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When your skin tends to lean on the oilier side, it can often feel like you want to do away with everything in your skincare routine that promises to hydrate and moisturize your skin.
When your skin tends to lean on the oilier side, it can often feel like you want to do away with everything in your skincare routine that promises to hydrate and moisturize your skin.
You want to mattify your face and stop it from overproducing natural oils, so it may seem counterintuitive to slather on a layer of moisturizer morning and night.
But oily skin needs hydration too!
Whether your skin gets a little oily around the t-zone throughout the day, or you constantly find yourself reaching for the blotting pads, depriving your skin of much-needed moisture could be doing your oiliness more harm than good.
Although many people are just naturally on the oily side, a lot of people may be encouraging their skin to produce more oil because of their skincare routine.
Dehydrated skin will produce more oil to counteract the drying effects of your routine that are stripping your skin, so even the oiliest of skins will still benefit from a daily helping of moisturizer.
Is Acne Prone Skin Always Oily?
A common misconception when it comes to acne-prone skin is that it’s caused by excess oil production, a damaged skin barrier, and an issue only experienced by people with oily or combination skin. However, acne is something that can happen to any of us, no matter what skin type or skin tone we have.
Just because you do have acne, it doesn’t mean that you should stop trying to keep your skin hydrated, you just need to change your approach. When looking for moisturizers for oily skin, it’s better to find an oil-free moisturizer that doesn’t clog pores that has moisturizing ingredients like natural oils or vitamin E. Even the most lightweight moisturizer should still cater to most skin types, not just those with acne.
Should I Avoid Hyaluronic Acid If I Have Oily Skin?
Another oily skin myth is that you should avoid ingredients like hyaluronic acid in an attempt to minimize the amount of excess oil your skin produces. However, skin hydration is just as important when you’re moisturizing oily skin.
Although a mattifying moisturizer may give you the appearance of a less oily face, it could be detrimental to your skin’s health, especially if you have sensitive skin. You need hydrating ingredients to retain moisture and protect your skin’s barrier.
If you are worried about acne and oil, you can use other ingredients in your skincare routine, like salicylic acid, to buff away dead skin cells and limit oil production, without having to skip the hydrating products altogether.
The Best Moisturizer Oily Skin Picks
Just because we’re encouraging all of you oily-skinned people out there to add a good moisturizer back into your routine doesn’t mean you have to go for a rich, creamy formula that feels heavy on your skin.
There are so many great options for moisturizers for oily skin that you’re going to love…
From moisturizer gel to non-comedogenic and oil-free moisturizers for oily skin—you have plenty to choose from.
We’ve rounded up a list of moisturizers good for oily skin, that provide your skin with that all-important moisture and hydration, without the heavy or greasy finish.
Here are some of the best — mostly affordable — moisturizer oily skin picks!
Versed Dew Point Moisturizing Gel-Cream $14.99
Versed Dew Point Moisturizing Gel-Cream $14.99
Starting off the post, we have the Versed Dew Point Gel-Cream. Versed is a brand that has been somewhat under the radar, but has a few stand-out products — this facial moisturizing lotion is one of them (and their Baby Cheeks being another fave).
The jelly-like texture feels very different from average gel moisturizers, offering hydration in abundance in a comfortable and lightweight formula that all skin types will enjoy.
With soothing ingredients like aloe, green tea, and hyaluronic acid, this is a product that I think anyone will love, no matter how irritated or sensitive your skin is. It won’t be clogging pores at all but will smooth skin texture out to leave you with the perfect canvas for the rest of your makeup.
Simple Water Boost Hydrating Gel Cream Face Moisturizer $6.33
The whole Simple Water Boost range was a pleasant drugstore find for me in 2021, with their gel cleanser being an instant favorite from the first application — the Hydrating Gel Cream is another product that quickly got a thumbs up from me.
The lightweight and non-greasy formula glides onto the skin and sinks in effortlessly, leaving the skin with optimal hydration but not like there’s a thick layer of the product getting in the way. Dry skin and oily skin tend to need that little extra boost of hydration, and this product definitely delivers on that.
For under $10, this is a real gem and a product that you really can’t go wrong with.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Face Moisturizer $17.59
Next up we have probably the most recommended drugstore moisturizer for oily skin, Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Gel Face Moisturizer.
It’s easy to see why this product is so popular with people who suffer from dehydrated, yet oily, skin. It’s extremely lightweight, feeling like almost nothing when you apply it to the skin, but leaves you with a feeling like drinking a whole 8 cups of water.
