Fungal Acne-Safe Korean Sunscreens: We Checked the Ingredient Lists Against the Malassezia Rulebook

Search for a fungal acne safe Korean sunscreen and you get two kinds of answers: a checker tool that wants you to paste an ingredient list, and a roundup that calls a product “FA-safe” without showing which ingredient it looked at. We wanted the third kind, so we separated the community rules that rest on published experiments from the parts that are educated guesses, then read the complete ingredient lists of 24 Korean sunscreens against them, position by position. Four passed. Most of the famous ones didn’t, and for each we can name the exact ingredient and the exact line it appears on.

What “fungal acne” actually is, and why it isn’t a self-diagnosis

The thing the internet calls fungal acne is not acne. Its clinical name is Malassezia folliculitis, and the yeast behind it is one you already have: a 2020 review describes Malassezia as “lipophilic yeasts, which are a part of the normal skin flora (microbiome).”^[3] Lipophilic means fat-loving, and that one word is why an ingredient list matters at all.

The 2014 review most community guides cite calls the condition “a fungal acneiform condition commonly misdiagnosed as acne vulgaris” and warns it “may persist for many years if it is misdiagnosed as acne vulgaris.”^[1] A 2020 Danish review puts worldwide prevalence at “from 1% to 17%.”^[8] The clinical tells, per the 2014 authors: “The two can be differentiated by the lack of response to oral and topical antibiotics, absence of comedones and the often pruritic nature of the lesions.”^[1] A pattern, not a diagnosis, because the diagnosis is made under a microscope: “Patient’s history, comorbidities and clinical presentation are usually indicative, but microscopically and histological examination is needed to confirm the diagnosis,” says a 2020 systematic review.^[2] And a 2026 review names the problem with the trend: “Interest in MF has intensified in recent years, likely due to social media trends, leading to concern regarding patients inappropriately applying antifungals without a confirmed diagnosis.”^[4]

Where sunscreen enters is one sentence in the 2014 review, quoted in full because the hedge is the point: “Occlusive clothing and topical products, such as make-up, lotion, or sunscreens may also promote flares.”^[1] May promote flares, in someone who has the condition. Not cause it. So this page does one thing: it names the Korean sunscreens whose lists carry what the community rule treats as yeast food, so that if a dermatologist has told you that you have this, or you suspect it and are headed to one, you can pick a tube that stays out of the argument.

To be clear: this page is an ingredient-list check written by people who are not doctors. It can’t tell you whether your bumps are fungal or what to treat them with. That part needs a dermatologist and a microscope.

The Malassezia rulebook: what the studies say, and where the community extrapolates

Two old experiments and one genome paper carry the whole thing. In 1968, Wilde and Stewart reported that the yeast “will only grow if fatty acids of chain length greater than C(10) are added to the culture medium.”^[5] In 1976, Porro and colleagues reported that it “grows in vitro only if fatty acids from the C12 to C24 series are added to the culture medium.”^[6] A 2007 genome study explained why: “the lipid dependence of M. globosa can be explained by the apparent absence of a fatty acid synthase gene.”^[7] The yeast can’t make its own fatty acids, so it harvests them, using, per the 2014 review, “its own lipases and phospholipases to hydrolyse triglycerides from sebum into free fatty acids.”^[1]

Note the setting: culture medium, in vitro. None of the three papers put a sunscreen on a face, and SkinSort, which runs one of the checkers people paste lists into, says so itself: “Most of what we know about which fatty acids feed Malassezia comes from in vitro studies, or yeast grown in petri dishes with isolated fatty acids.”^[10] Every “feeds” below means “fed the yeast in a dish.” The community rule is a bet that the dish predicts the face.

