Hey, there! It’s been a while. But I had to return after testing out and searching for fungal acne-safe moisturizers for my readers. I think, as a consumer, it is a struggle to find safe products for our “skin condition.” Moisturizers and makeup removers are vain of my existence because I struggle with these a lot. Now, I can say that fungal acne is like a surprise trip. You never genuinely know what triggers YOUR fungal acne. And that depends on your fungal acne’s sensitivity to certain ingredients. All we can do is do our best to keep at least track of certain ingredients that are a BIG NO: esters, lipids, fatty acids, oils (not all), and polysorbates. How can I identify the ingredients that may trigger a fungal acne flare-up? Well, ingredient analyzers are your friend; Sezia, Skinsort, folliculitisscout, and Skincarisma are my favorite ones and are great for educating us on ingredients and the benefits based on skin types. Remember to patch test, track your progress, and enjoy your skin journey and struggles. Now here are my top 10 fungal acne-safe moisturizers and some honorable mentions.
Curel Intensive Moisture Facial Cream
I have repurchased this moisturizer three times. I am about to go to Amazon and repurchase it because I ran out while writing this post. This is my favorite moisturizer because of the formulation of this silky airy nourishing magic cream. This is a moisturizer with vitamin e that is specifically for dry and sensitive skin types. You can wear this during the daytime with SPF or at nighttime. I don’t believe in a day or nighttime moisturizers when facial oils like Happy Honey Oil by Sjoskin or 100% Squalane Oil by The Ordinary (any 100% squalane oil will do from any brand) can be added to a moisturizer to bump up the moisturizer to fit your needs for a more nourishing moisturizer. This doesn’t peel underneath makeup or SPF. It supports the skin barrier with ceramides, squalane, and glycerin and is pH-balanced, fragrance-free, and alcohol-free. Your skin will thank you and will be healthy and glowy.
Malezia is a small skincare brand focused on formulations for individuals with fungal acne (Malessezia Folliculitis). This gel cream has key ingredients to support the skin barrier, especially during a fungal acne breakout. We all know that getting a flare-up can be rough on the skin barrier because of the treatment process and recovery. The star ingredient is urea which is also found in our natural skin as a molecule that is part of our skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF). It is an important ingredient for skin hydration and the integrity to treat dry & rough skin conditions. Urea can also help with wound healing by removing dead tissue in certain wounds to speed up the process. I discovered this moisturizer while looking for a fungal acne-safe brand, which means that the whole theme or purpose of the brand was to cater to individuals with fungal acne conditions.
This moisturizer is hydrating and emollient because of the skin-loving ingredients in the formulation. We talked about urea, but did you know that not only does it provide hydrating benefits, but it also locks moisture into the skin? It is a fantastic well-aging (anti-aging) ingredient. Paired with hyaluronic acid and allantoin makes the skin more hydrated and moisturized. Urea locks in moisture, and allantoin soothes the skin. This moisturizer is great for dry, sensitive, and dehydrated skin and also a great moisturizer when your skin barrier is compromised. This moisturizer will change your skincare journey in unique ways.
Dermazen Soothing Malassezia Moisturizer
Like Malezia, Dermazen is another fungal acne brand that caters its products to individuals with fungal acne and seborrheic dermatitis. I had to do a review dedicated to their Calming Seborrheic Serum and Soothing Malassezia Moisturizer here.
This moisturizer is hydrating and soothing and gently removes dead skin to promote wound healing. This is also a go-to moisturizer during and after flare-ups; your skin will thank you!
Kiehl’s Calendula Serum-Infused Water Cream
This moisturizer is very hydrating and surprisingly also moisturizing. I tend to stand clear of water creams as an individual with dry skin. Most water creams aren’t that emollient or don’t give my skin enough to seal in the moisture. I usually would have to reapply my moisturizer during the day, or I would have to mix my facial oil in or place it on top to seal everything. While using this moisturizer, my skin was susceptible, and calendula reduces sensitivity and soothes any irritation. It is important to use soothing and nourishing ingredients with skin benefits, especially with this skin condition. Calendula is also rich in antioxidants, and antioxidants improve skin by reducing damage from UV rays. That is why wearing an SPF paired with an antioxidant bumps the chances of UV protection.
This moisturizer has other common ingredients like dimethicone, water, glycerin, and panthenol. It does contain fragrances, oils, and silicones. But this is great for sensitive skin because it has no harsh alcohols, parabens, or sulfates.
Coupon Codes: APBEAUTY, CREMELOVE, & FRESHLOVE
Innisfree Glow Jelly Creams With Jeju Cherry Blossom
When I started my skincare journey before fungal acne, I always went to the Innisfree store right by my job. I still love Innisfree and am happy that some of my favorites are fungal acne safe. One of my favorites is this dewy, glowy moisturizer. If you love glowy or dewy skin, this moisturizer is for you. This is described as a clear water-jelly cream that has cherry blossom and niacinamide that promotes hydration for a brighter-looking skin complexion. This doesn’t contain parabens, mineral oil, alcohols, oils, silicones, or sulfates. But there is a fragrance but not too overpowering. It has niacinamide and vitamin e, which is excellent for brightening the skin. This is great for the summertime for dry skin types, but if you mix it with your favorite oil, it might work better. This line also comes with a facial mist and works great paired together.
This line has two different creams; Dewy Glow Tone-up Cream and Dewy Glow Jelly Cream, both are fungal acne safe!
No one can dislike a moisturizer with madecassocide because it has wound-healing properties and provides anti-inflammatory and well-aging benefits. It is one of my favorite ingredients, right next to centella asiatica. There are two types of madecassocide creams from A’pieu, and they’re both fungal acne safe. Adding anti-inflammatory and wound-healing ingredients to your skincare routine is essential for sensitive skin and flare-ups.
I tried their Madecassocide cream and the 2x Madecassocide cream, and I love them both. It brought hydration and moisturized my skin, giving it a lovely dewy glow complexion. It allowed my skin to look and feel radiant and healthy even though it was sensitive. If you are looking for a moisturizer that can do it all by providing all these benefits, then look no further. This will give your skincare journey of healing and taking care of your skin barrier a head start.
Innisfree Youth-Enriched Cream With Orchid
This is another favorite from Innisfree and is formulated with antioxidants and hyaluronic acid. It is riched in peptides making sure it gives your skin a healthy well-aging glow. I love that Innisfree uses many ingredients sourced from Jeju Island. This moisturizer is for normal to dry skin types and is more targeted in well-aging ingredients to help with elasticity, fine wrinkles, and dryness. Orchids are a well-aging ingredient and can help boost skin immunity from stressors that can lead to fine lines. This is also a soothing ingredient and is high in calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Just writing about this moisturizer makes me want to buy it right now.
Eucerin Original Healing Cream
This is the most amazing discovery I have made. This moisturizer is for my extremely cracked, dry skin peeps. This moisturizer is the thickest on this list and contains petrolatum and mineral oil. Only seven ingredients are on its list. Petrolatum gives this an emollient occlusivity. Fungal acne is a confusing skin condition, and it is best to always patch test, turn and read your ingredient list and take notes on products that give you fungal acne, and learn about what ingredients aren’t safe on the list.
Honorable Mentions
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Moisturizer
Avene Tolerance Extreme Emulsion
It’s Skin Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Emulsion
I’m From Vitamin Tree Water Gel
If you have made it here, I want to let you know that I appreciate your time. This blog is mainly to share fungal acne-safe content for beauty and personal care but also to share what I have learned about fungal acne, including all of the products I find. This is a self-investing blog, so please know that my readers mean a lot to me. Just know that you are a part of the BobaTea community.