Skin feels smoother and moisturized instantly, which makes for the perfect canvas to apply makeup over. Even if you don’t put anything on top, your skin will look naturally luminous — no grease or dewy-ness insight. It also doesn’t exaggerate enlarged pores, it just limits excess sebum production, helps with oil control, and contributes to a hydrated skin barrier.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat Anti-Shine Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin $31.99
If your skin is super oily and you need a product that’s going to visibly mattify your face, look no further than this gem from La Roche Posay.
The whole Effaclar range from the brand is nothing short of spectacular, especially for those who suffer from breakouts and oily skin. This invisible finish moisture gel is no exception to the rule.
The oil-free moisturizer is extra hydrating, making the skin’s moisture barrier feel comfortable, but it mattifies your face and minimizes the appearance of pores so that your oily skin is looking smooth and flawless.
This would be a great product to wear under makeup if you want a blank canvas to work with. It’s an extremely lightweight gel that doesn’t contribute to excess oil, doesn’t contain mineral oil, and will work well for even acne-prone skin.
COSRX Oil-Free Moisturizing Lotion $25.00
I went through a big K-beauty phase last year and COSRX was always one of my top brands (their pimple patches are, and forever will be, one of my holy grail products).
The oil-free moisturizer is perfect for oily and acne-prone skin, yet penetrates deep into the weakened skin barrier to soothe skin, hydrate skin, and avoid any excess oil. With the help of hyaluronic acid, this moisturizer keeps even combination skin hydrated while it moisturizes the skin.
This is slightly thicker than some of the other moisturizers for oily skin on this list, but the oil-free nature of the product makes it suitable for oily skin types who still crave the hydration of a typical cream moisturizer.
The INKEY List Symbright Moisturizer $12.99
The budget beauty brand, the INKEY list, seems to be able to do no wrong when it comes to their most recent launches, and the Symbright Moisturizer was one of such launches that instantly caught my attention.
This not only provides intense hydration but also targets dull and uneven skin so that your skin looks brighter and healthier than ever before. It looks after your skin’s barrier better than other moisturizers for oily skin and the lightweight gel formula makes it suitable for even sensitive skin.
With the hero ingredients, plant clary sage and hyaluronic acid, the benefits of using this product really speak for themselves, and the lightweight silky formula is sure to be a winner for those with oily skin who struggle with excess oil production.
Cetaphil Oil-Free Hydrating Lotion $12.19
I love Cetaphil, their cleansers are among my favorites from the drugstore, and their moisturizers are just as effective.
Their Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Lotion is the perfect addition to anyone’s skincare routine, no matter how oily you are.
The oil-free formula contains no synthetic fragrance and is packed with hyaluronic acid to offer all the hydration you need, without an uncomfortable, greasy finish. The soothing moisturizer has a lot of key ingredients that are perfect for sensitive skin, like hyaluronic acid which, when included in a facial moisturizer for oily skin offers the perfect amount of lightweight hydration.
Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer $23.99
When it comes to oily skin, moisturizer gels are normally the right way to go — you get all of the hydration of a creamy moisturizer but without the thick and heavy formula.
The Aveeno Calm and Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer is a great option because it combines calming oats with barrier-strengthening, moisturizing ingredients to create a product that intensely nourishes and soothes most skin types.
Because of its lightweight, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic formula, we can’t imagine a skin type that wouldn’t benefit from this moisturizer — but it will definitely be oily skin and sensitive skin that enjoys this the most. It helps to keep an oily t zone regulated while keeping your skin dewy and looking radiant, which is always something we want for skin health.
At under $20, you can’t really go wrong with this lightweight formula. Say goodbye to redness, irritation, and oily skin instantly with this impressive drugstore water cream from Aveeno.
How to Pick the Perfect Moisturizer For Oily Skin
When your skin produces excess oil, it’s important to find the right moisturizer that offers a lightweight texture that absorbs quickly, hydrates the skin barrier, and is suitable for combination skin types.
This doesn’t mean that you’re looking for a mattifying moisturizer, the best moisturizers for oily skin types have a range of hydrating ingredients that will moisturize while protecting acne-prone skin and oily skin.
In a good moisturizer, look out for ingredients like calming aloe leaf juice, hydrating hyaluronic acid, soothing Japanese wild rose, and nourishing shea butter. In a night moisturizer, you may also enjoy a product that contains salicylic acid to gently buff away dead skin cells while you sleep.
This post was all about the best moisturizer oily skin products that we think you’re going to love! Have you tried any?
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Sara says
I love these picks! Such a helpful post!
xx Sara
https://thecliqueblog.com