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Zinc Pyrithione Soap Everything You Need to Know

This article covers everything you need to know about pyrithione zinc soap. From the basics of how the anti-fungal agent, pyrithione zinc, works to a review of popular soaps currently available.

Some key points to get your started:

  • Pyrithione zinc is widely used an anti-fungal agent all around the world
  • A type of [yeast called malassezia](#basics_of_malassezia_and_seborrheic dermatitis) are known to play a role in several skin conditions
  • Regular usage can reduce malassezia activity and lead to temporary symptom relief
  • An often overlooked factor is that skin barrier issues also play a role these symptoms
  • Some soaps are better formulated then others and it’s important to review the other ingredients

The article goes through these nuances in more detail. By the time your done reading, you should have a good idea of where to start and what options are available.

Hope you find the reading useful and considering joining the discussion at the end of the post. Share your experience, write your questions, or suggest additional tips that may have been missed.

How pyrithione zinc soap works

Pyrithione zinc is an antifungal agent used for the treatment of various skin conditions. Most notable, is it’s effect on suppressing the malassezia fungus (commonly considered as the main culprit in various skin diseases).

It is actually one of the most well documented treatments for dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. And it is one of the most popular active ingredients in anti-dandruff shampoos (such as Head and Shoulders) worldwide.

What is malassezia?

Malassezia is a family of lipophilic yeasts (fungus) often linked to conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff), tinea versicolor, and pytyriasis veriscolor.

This introductory section will briefly go over the underlying principles of how pyrithione zinc soap works to relieve seborrheic dermatitis (and various other skin conditions). For a more detailed review of pyrithione zinc, have a look at the section.

Basics of malassezia and seborrheic dermatitis

The most prominent/popular malassezia related skin condition is seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff). Accordingly, it’s helpful to try and understand how seborrheic dermatitis progresses.

Though this topic is highly debated and the research is somewhat mixed, there is a general theme that emerges.

Here are some key points:

  • Sebaceous gland activity (amount of sebum the skin produces) is often directly related to the location of the affected areas
  • Malassezia yeast is a fungus that depends on oils for growth and is present on the skin of both healthy and affected individuals
  • It appears that the skin does not actually react to the malassezia itself, but instead to the oleic free fatty acids it leaves behind
  • Even without the presence of malassezia, oleic free fatty acids have been shown to cause seborrheic dermatitis symptoms in susceptible individuals
  • Without the presence of malassezia, oleic free fatty acids are minimized and the resulting irritation may be avoided

How pyrithione zinc works

Pyrithione zinc was first discovered in 1960s. It is during this time, research first demonstrated it’s beneficial antifungal activity against a fairly broad range of fungi. However, as noted earlier, the most relevant and desirable of it’s effects was it’s ability to suppress the malassezia fungus.

Zinc Pyrithione Soap Fungicidal Activity Against Malassezia vs Controls - Comparison Chart
Zinc pyrithione soap fungicidal activity [1]

Why was this effect so desirable? Well, the majority of research on various skin disorders has revealed a strong link between malassezia and state of the skin. Some of this research also demonstrates that that once the fungus is suppressed, the associated symptoms resolve.

The list of skin conditions which malassezia appears to have a direct impact on, include [2]:

  • Seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff
  • Pityriasis versicolor
  • Atopic dermatitis
  • Malassezia folliculitis
  • Psoriasis

Based on this understanding, most of today’s most popular zinc pyrithione products are formulated with this goal in mind (to suppress the malassezia fungus residing on the skin).

Put simply, zinc pyrithione containing products aim to resolve certain skin conditions by controlling the amount of malassezia present on the skin.

Researchers have also put forward other possible explanations for zinc pyrithione’s effectiveness. For example, one study suggests that it may cause genomic destabilization of keratinocytes, leading to potentially reduced rate of keratin production [3]. But these ideas have so far failed to gain popularity.

Review of five popular zinc pyrithione soaps

Zinc pyrithione shampoos (Head and Shoulders, Garnier Fructis, Clear and various other brand names) are broadly available in most supermarkets. On the other hand, zinc pyrithione soaps are not very common and typically have to be purchased online (or in specialty stores).

This section will review the most prominent zinc pyrithione soaps currently available.