From that base the community built outward. The longest-running guide, the “Fungal Acne Treatment Bible” on Simple Skincare Science, summarizes the studies as “12-24” and then admits the number is blunt: “Saying malassezia feeds on 12-24 carbon chain length fatty acids is catch all phrase used for safe measures.”^[9] The extension that matters for sunscreen is esters: since the yeast carries fat-splitting enzymes, the guide reasons an ester of a C12 to C24 fatty acid can be broken back into one, and concludes “it’s probably best to just avoid all esters, unless they’re made from capric or caprylic acid” (C10 and C8).^[9] SkinSort applies the same logic: “This is why we flag not just free fatty acids, but also: Esters Polysorbates Plant oils rich in C12–C24 fatty acids Fermented ingredients where residual metabolites may provide additional nutrients.”^[10] And it adds the sentence every “FA-safe” list should carry: “Our checker errs on the side of caution and flags anything that could plausibly break down into a usable fatty acid, which means some flagged ingredients may not actually cause problems in your specific formulation or for your specific skin.”^[10]

One more sunscreen-specific point. Chemical UV filters are often esters themselves, and the Bible clears them by name: “Most sunscreens will contain esters that act as UV filters for photoprotection (e.g ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate). These esters are outside the problematic C11-C24 range, meaning they are completely fine to use and will not exacerbate malassezia.”^[9] The filters never trip a sunscreen. The base does.

Here is how we sorted the rules, and the standard every product below was graded against.

Grade	Rule	What stands behind it	How we scored it
A	Free fatty acids of roughly C11 or C12 up to C24 (stearic, oleic, palmitic acid)	Two culture experiments (1968, 1976) and one genome paper (2007)[5][6][7]	Counts against a product
B	Esters of those acids (glyceryl stearate, polyglyceryl distearates, sorbitan esters, palmitates), polysorbates, plant oils rich in them (olive, jojoba, moringa, cottonseed, sunflower)	Community extension of A, based on the yeast’s lipases; both major guides flag them[9][10]	Counts against a product, attributed to the community rule
C	Fatty alcohols (cetearyl, behenyl, arachidyl), lecithin, stearoyl glutamate, cetyl phosphate, C12-15 alkyl benzoate	The guides disagree. SkinSort flags cetearyl alcohol but has no fungal acne verdict for behenyl or arachidyl; the Bible calls fatty alcohols “complicated”[9][10]	Separate column. Doesn’t decide pass or fail
D	Fragrance and essential oils	Not fatty acid triglycerides, so outside the Malassezia rule. A different question (irritation, allergens)	Separate column. Doesn’t decide pass or fail
E	Caprylic/capric triglyceride, dicaprylyl carbonate, dibutyl adipate, diethylhexyl succinate, octyldodecanol, silicones	C8 to C10, or not a fatty acid at all; both guides treat these as fine[9][10]	Never counts
F	Ferments (Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces, Galactomyces and similar)	No direct study. SkinSort’s reasoning: “residual metabolites may provide additional nutrients”[10]	Noted as “flagged by some databases.” Doesn’t decide pass or fail

Our pass line is strict on purpose: zero grade A and zero grade B anywhere on the list. C, D, and F get their own column, because there the sources themselves haven’t settled. Laid out this way, you can see what “fungal acne safe” is: shorthand for “no A or B hits under one checker’s rules on one day.” No regulator defines it and no authority certifies it, the same situation we found in our non-comedogenic sunscreen article. So we say “passes the rulebook,” not “safe,” from here on.

How we checked: 24 Korean sunscreens, every position counted

We opened the full ingredient listing of each product on INCIDecoder on 2026-08-23 and counted every entry from its own anchor. When a product has two or more listings, we read both and say which one we mean; in three cases (COSRX, Goodal, Missha) the version decides the verdict. For COSRX we used the 28-ingredient listing that matches the brand’s own published list, the same one in our COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible review. For House of Hur, LANEIGE, and Goodal we read the INCIDecoder listings only, not yet a retailer label, and we flag that in each pick.

A fairness note. US labeling rules let a brand list anything at 1% or under in any order, so an ingredient at position 34 of 40 is probably a small amount. The community rule doesn’t care; it is binary, on the list or not. So we counted the bottom of every list as carefully as the top, and several famous products fail in that low-concentration tail. We report what the rule says, and the rule reads the whole list.

Also: we read whole ingredient names. Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl p-Cresol (position 7 on the SKIN1004 Air-Fit Light) is not a UV filter and isn’t counted as one, and Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone (a silicone emulsifier) and Glyceryl Caprylate (a C8 ester) are outside the rule. Nothing was failed for a name that merely looks similar.

The ones that pass: fungal acne safe Korean sunscreen picks, by the rulebook

Affiliate links below, but they cost you nothing extra. We only point you to what the ingredient lists actually back up.

