Fungusol at 9 euros: the 1968 formula you can replicate

Fungusol at 9 euros: the 1968 formula you can replicate

A small jar of Fungusol costs 9 euros at the pharmacy and runs out in no time. That is the starting point of a debate that has been simmering for years in the Responsible Consumption subforum: a product sold as a solution for delicate feet, with sores even the dermatologist cannot explain, and a price many consider outright abusive. The question hanging in the air is simple: is there something cheaper that does the same thing?

The short answer is yes, and the long answer has a full chemical name. Fungusol is not a secret formula or something patented yesterday: according to the data discussed in the thread, its active ingredients are boric acid at 50 mg per gram and zinc oxide at 100 mg per gram, a combination first registered in 1968. In other words, talcum powder with two textbook compounds, sold at luxury cosmetics prices.

What Fungusol actually contains and why it can be replicated

The finding that puts everything in order is the composition. If the product has no active patent and its active ingredients are identified with exact concentrations, any pharmacist with a compounding lab can prepare it in their pharmacy. That opens the door to a cheaper compounded version, though it is wise not to jump the gun: it is not pure boric acid, and anyone treating it as such is asking for serious trouble. The Darwin Award warning that appears in the thread is not a gratuitous joke.

The most frequently suggested alternative is buying loose boric acid. The prices mentioned range from 4 euros for 200 grams at the pharmacy to 7 euros per kilo in an online store, including the 8 euros per kilo someone pays to kill cockroaches. Compared with the jar of Fungusol, which does not even reach 100 grams, the differential is hard to justify by the packaging.

Baking soda, aloe vera and other recurring alternatives

Baking soda comes up again and again, both sprinkled on the dry foot and in foot baths. The shared experience is emphatic: rub the foot, work it between the toes, spray the inside of the shoes and leave it overnight. One-kilo packets for around one euro. The person telling it claims to have tried everything and that this works better than the branded product.

There are more options. Tea tree oil, which is cheap on international platforms and goes a long way. Deodorizing powders from another lab brand, available at the same pharmacy for less. Supermarket foot powders, which have the same effect according to several accounts. And aloe vera, that wildcard someone recommends half in jest, half in earnest.

The underlying problem: sweat, moisture and cracked skin

It is worth separating the symptom from the cause. The case that opens the thread is not fungal: they are sores and small wounds that appear when the powder is not used, with itching and irritation. The explanation offered is moisture. When sweating is extreme, the skin becomes macerated, cracks and eventually hurts. It is not smell, it is water. Like having your feet in a tub.

That is where the recommendations fit: breathable footwear, sandals, socks changed daily and not taken off right after showering, and insoles left in the sun. Also Vaseline on friction points before exercising. And the warning that runs through the whole discussion: if there is no fungus, a preventive antifungal is more of an expense than a solution.

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The anecdote that closes the circle is that of the pharmacist who sold the original formula in urine-sample jars, at 200 pesetas, scooped from a sack and weighed to the gram. It smelled of eucalyptus and mint. When he sold the formula, the neighborhood miracle was over. The product is still in the catalog. So is the price.