Zinc Pyrithione for Seborrheic dermatitis
The active in classic anti-dandruff and anti-Malassezia formulas. RCTs show it clears severe dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis on par with ketoconazole 2%; also useful in fungal acne and scalp folliculitis. The reason your medicated body wash actually works.
Why it works for Seborrheic dermatitis
Kills the yeast (Malassezia) that drives seborrheic dermatitis, so there is less of it on your skin to feed the flaking and redness. It is an FDA-approved over-the-counter dandruff active at 1 to 2 percent. In a large trial of 331 people (Piérard-Franchimont 2002), a 1 percent zinc pyrithione shampoo cleared severe dandruff and scalp seborrheic dermatitis well, just slightly behind ketoconazole 2 percent.
How Zinc Pyrithione works
Zinc-chelated pyrithione that disrupts fungal membrane transport (notably Malassezia spp.) and inhibits bacterial growth; depolarises microbial cell membranes by increasing intracellular copper to toxic levels. FDA-approved OTC antidandruff active.
Evidence
4 citations from our ingredient database. Full citation list on the Zinc Pyrithione ingredient page.