Four products, each with zero grade A and B ingredients across the entire list. For each: total count, filters with positions, C and D columns, fragrance, and version. Filter names are decoded in our Korean sunscreen filters guide.

1. COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen (SPF50 PA++++)

Total: 28 ingredients. Filters: Drometrizole Trisiloxane at 5, Ethylhexyl Triazone at 6, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate at 8, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid at 9. Grade A and B: none. Column C: Behenyl Alcohol at 11, Arachidyl Alcohol at 17, Arachidyl Glucoside at 20. Fragrance: none, and no essential oil.^[11]

This is the tube our sensitive and acne-prone skin guide named as its fungal-acne pick back in June, and the full count backs that call. The only entries any checker pauses on are the three fatty alcohols, and on those the databases don’t agree (more below). Underneath: four modern filters, no mineral, no white cast. INCIDecoder carries 27-, 28-, and 29-row listings for this product; the 28 matches COSRX’s own published list and is the one we graded. Check the COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible on YesStyle.

2. House of Hur Matcha Light Sun Cream (SPF50+ PA++++)

Total: 40 ingredients. Filters: Ethylhexyl Triazone at 7, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine at 9, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol at 10, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate at 14. Grade A and B: none. Column C: Behenyl Alcohol at 12, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate at 20, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate at 6, which SkinSort clears outright as “an ester of benzoic acid.”^[10] Fragrance: none listed.^[12]

A smaller brand than anything else here, and the one we didn’t expect. Four chemical filters including both Tinosorbs, and the whole 40-entry list comes up empty on A and B. The emulsifier is a cetyl phosphate rather than a glyceryl or polyglyceryl stearate, and that choice is most of why it passes where the big names fail. One listing only, not yet compared against the YesStyle label, so check the list on the product page against the filters above before you buy. Check the House of Hur Matcha Light on YesStyle.

3. LANEIGE Water Bank UV Barrier Sunscreen (SPF50+ PA++++)

Total: 32 ingredients. Filters: Drometrizole Trisiloxane at 4, Ethylhexyl Triazone at 5, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate at 6, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid at 7. Grade A and B: none. Column C: Behenyl Alcohol at 9, Arachidyl Alcohol at 16, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate at 18, Arachidyl Glucoside at 20. Fragrance: yes, at 21.^[13] No affiliate link; we couldn’t find it at the retailer we use, so this is a plain recommendation.

If those filter names look familiar, look back at the COSRX: same four filters, same order, same behenyl-and-arachidyl pairing, Diethylhexyl Succinate near the top of both lists (position 2 on the COSRX). One emulsion system across two brands, and it is why both pass: a C4 succinate ester carried by long-chain fatty alcohols instead of a glyceryl stearate. If you’re scanning a Korean sunscreen we didn’t cover, look for that emulsifier set, not a brand name. The difference between the two tubes is fragrance: the LANEIGE has it, the COSRX doesn’t, and fragrance is a grade D question, outside the Malassezia rule but inside the irritation one. One INCIDecoder listing, not yet checked against a retailer label.

4. Goodal Heartleaf Calming Mineral Filter Sun Cream (SPF50+ PA++++), 41-ingredient version only

Total: 41 ingredients. Filter: Zinc Oxide at 1, so this is a mineral sunscreen. Grade A and B: none. Column C: none. Column D: Basil Oil at 35, Orange Peel Oil at 38, Lavender Oil at 39.^[14] No affiliate link for this one either.

The only mineral pass out of six mineral formulas we read, and it carries the biggest asterisk on the page. INCIDecoder has two listings under this name: one with 41 ingredients, opening with Zinc Oxide, no A or B hit; one with 57, carrying Olive Fruit Oil at 13 and Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate at 28, a grade B oil and a grade B ester.^[14] Same name, opposite verdict. So read the first three lines of the tube in your hand: Zinc Oxide, Zinc Gluconate, Zinc Lactate is the version that passes; Water, Zinc Oxide, Butyloctyl Salicylate is the one that doesn’t. Either way, three essential oils sit in the tail, a separate reason to skip it if essential oils have bothered you before.