This list covers the most popular options
Please note, that this list is not all-inclusive, but simply tries to cover the most notable options.

1. Noble formula – 2% pyrithione zinc soap

Noble Formula - Zinc Pyrithione Soap - Review - Cover Photo

At the time of this writing, this appears to be the most popular option on Amazon and has over 691 reviews. The average rating is 4.3 out of 5, but surprisingly only a little over 60% of the reviews feature a 5 star rating.

Here is a quick point-by-point summary of the reviews:

  • Can be very helpful in cases of seborrheic dermatitis, acne, tinea veriscolor and folliculitis
  • Some reviews complained the symptoms returned (even with regular usage)
  • Can be quite drying and leading to an increase of skin flakiness
  • Slimy texture and large oatmeal chunks

Most points discussed apply to all zinc pyrithione soaps
Since it’s the most popular choice, the discussion of it will be the lengthiest. But many of these points are applicable to the other products listed below.

The majority of the reviewers on Amazon indicate the soap works extremely well, however, in many cases a relapse of the symptoms does occur after continue usage. Difficult to say why this occurs, but it may come from two areas:

  • Continued exposure of soap to water and air may be release free fatty (oleic) acids
  • A shift in the microflora of the skin makes the action of zinc pyrithione ineffective

However, these are just speculations.

Noble formula soap ingredients

The soap is made in the USA and the ingredients list is minimal and it doesn’t seem to contain anything unnecessary. The label indicates:

Saponified Olive Oil (infused with Calendula), Saponified Emu Oil, Ground Oatmeal, and Pyrithione Zinc 2%.

The first two ingredients make up the soap base, oatmeal is included as a skin soothing/protectant agent and the zinc pyrithione is the active ingredient.

One thing that seemed a little strange was the usage of saponified olive oil (likely sodium olivate) as opposed to any of the popular oils (such as coconut). Olive oil is quite high in oleic acid (up to 83%). And oleic acid (in it’s free fatty acid form) is the specific malassezia by-product which research has pin-pointed as being the cause of the skin irritation that occurs in seborrheic dermatitis.

Though there doesn’t appear to be any specific studies that link sodium olivate exposure to any of these skin conditions, perhaps replacing it with an oil low in oleic acid may have been worthwhile.

What is saponification?
Saponification is a process which basically breaks apart the fatty acids found in any given oil from their glycerin bond and binds the them to a salt such as sodium.

My experience with the noble formula soap

Reading the Amazon reviews of this soap made it an instant purchase. Initially my experience was highly favorable. Seborrheic dermatitis quickly resided and my skin cleared up within a few days. But only after a few weeks the redness and flakiness quickly returned.

As the effectiveness faded, attemps were made to increase the time the soap came in contact with my skin (leave on for a few minutes) prior to washing. But this didn’t do any good. Continued to use it hoping results would return, but nothing changed. As a result, usage was discontinued.

Other notes from my experience:

  • Quite drying for the facial skin (expected from a hard soap)
  • Skin became quite sensitive to sun and cold exposure (possibly as a result of the zinc pyrithione)
  • Skin tone became quite pale

A few months later, decided to give it another try. Strange enough, experience was exactly the same. Skin cleared initially, but after a week or so the symptoms creeped back.

2. DermaHarmony – zinc therapy soap

DermaHarmony - Zinc Pyrithione Soap - Review - Cover Photo

This is another highly popular option on Amazon and is also made in the USA. At the time of this writing is features 243 reviews and an average rating of 4.4 of out 5. Generally, the reviews are quite similar to that of the Noble Formula option discussed above.

DermaHarmony soap ingredients

The ingredients list is more significant. It contains:

Saponified Oils (from palm and coconut), Water, Glycerin (from vegetable oil), Titanium Dioxide (a natural mineral), Oatmeal, Olive Oil, Vitamin E, Table Salt, Salt of Pentetic Acid, Zinc Pyrithione 2%.

The base of the soap is made from saponified palm and coconut oils (which are low in oleic acid). This may help avoid any possible issues of using saponified olive oil (as discussed in the Noble Formula discussion). But interestingly, olive oil is still included later the ingredients list.

Though titanium dioxide is commonly used in sunscreen as UV blocking agent, this is unlikely the reason it was included here. Instead, it was likely added to simply give the soap a more aesthetic appearance (make the finished product look more white).

