My Ultimate List of Fungal Acne Safe Skincare Products

Struggling with fungal acne? These are my go-to fungal acne safe products that actually work—cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreens, and more, all personally tested and loved.

If you live somewhere as hot and humid as I do (hello, 90% humidity), you can probably relate to the feeling of getting out of the shower only to start sweating again within minutes. It's like your pores never really get a break. Unfortunately, that also often means one very annoying skincare issue: fungal acne (or, Malassezia folliculitis, if you’re more scientifically inclined).

It took me quite a while to figure out that the annoying bumpy texture on my forehead wasn’t just regular ol’ acne. And even then, I wasn’t sure if what I had was actually fungal acne or closed comedones or something else entirely. But you know what? It didn’t really matter, because once I started using FA-safe products, things started clearing up automatically. The truth is that FA-safe products tend to be formulated with fewer irritants, so regardless of my underlying problem, these products were doing wonders for my skin.

Fast forward to now, and fungal acne seems to have reached mass epidemic proportions. Suddenly, everyone I see online is talking about it, and while I don’t truly think we’re all suffering from the same thing, I do see a very clear need for more information around products that are fungal acne safe. So, since I’ve spent a large part of the last few years checking the labels of skincare products like a hawk, I thought I’d share my own list of FA-safe products that work. If you’re also trying to fight off those pesky breakouts, I hope these can help you.

Disclaimer: I’m not a dermatologist or esthetician. Fungal acne is a medical condition, and should be treated as such by a doctor before you embark on a new skincare routine.

Cleansers

Like any self-respecting oily-skinned, acne-prone individual, I double cleanse religiously every night. So I’m going to break down the best cleansers by first and second cleanse (don’t miss some of my honorable mentions right below).

Best First Cleanse: Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water

If you love your cleansing balms and oils, I have some bad news for you. Almost no oil-based cleansers are truly fungal-acne safe, and trust me, I’ve tried a lot of them. If your fungal acne isn’t particularly bad, you could get away with an oil for a few days, maybe even weeks, but that dreaded FA texture will inadvertently rear its ugly head again at some point.

That’s why, in my opinion, a good micellar water is always the safest option for a first cleanse. Granted it doesn’t feel as luxurious as an oil or balm, but at least you can be sure your skin won’t be breaking out the next morning.

Best Second Cleanse: Beplain Mung Bean pH-Balanced Cleansing Foam

Luckily, your choices for a second cleanse are far more abundant. In fact, there are so many great options I’ve tried and loved, I actually had a hard time picking my absolute fave. I ended up giving the top spot to the mung bean foaming cleanser from Beplain because I think it’s an incredibly effective, but gentle cleanser that could work for all skin types. Mung bean gently purifies the skin, while nourishing ingredients like aloe, centella asiatica, and turmeric ensure that it’s not too stripping.

Honorable Mentions:

• Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gelée 3%

• Haruharu, Wonder, Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel

• B.LAB Matcha Hydrating Foam Cleanser

Toners

Toners again, are a category where you’re spoilt for choice. Especially with the explosion of lightweight Korean toners, the options are now endless. Here’s my all time fave + some honorable mentions below.

Best Overall Toner: Anua 70+ Rice Ceramide Glow Milky Toner

Forget their viral Heartleaf toner, this milky toner from Anua is what I wish more people were talking about. Formulated primarily with rice bran water, this hydrating and nourishing toner is further bolstered with the presence of niacinamide, ceramides and hyaluronic acid. Despite the stacked ingredient list, it’s still lightweight on the skin, and is usually my go-to recommendation for oily, fungal-acne prone girlies looking for an alternative to the Rhode Glazing Milk.

Honorable Mentions:

• Eqqualberry Swimming Pool Toner

• I’m From Rice Toner

• Torriden Dive-In Low Molecule Hyaluronic Acid Toner

Serums & Treatments

I found it impossible to name one best overall serum/treatment product because it really depends on your needs and what you’re looking for. So I’ve broken it down into a few top concerns: brightening, anti-aging, barrier repair, and exfoliating.

Best for Brightening: Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow 15% Vitamin C Serum

Call me old-fashioned, but when it comes to brightening, it’s hard for anything to beat the classic Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid combination. This ultra lightweight serum from Geek & Gorgeous is considered a near dupe for the famous Skinceuticals formula, at a fraction of the price.

I will add, at this point, that pure Vitamin C should not be used on active acne as it could make it worse. If you’re struggling with a breakout, the options below with tranexamic acid or azelaic acid would be better bets.