Why four and not ten? A few more came up clean on A and B: Neogen Day-Light Protection Airy (nine essential oils and five named fragrance allergens on its list), Deoproce Hyaluronic Cooling Sun Gel (it uses 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor, a filter not approved in the US, so we won’t recommend it to US readers), and the older Missha Essence Sun Milk (see the last section).^[17] Four is what survives the rule plus common sense.

The famous ones that don’t, and exactly which ingredient trips them

A checker tool can’t give you this table; it takes one list at a time. Every product below turns up on “best of” and sensitive-skin lists, and some on fungal acne lists. Each carries at least one grade A or B ingredient, and here is which one and where.^[15]

Product	Total	Flagged ingredient (grade) and position
Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics (2025 listing)	42	Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate (B) at 18. Also five ferments at 33 to 41 (F)
Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream	40	Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate (B) at 34
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Air-Fit Suncream Light	34	Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate (B) at 9, Polyhydroxystearic Acid (B) at 18, Glyceryl Stearate (B) at 19, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters (B) at 20, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate (B) at 23
SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum	42	Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate (B) at 27
Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen	35	Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate (B) at 14, Glyceryl Stearate (B) at 30
Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sunscreen	41	Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate (B) at 12, Glyceryl Stearate (B) at 29, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate (B) at 34
Torriden Dive-In Watery Moisture Sun Cream	55	Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil (B) at 32, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate (B) at 34, Jojoba Seed Oil (B) at 37
Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Cream	39	Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate (B) at 6, Cotton Seed Oil (B) at 25, Glyceryl Stearate (B) at 28, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate (B) at 32
Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel (40-ingredient listing)	40	Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil (B) at 18
Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Fresh Sun Serum	60	Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate (B) at 8, Glyceryl Stearate (B) at 16, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate (B) at 48, Retinyl Palmitate (B) at 55. Lactobacillus Ferment at 21 (F)
Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun (53-ingredient listing, older formula)	53	Stearic Acid (A) at 19, the only free fatty acid in the whole set. Also Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate (B) at 17 and 18, and sunflower, safflower, and echium seed oils (B) at 26, 30, 33
Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum	44	Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil (B) at 17
Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick / Abib Airy Sunstick	46 / 32	Isopropyl Palmitate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Camellia Seed Oil (B) and more. Sun sticks are wax-and-palmitate builds; none we read passes

Run your eye down the middle column and one name keeps returning: Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, or its cousin Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, paired with Glyceryl Stearate. These emulsifiers hold together the standard Korean chemical base; our centella sunscreen article showed several brands sharing their first fourteen ingredients almost line for line. The consequence: they share their failure too. Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, SKIN1004 Water-Fit, and Purito don’t fail for four different reasons. They fail for one.

Two notes so this table isn’t read as more than it is. Our sensitive-skin guide recommends the Anua and the Dr.G, and that isn’t a contradiction: that guide answered an irritation and ordinary-breakout question, this one a yeast question, and a product can be gentle on reactive skin and still carry a glyceryl stearate. Likewise, when we compared Beauty of Joseon against SKIN1004, we said we had not yet run every ingredient past a Malassezia feeding list. Now we have: the Relief Sun shows one B hit plus five ferments, the Water-Fit one B hit and no ferments. The earlier guess pointed the right way, and neither passes. The Dr.G row also needs a version note: the 53-ingredient list is the older Green Mild Up Sun; the renewed Sun+ sold now has a different 36-ingredient list we did not grade for this article.

“Mineral” doesn’t mean fungal-safe

The assumption we most wanted to test: zinc oxide is gentle, gentle means safe for everything, so mineral must be the fungal acne pick. The lists say no, for a specific chemical reason. A mineral sunscreen is a water-in-oil emulsion, zinc powder held in an oil phase, and the emulsifier Korean formulators reach for is Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, an ester of a C18 hydroxy fatty acid. Grade B, and SkinSort flags it.^[10] The six Korean mineral sunscreens we read:^[16]

