and dimethicone. Treatment usually involves a clinician-prescribed antifungal (e.g., ketoconazole). Skip coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, and any other plant oil with C12 to C24 fatty acids.
Fatty alcohols like cetyl alcohol (C16), stearyl alcohol (C18), and cetearyl alcohol are debated in the fungal acne community. They tend to be better tolerated than oils and esters, but some people with Malassezia-prone skin still react. The tool marks these as "caution" rather than "unsafe." Patch test first if you're not sure.
Look for mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active, and check that the inactive list is free of plant oils and fatty acid esters. EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 and CeraVe Mineral Body Sunscreen SPF 50 are popular picks. Run the full ingredient list through the tool; plenty of sunscreens hide problem ingredients in the inactive section.
No. This tool is educational and helps you screen ingredients. It isn't a diagnosis or medical advice. If you think you have fungal acne, seborrheic dermatitis, tinea versicolor, or another Malassezia-related condition, see a dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment, or book an online consultation with one of our board-certified dermatologists.