Honorable Mentions:

• Naturium Tranexamic Topical Acid 5%

• Anua Azelaic Acid 15+ Intense Calming Serum

Best for Anti-aging: Tretinoin/Differin

There’s a reason that retinoids, and especially prescription retinoids like tretinoin, are considered the gold standard of anti-aging skincare. Yes, it’s a bit harder to get because of the need for a prescription, but online derms are making the process far easier nowadays (I literally got mine after a 15 minute video call consult, and had the product delivered to my door within days). Just note that not all Tretinoin is FA-safe, so check with your prescribing derm before you start using it. Another FA-safe retinoid option is Differin Adapalene Gel, which is available over the counter.

If retinoids are a bit much for your skin, peptides and the increasingly popular, growth factors, are also great options. Check out my picks below.

Honorable mentions:

• Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum

• Good Molecules Super Peptide Serum

• The Ordinary GF 15% Solution

Best for Barrier Repair: Ma:nyo Bifida Complex Ampoule

One of the OG viral Korean serums, the ma:nyo Bifida Complex Ampoule still holds a special place in my heart to this day. It’s packed with so much good stuff, including Lactobacillus ferment filtrate (hydrates and protects), Bifida ferment (a probiotic that also protects the skin), and a host of incredible ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, ginseng root and peptides. Do note that although it is fungal-acne safe, this serum is also formulated with a high concentration of fermented ingredients which can be triggering if you’re very sensitive. If that’s the case, you may want to check out some of my other recs in the honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions:

• Anua Rice 7 Ceramide Hydrating Barrier Serum

• Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum: Green Tea + Panthenol

Best for Exfoliation: Mixsoon Bean Essence

This may be a controversial pick, because the Mixsoon Bean essence isn’t a traditional exfoliator, but hey, this is my list and I get to pick what I want. And my favorite treatment for exfoliation is this hydrating essence that’s packed with fruit ferment extracts that mildly exfoliate and brighten the skin, without leaving it feeling stripped of moisture.

Honorable Mention:

• Geek & Gorgeous Cheer Up 6% Mandelic + BHA Liquid

Moisturizers

With moisturizers, I stick to lightweight gel moisturizers that are formulated with calming and soothing ingredients like oat and centella asiatica. I do try and go for something a tad richer (though still pretty lightweight in the grand scheme of things) at night.

Best Day-Time Moisturizer: Purito Oat-In Calming Gel Cream

My all time holy-grail moisturizer, especially for the day time, is this gel from Purito, packed with some of my favorite ingredients for hydrating and calming the skin. Oat seed water, glycerin, squalane, panthenol, beta glucan—you name it, it has it.

Honorable Mentions:

• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Fluide

• SKIN1004 Poremizing Light Gel Cream

Best Night-Time Moisturizer: Dr.G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream

If you’re not too oily, you could probably use this in the day time as well, but I like to slather on a thick layer of this gorgeous, gel-like cream to end my night time routine. Formulated with 5(!) different types of centella asiatica, this hydrating and soothing cream is perfect for acne-prone skin. It was an absolute life saver for me when I damaged my skin barrier and could barely use any skincare at all.

Honorable Mentions:

• Curel Intensive Moisture Facial Cream

• Innisfree Jeju Orchid Enriched Cream

Sunscreens

And finally, the most important part of any skincare routine, and maybe the hardest to find FA-safe products for (at least in my experience) is sunscreens. Luckily, through much trial and error, I’ve found a few that are absolutely perfect.

Best Overall Sunscreen: Paula’s Choice Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid

You were probably expecting a Korean sunscreen here (and there are definitely ones I love), but my all-time favorite sunscreen—FA-safe or otherwise-is this lightweight fluid from Paula’s Choice. I’ve never quite experienced a sunscreen with this texture before. It sinks in effortlessly into the skin, leaves no white cast on my brown skin, and looks fantastic under makeup. Oh, and did I mention, it has a bunch of amazing ingredients, including antioxidants like pomegranate and goji berry for additional protection, and calming ingredients like chamomile and green tea?

Honorable Mentions:

• Neogen Day-Light Protection Airy Sunscreen SPF 50

• EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46

• Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF 50 (tinted)

Final Thoughts

Fungal acne can be sneaky. It isn’t always easy to identify, and can be tricky to treat as well. For me, building a skincare routine around FA-safe ingredients has made a huge difference, and today, I can even add in a few not-so-FA-safe products and get away with it. It’s not about switching everything overnight, but being more mindful of what you’re putting on your skin.

I still get the occasional flare-up (humidity is relentless!), but these products have helped me get things under control without compromising on hydration, sun protection, or glow. Let me know your faves, and if I missed any of your holy grail FA-safe products.

About The Skinimalist

Hi, I’m Mal, a 30-something recovering skincare addict, and this is my blog. A space where I attempt to de-influence you from chasing trends and buying more skincare products you may not need.

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