Mineral sunscreen	Total	Grade B ingredient and position	Verdict
Aestura Derma UV 365 Barrier Hydro Mineral	26	Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate at 16	Fails on one
Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Mild-up Sunscreen	35	Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate at 16. Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate at 31 (F)	Fails
Torriden Dive-In Mild Sun Cream	51	Jojoba Seed Oil at 28, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate at 34	Fails
Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun (53-ingredient listing)	53	Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate at 17 and 18, plus Stearic Acid (A) at 19 and three seed oils	Fails
Celimax Oil Control Light Sunscreen	38	Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate at 30	Fails on one
Goodal Heartleaf Calming Mineral Filter, 57-ingredient version	57	Olive Fruit Oil at 13, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate at 28	Fails
Goodal Heartleaf Calming Mineral Filter, 41-ingredient version	41	None	Passes

Five of six on the same ingredient, and the sixth (Celimax) on a close relative, an ester of ricinoleic acid, also C18. Add the SKIN1004 Air-Fit Light from the previous table, a zinc formula with five B hits, and the picture is clear: in our sample, the mineral label predicted failure, not success. The one mineral pass gets there on a different emulsion system, and the same brand’s other version loses it again. If you came here assuming mineral, the lists are asking you to reconsider; the two best-supported picks above are both chemical.

One thing stays separate, though. Several of these mineral tubes are good sunscreens for skin that reacts to chemical filters or fragrance; our sunscreen breakout and irritation guide recommends the Air-Fit Light for exactly that, and nothing here changes it. Irritation is grade D territory; Malassezia is A and B, and that is why the table keeps them in separate columns.

Where a pass can flip, and where the databases disagree

A renewal can reverse the verdict. Missha’s Essence Sun Milk is the clearest case. The older listing, 55 ingredients, has no A or B hit and would have made our pass list. The EX version on sale now, 49 ingredients, adds Cetearyl Olivate at 11, Beeswax at 14, Glyceryl Stearate at 32, Sorbitan Olivate at 33, Sorbitan Stearate at 34, Polysorbate 80 at 48, and Sorbitan Oleate at 49.^[17] Seven grade B entries where there were none. If a fungal acne list still carries the Missha, it was built from the old label. A product name is not a formula, and any “FA-safe” list older than the tube in your hand is a guess.

The databases disagree with each other. SkinSort flags Cetearyl Alcohol (“A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient”) but carries no fungal acne verdict at all for Behenyl or Arachidyl Alcohol, longer members of the same family.^[10] The Bible first cleared fatty alcohols, then walked it back in 2019 with “never mind it’s complicated!”^[9] That is why fatty alcohols live in column C here: we won’t fail the COSRX on behenyl alcohol while the checker people actually use passes it. In the other direction, SkinSort’s own list of passing Korean sunscreens included Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum when we looked, while the listing we read for it has olive fruit oil at 17, which the same site’s rule flags.^[17] Version difference or database error, we can’t tell. Treat every such list, this one included, as a starting point to verify against your tube, not a verdict.

Essential oils are a different question. The Goodal, the Neogen, and the Dr.G all carry essential oils, and some lists fail them for it under the fungal heading. We didn’t, because lavender oil is not a C12 to C24 triglyceride; the Malassezia rule has nothing to say about it. They are an irritation and allergy question, covered in our breakout guide, not this table.

And the rule is binary; your skin isn’t. Round Lab fails on one ester at position 34 of 40. Whether that trace, in that emulsion, on your face, does anything at all is exactly what SkinSort says the petri dish can’t answer. We graded strictly because a strict grade is the only kind you can check for yourself. What you do with a single low-tail hit is your call, and if you have an actual diagnosis, it’s a conversation for your dermatologist, not a table.

FAQ

Is fungal acne the same as regular acne, and how would I know which one I have?

No. Fungal acne is Malassezia folliculitis, a yeast condition that a 2014 review describes as “commonly misdiagnosed as acne vulgaris”: uniform, often itchy bumps without blackheads that don’t respond to acne antibiotics fit the pattern.^[1] A pattern is not a diagnosis, though: a 2020 systematic review states that “microscopically and histological examination is needed to confirm the diagnosis,” and SkinSort’s own page tells users a dermatologist “can confirm with a simple skin scraping under a microscope.”^[2][10] If you suspect it, the next step is a dermatologist, not a product swap.

Can a sunscreen cause fungal acne?