Quick overview of some of the other ingredients:

  • Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and is extensively used in skin care. It can help protect the natural oils present in the product, but has also been shown to be quite beneficial for the skin
  • Hard to say what role the salt of pentetic acid plays. I couldn’t find much medical literature on it and there aren’t to many other products that use pentetic acid
  • The salt was is likely included to increase the hardness of the soap.
  • Glycerin is usually used in soap to help moisturize the skin

In the end the inclusion of ingredients such as glycerin and vitamin E are welcomed when compared to the Noble Formula. But the inclusion of titanium dioxide and pentetic acid does raise some questions.

3. DermaZinc – zinc therapy soap

DermaZinc - Zinc Pyrithione Soap - Review - Cover Photo

This soap features a 4.4 out of 5 rating on Amazon and has over 216 reviews (at the time of this writing). It’s the third product on this list that’s also made in the USA.

The reviews are pretty much the same as the two products discussed above. There was some mention of people preferring this one to the Noble Formula though, due to it’s smoother texture.

DermZinc soap ingredients

The ingredients list is as follows:

Palm Oil, coconut oil, deionized water, sodium hydroxide, glycerine, zinc oxide, organic oatmeal, shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil, salt, vitamin E.

Won’t go into too much discussion on these, but overall it looks to be a much more moisturizing and rich soap then the two options above.

The inclusion of zinc oxide is interesting, It’s often used in diaper rash creams to help with skin healing and in sunscreen to shield against UV rays. However, something tells me that it was included here to simply help with the aesthetics of the finished product (making it more white).

4. Carbomed ZNP

Carbod ZNP - Zinc Pyrithione Soap - Review - Cover Photo

This product isn’t nearly as popular (on Amazon) as the options above. But this is likely in part due to it being of foreign origin. It ships from abroad (Paraguay), takes 3 to 6 weeks to arrive and the labelling is all in Spanish.

At the time of this writing, there are only 78 reviews and the average rating is 4.3 on average. However, five start ratings make up almost 70% of all the reviews.

Carbomed soap ingredients

The ingredients list is extremely minimal and the only items indicated are:

Linum Usitatissimun Seed Oil, Propilene Glicol and Pyrithione Zinc (translated to saponified flax seed oil, propylene glycol, and pyrithione zinc).

The usage of flax seed oil was interesting and may makes this soap less drying. Flax seed oil is high in ALA (~52%) and much lower in oleic acid (~20%). ALA is actually an omega 3 fatty acid and it’s topical usage has actually been shown to be quite beneficial in inflammatory skin conditions [4].

Simply from the ingredients aspect, this particular soap appears to be the most favorable. If the manufacturers also included vitamin E and replaced the propylene glycol with vegetable glycerin, it would be a clear winner in my books. However, the blue color of raises some questions to the completeness of the ingedients list.

5. Dermagor gel py-zn

Dermagor - Zinc Pyrithione Facial Cleanser - Review - Cover Photo

Technically, this product isn’t actually a soap, but a gel cleanser. And it’s popularity on Amazon is practically inexistent (zero reviews at the time of this writing).

The product is made in France and does have fairly good reviews on a French cosmetic review website. Overall, the reviews are similar to those found on the Amazon pages of the soaps mentioned above. But some unique points did catch my attention:

  • Not too drying
  • Skin feels very tight after usage
  • Contains parabens

Nonetheless, it was included in this list as research suggests that well formulated cleansers may be more favorable in terms of moisture barrier disruption and skin pH level changes [5]. Put simply, cleansers can be less drying and more gentle on the skin.

Dermagor cleanser ingredients

For a cleanser to provide the same level of cleansing, as offered by a soap, cleansers need to make use of a larger variety of cleansing agents. Accordingly, this option features a much longer ingredients list, including:

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Acrylates/Steareth 20, Methacrylate Copolymer, Zinc Pyrithione, Triethanolamine, Cocamide Dea, Laureth-2, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Edta, Parfum, Citral Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene Linalool.

An adequate discussion of each of this would be quickly lengthy. As a result, they will not be evaluated at this time.

