An antifungal that replaced zinc pyrithione in many European dandruff shampoos. Matched it in a manufacturer-run trial; not an approved US dandruff drug.
Piroctone olamine is an antifungal that targets the Malassezia yeast behind dandruff. It is permitted in EU cosmetics (up to 1% in rinse-off products and 0.5% in others) and became the main European anti-dandruff active after zinc pyrithione was banned in 2022.
It is not among the FDA's approved dandruff actives, so US products cannot make a dandruff-treatment drug claim based on it alone; it appears in US products as a cosmetic ingredient or alongside an approved active.
A split-head trial found a shampoo with 0.5% piroctone olamine plus 0.45% climbazole reduced dandruff as well as 1% zinc pyrithione; it was run by a manufacturer and tested a combination. Lab data show solid antifungal activity. Independent trials are few.
A shampoo with 0.5% piroctone olamine plus 0.45% climbazole reduced dandruff as well as a 1% zinc pyrithione shampoo in a split-head study, with similar antifungal activity in the lab. Conducted by the manufacturer's research team.