Malassezia

Malassezia yeasts are members of the microbiota of healthy human skin. Malassezia Folliculitis is fungal skin condition caused by Malassezia yeasts that infects hair follicles. The infection causes acne-like breakouts on the t-zone area of the face, shoulders, chest and back.

These breakouts appear in clusters of small whiteheads, often accompanied by itchiness and inflammation. Due to similarities in appearance, Malassezia overgrowth is often misdiagnosed as common acne and traditional acne solutions are used as treatment. Yet whereas typical acne is caused by bacteria--Malassezia is a fungal issue.

If treated as common acne, the condition may persist for many years without resolution.

Root Causes

High sebum production, excessive sweating, antibiotic use, oral steroids and immunosuppression are all factors that contribute to the overgrowth of Malassezia.

Ingredients shown to feed Malassezia include fatty acids with carbon chain lengths of 11-24, most oils, polysorbates and esters.

Due to the widespread use of such ingredients in skincare and makeup products, Malassezia overgrowth can be difficult to manage. Products used in an attempt to rid of the symptoms may be contributing to the overgrowth.

Ingredient Checker

Avoiding variety of ingredients shown to promote Malassezia can make shopping for make-up, hygiene and skincare products a time consuming and disheartening experience.

As an alternative to continuously scanning product lists, Sezia was created to people dealing with Malassezia to easily verify their products.

Simply enter an ingredient, or list ingredients and find out whether it contains the ones that promote Malassezia.

The Database

Sezia's database of ingredients contains a collection of ingredients shown in studies to promote the growth of Malassezia. For convenience, the index is categorized by types of ingredients.

For more information on the ingredients Sezia is checking in its validations, visit the ingredient index.