Zinc pyrithione safety considerations

Zinc pyrithione is an FDA approved antifungal agent for usage in cosmetics at concentrations anywhere from 0.3 to 2.0%. It appears to have good safety profile and it’s use has been tested in a large number of studies.

Adverse reactions are uncommon, but have been reported [6]. The most common of these are:

  • Severe redness and increase inflammation
  • Worsening of the skin condition

Studies have also shown shown it to be toxic to human skin cells [7]. And concentrations higher then those approved by the FDA are likely to lead to some negative outcomes.

Spot testing is always recommended when first trying a new product. Select a small area of skin that is slightly hidden from view. Try here first and see how your skin responds.

Summary

This article went over the basic principles behind zinc pyrithione soap and reviewed some of the most popular options. Here are the key points:

  1. Zinc pyrithione is a well researched anti-fungal agent first popularized in the 1960s for it’s ability to suppress the malasssezia fungus
  2. Malassezia is a lipophilic fungus often linked to various skin conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff), tinea versicolor, and pytyriasis veriscolor
  3. Zinc pyrithione shampoos are a popular treatment choice for dandruff, but soaps are difficult to find and mainly available online
  4. Noble Formula’s zinc pyrithione soap is the most popular option on Amazon with highly favourable reviews
  5. Carbomed ZNP has a favorable ingredients list, but blue color raises questions and it has to be shipped in from abroad
  6. Finding a gentle cleanser containing zinc pyrithione may hold the most value as it can be gentler on the skin

Hope this information proves useful and can serve as a guide for anyone researching pyrithione zinc soaps. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this topic further, simply drop a comment below.

91% of readers found this article helpful

References

  1. J Van Cutsem, F Van Gerven, J Fransen, P Schrooten, P A Janssen "The in vitro antifungal activity of ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione, and selenium sulfide against Pityrosporum and their efficacy as a shampoo in the treatment of experimental pityrosporosis in guinea pigs." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 22.6 Pt 1 (1990): 993-8. PubMed
  2. Georgios Gaitanis, Aristea Velegraki, Peter Mayser, Ioannis D Bassukas "Skin diseases associated with Malassezia yeasts: facts and controversies." Clinics in dermatology 31.4 (2013): 455-63. PubMed
  3. Sarah D Lamore, Georg T Wondrak "Zinc pyrithione impairs zinc homeostasis and upregulates stress response gene expression in reconstructed human epidermis." Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine 24.5 (2011): 875-90. PubMed
  4. Jinda Rojanamatin, Prapawan Choawawanich "Treatment of inflammatory facial acne vulgaris with intense pulsed light and short contact of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid: a pilot study." Dermatologic surgery : official publication for American Society for Dermatologic Surgery [et al.] 32.8 (2006): 991-6; discussion 996-7. PubMed
  5. B L Kuehl, K S Fyfe, N H Shear "Cutaneous cleansers." Skin therapy letter 8.3 (2003): 1-4. PubMed
  6. Claudine Piuerard-Franchimont, Vueronique Goffin, Jacques Decroix, Guerald E Piuerard "A multicenter randomized trial of ketoconazole 2% and zinc pyrithione 1% shampoos in severe dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis." Skin pharmacology and applied skin physiology 15.6 (2002): 434-41. PubMed
  7. G C Priestley, J C Brown "Acute toxicity of Zinc pyrithione to human skin cells in vitro." Acta dermato-venereologica 60.2 (1980): 145-48. PubMed
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About Michael Anders

After being affected by seborrheic dermatitis, I have made it my goal to gather and organize all the information that has helped me in my journey.

Notable Community Replies

  1. sue says:

    Have you researched the vanicream z-bar? I see it has stearic acid which also feeds melassazia… I’m trying to find out how much it has versus the amount of pryithione acid

    Reply Permalink
  2. Hi Michael, Thank you so much for this write-up! I wondered if you have personal experience with the second product in your list, DermaHarmony, or what facial cleanser you are using today after some research and experimentation? Thank you again! Kimberly

    Reply Permalink
  3. wendy says:

    Please correct your misuse of the contraction"it’s" and the pronoun “its.”

    Reply Permalink
  4. thank you for your research and reporting of this darn condition!
    i will be attentive to your comments.
    jim

    Reply Permalink
  5. ollie says:

    Goodness gracious Wendy. The chap reasearches and writes an extensive article for public benefit and that’s all you can think to comment? Not even a “Thanks for the info…”.

