Best skincare products for oily skin?Updated a year ago
It’s incredibly important to choose skincare products that will help you address your specific concerns, while also helping your oily skin look and feel a little more balanced. That means following a complete skincare routine with a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen, along with a few specialty treatments that will help you achieve your skin goals.
Here are the factors you should consider when choosing the best skincare products for oily skin, category by category.
Face wash for oily skin
Those with oily skin are often tempted to over-cleanser their skin or use very harsh, stripping cleansers, from the misconception that any oily on the surface of the skin is a problem, or that their skin is somehow “dirty”.
In reality, while washing is useful for removing excessive oily buildup, overdoing it is very damaging. Over-cleansing can dehydrate and irritate your skin, leading to it feeling uncomfortably tight or raw, as well as increasing your risk of breakouts (or causing prolonged breakouts that don’t heal).
How many times a day should I wash my face?
In reality, washing your face once a day in the evening is probably enough. When you’re feeling particularly oily, you can wash again in the morning but it’s not mandatory!
Nowadays, there also are a lot of gentle cleansers on the market that are designed to cleanse thoroughly but without stripping the skin to the same extent. Any simple, gel-based cleanser that doesn’t foam up too much will likely suit your skin. We generally prefer affordable, fragrance-free cleansers from more clinical drugstore brands.
If your skin is ready for a more proactive skincare routine, combining exfoliation and cleansing can go a long way toward smoothing your skin, addressing any flakiness, and helping to clear the pores. Our AHA cleanser is a gently foaming gel that removes oil thoroughly while also helping to dislodge rough, dead skin. Made with glycolic acid, lactic acid, aloe vera, and green tea, it leaves the skin clean, balanced, and soothed - never dehydrated.
If your skin is acne prone, you might prefer using a cleanser with salicylic acid, which will do a better job of unclogging pores and cutting through oils.
Moisturizer for oily skin
Keeping oily skin moisturized is essential for preventing dehydration and maintaining balance. When your skin is hydrated, its outer layer immediately becomes springier and smoother, which actually correlates with pores looking smaller! Plus, moisturized skin acts as a stronger barrier that’s more resistant to damage, infection, and inflammation - in other words, if you’re oily AND acne-prone, it’s a literal must.
The key is to choose a light moisturizer that'll feel good on your skin and will include effective moisturizing ingredients. Look for humectants that’ll infuse the skin with moisture, and occlusives that’ll seal that moisture inside.
Finally, a great moisturizer will also include beneficial ingredients that'll help balance your skin. One ingredient worth looking for is niacinamide, which is one of the stars in our Hydration Cream. In addition to reinforcing the skin barrier, niacinamide is able to regulate oil production and reduce pore size!
Sensorially, gel moisturizers with silicones like dimethicone are also a great choice. Dimethicone seals water into the skin but it feels dry and smooth rather than oily, while the abundance of water hydrates the skin while feeling very light and easy-spreading.
That said, if your skin is more severely dehydrated, it's worth also adopting a habit of moisturizing immediately after showers using a slightly more occlusive cream.
Sunscreen for oily skin
Have we mentioned that sunscreen is important? Like, really, really important? There's literally no other skincare product that's as effective at keeping your skin looking young and healthy.
If your skin is acne-prone, sun protection helps prevent the worsening of inflammation, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and post-acne redness. Oh, not to mention the essential fact that sunscreen prevents skin cancer and sunburn!
Unfortunately, finding sunscreen for oily skin can be tough since so many products can make the skin feel greasy, especially when you reapply or on hot days. The key is to find sunscreens with a very light, easy-to-spread texture and a matte or demi-matte finish. That way, they’ll protect you while still feeling good on your skin.
To that end, we’re big fans of Asian sunscreens from brands like Bioré, Etude House, and SkinFood. Their formulas (especially the ones made with cyclopentasiloxane) blow us away with their super light texture and immense cosmetic elegance. There are also some reasonably-priced Western brands with mattifying sunscreens, like Eucerin and La Roche-Posay.
Treatments and serums for oily skin
When it comes to addressing specific skin concerns, from wrinkle reduction to pore size, serums for oily skin are often best for the job. Serums have a light texture that penetrates well, and the best ones include active ingredients that can renew the skin and reverse a variety of concerns without feeling heavy or like you’re applying too many layers.
When in doubt, serums with retinoids are an excellent choice because they can address almost every single skin concern at once. They regulate skin cell behavior and encourage faster regeneration, so they can prevent, reverse, or fade a lot of the issues that often come with having oily skin.
While retinol serums are most famous for their anti-aging effects, their ability to speed skin cell turnover also helps prevent clogged pores. Over time, they can improve skin texture and make pores look smaller. Retinol can also address dark marks caused by acne and may improve the texture of scars (although severe acne scarring usually requires clinical interventions like laser or microneedling).
Vitamin C can be a useful add-on, as well. Its powerful antioxidant protection may help prevent the proliferation of bacteria, and it definitely helps amp up sunscreen and protect from discoloration or premature aging.
If your skin is oily and acne-prone, you may also want to introduce anti-acne treatments in your routine, like benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, or salicylic acid. These ingredients usually come in the form of medicated creams, medicated cleansers, or spot treatments and are often classified as OTC medications.
We know that combining active skincare treatments can get pretty complicated, so check out our guide to advanced skincare layering to learn more about how to combine these products effectively.