We’re not saying HBO’s The Last of Us was inspired by fungal acne… but have you ever had a breakout that made you feel like your skin was turning against you?

Meet Malassezia—a naturally occurring yeast that lives on everyone’s skin. In balance? Totally harmless. Out of balance? Say hello to tiny, itchy, uniform-looking bumps that look like regular acne but don’t behave the same way. And no, you can’t pop them. (Please don’t try.)

What it can look like:

• Clusters of small, itchy, skin-colored bumps—often on the forehead, cheeks, chest, or back

• No whiteheads or blackheads

• Doesn’t respond to typical acne treatments like benzyl peroxide (in fact, sometimes they make it worse by aggravating the skin barrier!)

 

Here’s the thing:
In a 2021 study, over 56% of participants with acneiform eruptions were found to actually have pityrosporum folliculitis (aka fungal acne). It’s under diagnosed, often mistaken for bacterial acne, and still weirdly taboo to talk about. A Reddit user on r/SkincareAddiction has an all-too-common woe, “I spent years treating my acne with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide before I found out it was fungal. I wish someone had told me sooner.”

What causes it?

• Overgrowth of Malassezia (often due to heat, sweat, humidity, or antibiotic use)

• Occlusive skincare or makeup (look out for ingredients like oils, esthers and petrolatum)

• A disrupted skin microbiome

So what helps?
Gentle formulas that don’t feed the fungus—meaning products low in fatty acids and oils that Malassezia loves to eat.

At By Kind, we formulated our Pore Perfect Powder Facial Cleanser & Mask with this in mind. Because it's a powder, there are no heavy emulsifiers, fatty alcohols, or ingredients that typically aggravate fungal acne. It’s also the reason we are one of the few skincare brands to feature the ingredient Zinc PCA, which inhibits the growth and activity of Malassezia. Instead of strong peeling acids, which can cause more issues (especially if you’re skin barrier is damaged), we opted for:

• Papaya enzymes – gently exfoliates and smooth the skin without irritation

• Kaolin clay – draws out excess oil and impurities

• Calendula extract – calms inflammation and itchiness

• Mandelic acid – increases cell turnover and is gentle enough for sensitive skin

   

The takeaway?
Fungal acne isn’t some rare skin apocalypse. And while The Last of Us made fungal infections feel like the end of the world, the real-life version doesn’t have to be that dramatic. No zombies here! Just some itchy, stubborn bumps and a skincare routine that needs a little reboot.

Knowledge is power. And in this case, it might just save your face (not the world, thankfully).