    Reply Permalink
  6. Hi folks. I’m David Addison, the owner of DermaHarmony. I have some thoughts on this review. If anyone has questions about why we use an ingredient or wants to discuss the safety of an ingredient, I’m highly available for such discussions – always.

    Pentasodium pentetate (also known as Salt of Pentetic Acid) is a chelating agent used to bind and sequester metal ions. It’s added to help make more suds by overcoming water hardness. If you’re on well water with calcium or other minerals the DermaHarmony soap should function much better than Noble Formula. The Skin Deep database rates this as a safe ingredient. This is very common ingredient in soaps. By weight a bar contains less than 2/10th a percentage of this ingredient. At this level Pentasodium Pentetate is not an irritant.

    The titanium dioxide is for aesthetic appearance. We use a non-nano particle titanium dioxide. It is also safe for lips and eyes. The mineral is processed to remove any impurities. Titanium dioxide is harmless and it cannot be absorbed through intact skin.

    If you’re not happy with this soap, then try our African Black 2% Pyrithione Zinc Soap (you can find it on Amazon.com if you page down on our products). It’s one of 6 other pyrithione zinc bars that we make that are void of titanium dioxide and Salt of Pentetic Acid. Our African Black Soap base originates in Ghana. Black soap cleanses gently, so it’s ideal for people with SD, rosacea, rashes, dryness and other skin conditions. As a raw ingredient, it has a rich dark brown appearance. Black soap is made from locally harvested African plants such palm, coconut and shea butter. The ingredients are sun-dried and roasted, which is how it gets its deep brown (not black) color. Because Pyrithione Zinc is a fine white powder, our finished bars take on light purple/brown/black color. Ground apricot kernels add a wee bit of texture to aid exfoliation. The African Black soap ingredients super natural: Glycerin, Saphonified Oils (from palm and coconut), Water, Sodium Oleate, Pyrithione Zinc, Shea Butter, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Ground Apricot Kernel, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid.

    Noble make a solid product – it would be wrong to say otherwise.

    The DermaHarmony bar is an FDA registered OTC drug which means that we’ve jumped thorough more regulatory hoops and safeguards. Our bar costs more to produce and sells for less than Noble Formula. I would have NOT rated the DermaHarmony bar as #2, but that’s personal choice. I’m biased a wee bit.

    Reply Permalink
  7. Hi Kimberly, Thanks for checking-ing and my apologies for the astronomically long respone time. Haven’t actually tried the DermaHarmony formula, but if you’re still searching, it founder/owner of the company has recently chimed in on the conversation and perhaps you may be able to ask him directly.

    Myself, have ditched cleansers altogether and have more simply stuck to simple cold water facial rinses instead. Hard to say how applicable such an approach would be if makeup needs removal though. :soap: :slight_smile:

    Reply Permalink
  8. Hi Michael,

    Do you know much about the zinc pyrithione soap from clever soap? It’s the only one I can find made in the U.K. and is much cheaper than the others, I just wondered if it’s any good?

    Thanks

    Reply Permalink
  9. Hi Sue,

    The Vanicream bar looks great and should be added to the master list. Based on the ingredients, would actually put it in first place. Don’t think the stearic acid would cause any issues when combined with zinc pyrithione. The actual cleansing agents used in this bar are currently considered the most gentle/mild options available (similar to Cetaphils cleansing bars).

    Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

    Reply Permalink
  10. Hi Rich,

    Overall wouldn’t say it’s much different than the majority of the zinc pyrithione bars available. However, the Vanicream mentioned by Sue earlier in this discussion is likely to be a significantly better choice (due to the better choice of surfactants used).

    For reference, here are the ingredients of the Vanicream bar:

    sodium cocoyl isethionate, stearic acid, sodium stearate, water, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, paraffin, petrolatum, sorbitol, cetearyl alcohol, propanediol, ceteareth-20, simethicone, glyceryl stearate, PEG-30 stearate, sorbic acid

    And it’s currently listed on Amazon.co.uk for £9.95, so perhaps it may be worth a look.

    Hope that helps.
    All the best.

    Reply Permalink

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