Bumps after cleansing oil — is the oil to blame?

Cleansing oil can cause small bumps if it is not rinsed off completely. First, check whether the bumps itch.

Why check whether the bumps itch first?

Of people diagnosed with acne, 28.8% had Malassezia folliculitis (Paichitrojjana & Chalermchai, 2022). Three signs separate it from ordinary acne: itch, bumps along the scalp and hairline, and bumps on the upper back. If you have these, Malassezia folliculitis is a possibility.

Among people with Malassezia folliculitis, 40.5% had been through care that did not work (Green et al., 2023).

Milia, for reference, are tiny cysts filled with keratin. We found no comparative trial in which a topical product cleared them (Berk & Bayliss, 2008). If the bumps look like comedones — white or dark dots set in the pores — see why large pores and blackheads keep coming back. Whether oil cleansing really lifts blackheads is covered in oil cleansing and blackheads.

Can cleansing oil cause small bumps?

Malassezia cannot make its own fatty acids, so it has to take them from its surroundings (Triana et al., 2017). That is why "avoid lists" of ingredients said to feed Malassezia circulate online. They tell you to avoid fatty acids with 11 to 24 carbons in the chain (C11 to C24). In the paper these lists cite, Malassezia grew only when fatty acids longer than 10 carbons were present. There is no exact upper limit of 24, though (Wilde & Stewart, 1968).

Cleansing oil that is not rinsed off completely can cause small bumps. If the bumps seem to be increasing, pause the cleansing oil and watch how your skin changes over four weeks. Producing keratin buildup inside the pore took about a month in an experiment (Mills & Kligman, 1982).

If the bumps are Malassezia folliculitis, how should they be managed?

Malassezia folliculitis calls for an antifungal. In people confirmed by fungal testing, oral itraconazole left 84.6% cleared or markedly improved (Parsad et al., 1999).

In Korea, oral itraconazole is prescription-only.

One step today

• If the bumps itch, tell a dermatologist where and how they itch.
• If they do not itch and look like comedones, pause a suspect product such as cleansing oil and watch for four weeks. Start with products that list palmitic acid or oleic acid near the top. Then see whether fewer new bumps appear after four weeks.