The published wording is narrower than “cause.” The 2014 review says “Occlusive clothing and topical products, such as make-up, lotion, or sunscreens may also promote flares,” which is about flares in someone who already has the condition, with “may” left in.^[1] The yeast is part of normal skin flora and depends on outside fatty acids because it lacks the gene to make its own, so the community rule is that a product carrying C12 to C24 fatty acids or their esters gives it something to use.^[3][7] None of the studies we found tested a sunscreen directly. Of the 24 Korean sunscreens we read, four have no flagged ingredient under the rule: COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible, House of Hur Matcha Light, LANEIGE Water Bank UV Barrier, and the 41-ingredient Goodal Heartleaf Calming Mineral Filter.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Is “fungal acne safe” a medical term?

No. It is a community label, and the two main sources behind it say so themselves. The Simple Skincare Science guide calls its own C12 to C24 rule “catch all phrase used for safe measures,” and SkinSort states that “It’s impossible to build a 100% accurate checker, as there’s currently insufficient research surrounding many ingredients” and that its tool “errs on the side of caution.”^[9][10] No regulator defines the phrase and no authority certifies a product for it, which is why this article says a sunscreen “passes the rulebook” rather than calling it safe. Use it the way its builders use it: a cautious filter on an ingredient list, applied after a doctor has told you what you’re dealing with.

