Fungalscan Get the app
Built for fungal acne · iOS

Most ingredient scanners weren't built for fungal acne.

Snap a skincare label and Fungalscan flags the palmitoyl peptides, plant oils, and PEG-fatty-acid esters in the C12 to C24 range that feed Malassezia. Then it suggests safer swaps.

Download on the App Store Coming soon to Google Play
Why generic scanners miss it

Clean-beauty scanners weren't designed for Malassezia.

Generic ingredient apps optimise for clean-beauty rules of thumb. Fungal acne has a different shortlist, and the details matter.

Caught by Fungalscan

Palmitoyl peptides rated "fine" elsewhere.

Palmitoyl, stearoyl, myristoyl and lauroyl peptides are commonly rated as gentle hydrators by generic scanners. They are also the long-chain fatty-acid tails that Malassezia can metabolize.

Palmitoyl tripeptide-5
Correctly marked SAFE

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is safe.

"PEG = bad" rule-based scanners flag this one. PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is heavily ethoxylated, which makes the fatty acid non-bioavailable to Malassezia. Fungalscan tells you it's fine.

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Safer swaps included

An AVOID result tells you what to use instead.

After an AVOID, Fungalscan suggests branched-chain or short-chain alternatives that behave similarly on skin but aren't on the fungal-acne shortlist.

Cetyl alcohol → Octyldodecanol
How it works

Three taps. One verdict.

1

Snap the ingredient label.

Point your camera at the back of the bottle. Fungalscan reads any INCI list, in any lighting.

2

We read every INCI ingredient.

Each name is parsed and cross-checked against an FA-strict database of triggers, severities and known-safe alternatives.

3

Get a verdict, plus safer swaps.

One clear result, with per-ingredient detail and substitution ideas when a product is flagged.

Safe Caution Avoid
The palmitoyl-peptide catch

The fatty acid is hiding in the name.

Most "skincare safety" apps treat peptides as a hero category. The catch: a palmitoyl peptide is a peptide attached to a 16-carbon fatty acid. That fatty acid is exactly the kind of food Malassezia uses.

Fungalscan reads the actual chemistry behind the INCI name, not the marketing category. The result you get is calibrated to your skin, not to a clean-beauty score.

  • Chain-length aware. C12 to C24 fatty acids and their esters get flagged. Shorter chains pass.
  • Reads ethoxylation. Heavily PEG-ylated castor oils and similar don't get false-flagged.
  • Suggests substitutes. Branched fatty alcohols, short-chain esters, and oil-free alternatives.

Same ingredient, two readings

Palmitoyl tripeptide-5 Generic: fine
Palmitoyl tripeptide-5 Fungalscan: avoid

And the inverse

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil Generic: avoid
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil Fungalscan: safe
Pricing

Start with 3 free scans, no account needed.

Then a Premium subscription unlocks unlimited scans, full history, and safer-swap suggestions on every flagged result.

Weekly
$4.99/week
For one-off label dives.
  • Unlimited scans
  • Full scan history
  • Safer-swap suggestions
Best value
Annual
$29.99/year
Roughly $0.58 / week.
  • Everything in Weekly
  • Priority database updates
  • 83% off the weekly rate
Lifetime
$59.99one-time
Pay once, keep forever.
  • Everything in Annual
  • No renewals, ever
  • All future feature updates
3 free scans, no account needed. Try the verdict on three of your products before deciding.

Weekly and annual plans auto-renew until cancelled. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase.

FAQ

Common questions.

What is fungal acne / malassezia folliculitis?
Often called "fungal acne", pityrosporum (malassezia) folliculitis is an overgrowth of a yeast that lives naturally on most skin. It tends to show up as small, uniform, itchy bumps, often on the forehead, chest or back, and it doesn't respond to typical acne treatments because it isn't bacterial. Many people manage it by avoiding skincare ingredients the yeast can metabolize, then using an antifungal cleanser. Talk to a clinician for diagnosis.
Is this medical advice?
No. Fungalscan is an informational ingredient lookup, not medical advice or a diagnosis. We tell you which ingredients in a product are on a fungal-acne watchlist. Whether a given product is right for your skin is something only you and a qualified clinician can decide.
Do you store my photos?
No. The photo of the ingredient label is sent over HTTPS to our API, used only to read the text on the label, and then discarded. We never share or sell your photos, and they are not used to train any AI model. Your scan history is stored locally on your device. See the privacy policy for full detail.
How is this different from other scanners?
Most ingredient apps optimise for "clean beauty" heuristics. Fungalscan is calibrated for fungal acne specifically: chain-length aware, ethoxylation aware, and tuned to the palmitoyl / stearoyl / myristoyl / lauroyl peptides and the C12 to C24 PEG-fatty-acid esters that feed Malassezia. After an AVOID result, we also suggest substitutes.
iOS only?
For now, yes. Fungalscan is currently in TestFlight on iOS, with an App Store release coming up. Google Play is on the roadmap.

Scan your first product free.

Three free scans, no account needed. Get Fungalscan on iOS and find out what's actually feeding Malassezia.

Download on the App Store