Fungus Clear Review: Are Antifungal Supplements a Scam?

Fungus Clear Review: Are Antifungal Supplements a Scam?


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Fungus Clear is a dietary supplement sold by Vitality Health that claims to kill nail fungus naturally by strengthening the immune system. The brand claims that their supplement can "remove discoloration" and "help reclaim healthy nails."

But can oral supplements really heal the nails and kill fungus? Does Fungus Clear contain ingredients proven in research studies to kill fungus? Does the supplement contain any unhealthy additives? And how can you prevent fungus from coming back?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Fungus Clear to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for eliminating fungus, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also feature a video on how to prevent nail fungus after it's cleared, document some concerns we have with the Fungus Clear website, and explain why we don't recommend buying Fungus Clear on Amazon.

UPDATE: Vitality Health appears to have shut down since the initial publication of this article. To see our current Antifungal Picks, scroll down to the section of this article titled "Our Clean Antifungal Picks."

Ingredient Analysis

Fungus Clear ingredients

The ingredients in Fungus Clear are shown above.

Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus reuteri are two of the probiotics included in a Probiotic Fungus Blend.

A medical review published in the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology reports that probiotic supplementation may be effective for internal fungal issues (in the gut), but we haven't come across any clinical studies suggesting that oral intake of probiotics reduces nail fungus.

The second ingredient blend in Fungus Clear is a proprietary (prop) blend containing turmeric root extract and BioPerine.

Turmeric root extract has an active chemical compound called curcumin, which has been shown in a 2009 medical review to be a potent antifungal agent.

However, this review analyzed in vitro (test tube) studies, which is a weaker standard of evidence than human trials.

We can't find any evidence that this ingredient has an antifungal effect when taken orally. 

BioPerine is a trademarked black pepper extract which can improve turmeric bioavailability.

Overall, we do not believe that Fungus Clear is likely to be effective because we're unable to identify any clinical studies proving its active ingredients to reduce nail fungus when taken orally. 

As we discussed in our review of another antifungal supplement called Fungus Eliminator, the manufacturers of all antifungal supplements we've reviewed to date on Illuminate Health failed to provide convincing evidence of their potential efficacy.

Avoid Fungus Clear on Amazon

Fungus Clear Amazon results

The official manufacturer of Fungus Clear appears to be a brand by the name of Vitality Health.

This is the company whose site we sourced the ingredient list from.

But as you'll see in the image above, none of the top results for "Fungus Clear" on Amazon are sold by Vitality Health. Instead, there are a number of different brands selling products with the "Fungus Clear" name, including manufacturers like "Ideal Performance" and "Justified Laboratories."

We recommend buying supplements from the manufacturer directly, because it can reduce the risk of counterfeit or harmful products.

It's a sign of a low-quality brand to sell a supplement under another brand's trade name, and a red flag.

While we don't recommend Fungus Clear overall, for consumers intent on purchasing it, we recommend doing so from the official manufacturer's website when and if it goes live again.

How Do You Prevent Toenail Fungus?

Once nail fungus is treated, it's important to take steps to prevent it from reoccurring, and from suffering again.

A video from the American Academy of Dermatology is under three minutes long and includes six tips on preventing toenail fungus:

Fungus Clear Website is Broken

When we last updated this article, some critical functions on the Fungus Clear website were broken. Since, the entire website appears to be down.

None of the buttons in the below menu work, so customers can't read important information about ingredients or the brand:

Fungus Clear website issues

None of the FAQ buttons in the below menu work either, so customers can't read important information about the benefits of the product or how it works:

Fungus Clear website issues 2

The cart button still works though, which is concerning to us.

If the cart button works, why would the brand not prioritize fixing other sections of the site so consumers can get important information that allows them to make an informed purchase decision?

Our Clean Antifungal Picks

Performance Lab MCT Oil is our top oral antifungal pick.

Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil was shown in a clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal to be a "therapeutic intervention for reducing fungal colonization."

MBG Vitamin D3 Potency+ is our top vitamin anti-fungal pick.

A medical review published in the Current Medical Mycology journal found that vitamin D3 had antifungal activity against Candida species (a pervasive fungal pathogen) and also inhibited biofilm formation.

Dr. Bronner's Organic Coconut Oil is our topical anti-fungal pick.

A medical review concluded that "coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species."

We're not suggesting that these products should be used to treat any disease or health condition.

All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.

Customers Rate Fungus Clear

Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.

When we last updated this article, Fungus Clear had been reviewed 30 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars.

A top positive review from a verified purchaser was from an anonymous Amazon Customer who gave the product a 5/5 rating:

"I have been using this product for almost a month. I have toenail fungus on 2 toenails on my right foot. This product seems to be helping but it's too early to decide if this is going to get rid of the problem. I will order another bottle, but if, after using 2 bottles of this product and the fungus is not gone, I will not order again."

A top negative review from a verified purchaser was written by a user named "redricki" who gave the product a 1/5 rating:

"I was encouraged when I read about the claims of Fungus Clear as I have had fungus problems with my toenails for some time. I ordered a six months supply with great anticipation. At 180 days I had not noticed any improvement so I asked for a refund. It was granted. However, I continued using the product with the outside hope that I would see improvement. I have now finished the six months of treatment and I see no difference in my toenails. The product has not offered any change."

Fungus Clear Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Fungus Clear in our opinion:

Pros:

  • Contains some research-backed active ingredients
  • May support gut health
  • Unlikely to cause side effects
  • No unhealthy additives

Cons:

  • Manufacturer appears to have shut down operations
  • Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
  • We can't find evidence that any active ingredients work orally
  • Other brands selling supplement under same trade name
  • Unclear official manufacturer
  • Brand's website didn't work before it was shut down
Stay up-to-date on our research reviews

Conclusion

We do not currently recommend Fungus Clear.

The Fungus Clear website is currently down, and we can't identify any clinical trials suggesting that the ingredients used in this supplement are effective when taken orally.

There are no ingredients in Fungus Clear that we consider unhealthy, risky, or likely to cause side effects.

For consumers intent on purchasing Fungus Clear, we recommend doing so on the manufacturer's official website rather than on Amazon, because the only brands selling products under the "Fungus Clear" name currently on Amazon do not appear to be the real manufacturer.

Prevention is key for individuals who get recurrent fungal infections, and in this article we featured a video showing six steps that can reduce the risk of reinfection.