Sources:
[1] Rubenstein RM, Malerich SA. Malassezia (pityrosporum) folliculitis. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2014;7(3):37-41. PMID 24688625. PMCID PMC3970831. Review. Source for “a fungal acneiform condition commonly misdiagnosed as acne vulgaris” (abstract), for “The two can be differentiated by the lack of response to oral and topical antibiotics, absence of comedones and the often pruritic nature of the lesions,” for “Malassezia folliculitis may persist for many years if it is misdiagnosed as acne vulgaris,” for “Occlusive clothing and topical products, such as make-up, lotion, or sunscreens may also promote flares,” and for the yeast using “its own lipases and phospholipases to hydrolyse triglycerides from sebum into free fatty acids” (PMC full text, read 2026-08-23). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3970831/
[2] Vlachos C, Henning MAS, Gaitanis G, Faergemann J, Saunte DM. Critical synthesis of available data in Malassezia folliculitis and a systematic review of treatments. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2020;34(8):1672-1683. PMID 32012377. DOI 10.1111/jdv.16253. Systematic review. Source for “Patient’s history, comorbidities and clinical presentation are usually indicative, but microscopically and histological examination is needed to confirm the diagnosis” (abstract). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32012377/
[3] Saunte DML, Gaitanis G, Hay RJ. Malassezia-Associated Skin Diseases, the Use of Diagnostics and Treatment. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:112. PMID 32266163. DOI 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00112. Review. Source for Malassezia being “lipophilic yeasts, which are a part of the normal skin flora (microbiome)” (abstract). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32266163/
[4] Draelos ZD, Barbieri JS, Tanghetti EA, Farris P, Lain ET, Prevete S, Choi SY, Wroblewski K, Baldwin H, Kircik LH. Malassezia Folliculitis Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment: A Review of “Fungal Acne”. J Drugs Dermatol. 2026;25(5):427-434. PMID 42081639. DOI 10.36849/JDD.9751. Review; abstract only was available to us. Source for “Interest in MF has intensified in recent years, likely due to social media trends, leading to concern regarding patients inappropriately applying antifungals without a confirmed diagnosis.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42081639/
[5] Wilde PF, Stewart PS. A study of the fatty acid metabolism of the yeast Pityrosporum ovale. Biochem J. 1968;108(2):225-231. PMID 5691082. PMCID PMC1198797. DOI 10.1042/bj1080225. Culture study (in vitro), not a skin study. Source for the yeast “will only grow if fatty acids of chain length greater than C(10) are added to the culture medium” (abstract). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5691082/
[6] Porro MN, Passi S, Caprilli F, Nazzaro P, Morpurgo G. Growth requirements and lipid metabolism of Pityrosporum orbiculare. J Invest Dermatol. 1976;66(3):178-182. PMID 1249447. DOI 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12481919. Culture study (in vitro), not a skin study. Source for the yeast “grows in vitro only if fatty acids from the C12 to C24 series are added to the culture medium” (abstract; the quoted clause begins mid-sentence). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1249447/
[7] Xu J, Saunders CW, Hu P, et al. Dandruff-associated Malassezia genomes reveal convergent and divergent virulence traits shared with plant and human fungal pathogens. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2007;104(47):18730-18735. PMID 18000048. DOI 10.1073/pnas.0706756104. Genome study. Source for “the lipid dependence of M. globosa can be explained by the apparent absence of a fatty acid synthase gene” (abstract). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18000048/
[8] Henning MA, Jemec GB, Saunte DM. [Malassezia folliculitis]. Ugeskr Laeger. 2020;182(47). PMID 33215579. Review in Danish with English abstract. Source for “The prevalence of MF in the population worldwide ranges from 1% to 17%” (abstract). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33215579/
[9] Simple Skincare Science (f.c.). The Fungal Acne Treatment Bible (2024): Cure Malassezia With Science! First published 2017-05-07, updated 2024-05-23, read 2026-08-23. Community guide, not a peer-reviewed source; its “12-24” summary cites Wilde and Stewart 1968. Source for “Saying malassezia feeds on 12-24 carbon chain length fatty acids is catch all phrase used for safe measures,” for “it’s probably best to just avoid all esters, unless they’re made from capric or caprylic acid,” for “Most sunscreens will contain esters that act as UV filters for photoprotection (e.g ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate). These esters are outside the problematic C11-C24 range, meaning they are completely fine to use and will not exacerbate malassezia,” and for the 2019 fatty alcohol update ending “never mind it’s complicated!” https://simpleskincarescience.com/pityrosporum-folliculitis-treatment-malassezia-cure/
[10] SkinSort. Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Ingredient Checker and individual ingredient pages, read 2026-08-23. Community database, not a peer-reviewed source. Checker page is the source for “Most of what we know about which fatty acids feed Malassezia comes from in vitro studies, or yeast grown in petri dishes with isolated fatty acids,” for “This is why we flag not just free fatty acids, but also: Esters Polysorbates Plant oils rich in C12–C24 fatty acids Fermented ingredients where residual metabolites may provide additional nutrients,” for “Our checker errs on the side of caution and flags anything that could plausibly break down into a usable fatty acid, which means some flagged ingredients may not actually cause problems in your specific formulation or for your specific skin,” for “It’s impossible to build a 100% accurate checker, as there’s currently insufficient research surrounding many ingredients,” and for a dermatologist “can confirm with a simple skin scraping under a microscope.” Ingredient pages are the source for the Cetearyl Alcohol entry (“A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient”), for C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate being cleared as “an ester of benzoic acid,” and for the “May feed Fungal Acne” flag on Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Moringa Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, and Cetearyl Alcohol; the Behenyl Alcohol and Arachidyl Alcohol pages carry no fungal acne entry. https://skinsort.com/fungal-acne-checker
[11] COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen SPF50 PA++++, ingredient listing on INCIDecoder, read 2026-08-23. 28 ingredients counted from the listing’s anchors; this listing matches the brand’s own published list (INCIDecoder also carries 27- and 29-row listings for this product, which we did not use). Diethylhexyl Succinate at 2, Drometrizole Trisiloxane at 5, Ethylhexyl Triazone at 6, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate at 8, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid at 9, Behenyl Alcohol at 11, Arachidyl Alcohol at 17, Arachidyl Glucoside at 20. No free fatty acid, fatty acid ester, polysorbate, plant oil, fragrance, or essential oil on the list. https://inkeedecoder.com/products/cosrx-ultra-light-invisible-sunscreen-spf-50-pa
[12] House of Hur Matcha Light Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++, ingredient listing on INCIDecoder, read 2026-08-23. 40 ingredients. Butyloctyl Salicylate at 4, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate at 6, Ethylhexyl Triazone at 7, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine at 9, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol at 10, Behenyl Alcohol at 12, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate at 14, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate at 20. No free fatty acid, fatty acid ester, polysorbate, or plant oil on the list; no fragrance listed. Not yet compared against a retailer label. https://inkeedecoder.com/products/house-of-hur-matcha-light-sun-cream
[13] LANEIGE Water Bank UV Barrier Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++, ingredient listing on INCIDecoder, read 2026-08-23. 32 ingredients. Drometrizole Trisiloxane at 4, Ethylhexyl Triazone at 5, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate at 6, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid at 7, Behenyl Alcohol at 9, Arachidyl Alcohol at 16, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate at 18, Arachidyl Glucoside at 20, Fragrance at 21; Diethylhexyl Succinate, Methyl Trimethicone, and Sodium Metaphosphate also appear, as on the COSRX list. No free fatty acid, fatty acid ester, polysorbate, or plant oil on the list. Not yet compared against a retailer label. https://inkeedecoder.com/products/laneige-water-bank-uv-barrier-sunscreen-spf-50-pa
[14] Goodal Heartleaf Calming Mineral Filter Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++, two ingredient listings on INCIDecoder, both read 2026-08-23. The 41-ingredient listing: Zinc Oxide at 1, Basil Oil at 35, Orange Peel Oil at 38, Lavender Oil at 39; no free fatty acid, fatty acid ester, polysorbate, or plant oil. The 57-ingredient listing: Zinc Oxide at 2, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil at 13, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate at 28, and nine essential oils at 15 to 23. Neither listing has been compared against a retailer label; the opening-ingredient test in the text (Zinc Oxide, Zinc Gluconate, Zinc Lactate versus Water, Zinc Oxide, Butyloctyl Salicylate) is how the two listings begin. 41-ingredient listing: https://inkeedecoder.com/products/goodal-heartleaf-calming-mineral-filter-sun-cream-2. 57-ingredient listing: https://inkeedecoder.com/products/goodal-heartleaf-calming-mineral-filter-sun-cream
[15] Ingredient listings behind the table of products that do not pass, all on INCIDecoder, all read 2026-08-23, totals counted from anchors, positions as printed on each listing. Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics, 2025 listing, 42 (link). Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream, 40 (link). SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Air-Fit Suncream Light SPF30, 34 (link). SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum, 42 (link). Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen, 35 (link). Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sunscreen, 41 (link). Torriden Dive-In Watery Moisture Sun Cream, 55 (link). Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Cream, 39 (link). Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel, 40-ingredient listing (link); a 43-ingredient listing of the same product places the olive oil at 20. Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Fresh Sun Serum, 60 (link). Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun SPF50+ PA++++, 53-ingredient listing of the older formula (link); the renewed Sun+ has a separate 36-ingredient listing we did not grade for this article. Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum, 44 (link). Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick, 46 (link). Abib Airy Sunstick Smoothing Bar, 32 (link).
[16] Ingredient listings behind the mineral sunscreen table, all on INCIDecoder, all read 2026-08-23. Aestura Derma UV 365 Barrier Hydro Mineral, 26 (link). Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Mild-up Sunscreen, 35 (link). Torriden Dive-In Mild Sun Cream, 51 (link). Celimax Oil Control Light Sunscreen, 38 (link). Dr.G and Goodal listings as in [15] and [14].
[17] Listings behind the “pass can flip” section, all on INCIDecoder, read 2026-08-23. Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun Milk SPF50+/PA+++, older listing, 55 ingredients, no grade A or B hit (link); Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun Milk EX, 49 ingredients, Cetearyl Olivate at 11, Beeswax at 14, Glyceryl Stearate at 32, Sorbitan Olivate at 33, Sorbitan Stearate at 34, Polysorbate 80 at 48, Sorbitan Oleate at 49 (link). Deoproce Hyaluronic Cooling Sun Gel, 35 ingredients, no grade A or B hit, 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor at 5 (link). Neogen Day-Light Protection Airy Sunscreen SPF50+, 53 ingredients, no grade A or B hit, nine essential oils at 17 to 25 and Citral, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool at 49 to 53 (link). Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum appeared on the first page of SkinSort’s “Fungal Acne Safe Sunscreens From Korean Brands” list on 2026-08-23 (link); the INCIDecoder listing we read for it is in [15].

Topics: Acne-Prone Skin · Beauty of Joseon · COSRX · Dr.G · Fungal Acne-Safe · Goodal · Heartleaf (Houttuynia) · Ingredient Lists · Isntree · Mineral Sunscreen · Missha · PA / UVA Rating · Round Lab · SKIN1004 · Sun Serum · All topics