Yep, Oily Skin Needs Moisturizer, Too—Here's Why

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It's the biggest Q among people with naturally oily skin: Do you *actually* need to moisturize if you have a ton of natural moisture, a.k.a. the oil slick that appears on skin before the clock strikes noon? If the best moisturizers for oily skin are any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. Here's why: Just because your skin produces enough enough oil to power an ocean liner doesn't mean that your skin is getting enough hydration, a.k.a. water—and you might actually be missing out on some key benefits if you skip it.

In fact, it's entirely possible for skin to be oily and still dehydrated, leaving it lax and prone to sagging. Adding hydration in the form of humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin—or even peptides, which firm and smooth skin—can leave skin plumper and more youthful, not greasy. FYI: If you're stressed that adding moisturizer to your skin-care lineup will only make your skin look shinier, that's unlikely to happen if you choose your formula carefully.

With that, here's an exhaustive list of the best moisturizers for oily skin—and why they're worth adding to your skincare lineup, pronto.

AM Therapy Facial Moisturizer

When my skin is freaking out, I always go back to this weightless moisturizer, which acts like hitting the reset button. It has willow bark (a natural source of salicyic acid, FYI!) as well as niacinamide, which helps calm inflammation and fade dark spots. And, of course, it contains hyaluronic acid for that all-important hydration—giving skin exactly what it needs and nothing it doesn't.

• Key Ingredients: Willow bark extract, niacinamide, vitamin C

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "I have been using this am moisturizer for 3+ years now and I still repurchase it every time! I use it daily under my SPF and it doesnt pill or feel heavy. I love the ingredients in this product and that it doesn't make me breakout!"

Hydration Peptide Cream

If your skin can't decide what it needs, no sweat—this stuff checks all the boxes, which is why it's my ride or die. The oil-free formula uses squalane instead of the greasy stuff to bolster skin's moisture barrier, while peptides work to firm and smooth skin (making it clutch for all my over-30 girlies out there). It's also non-comedogenic, so it won't congest pores or contribute to blackheads.

• Key Ingredients: Peptides, squalane, hydrosella

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "I have very acne prone skin. Sometimes I feel like everything breaks me out, but not this moisturizer! It doesn’t clog my pores or feel heavy, and I feel nice and hydrated. Best moisturizer ever!"

Confidence in a Gel Cream Oil-Control Face Moisturizer

What sold me is the texture of this gel-cream, which is cushiony and quick to absorb—but still moisturizing enough to tackle the dryness on my cheeks. It's worked wonders for my T-zone, minimizing the shine on my nose and chin without necessarily drying it out. My only gripe is the scent, since fragrance isn't really my bag.

• Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, peptides, squalane

• Fragrance-free? No

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "This stuff is so freaking good, I was so beyond pleasantly surprised. I have oily, acne prone skin but it gets super dry at times, especially around this time of year. This product is the perfect solution of wanting smooth, hydrated skin, but nothing that’s too heavy or greasy. It’s light, refreshing, and all I every really needed. 1000% will repurchase this over and over again. Totally recommend!!!!"

Barrier+ Skin Barrier + Lightweight + Pore-Refining Refillable Gel Cream

When you get shiny by 10 A.M., nothing hits quite like a gel-cream, which delivers moisture *without* that grease glow. (You know the one.) This one absorbs in seconds and actually makes my pores look smaller (?!) courtesy of a combination of niacinamide and the brand's patented B-L3 complex, which pairs lipids with vitamins and peptides.

• Key Ingredients: B-L3, saccharide isomerate, niacinamide

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? No

Glowing customer review: "After only a few days of using the Barrier+ Skin Barrier + Lightweight + Pore-Refining Refillable Gel Cream with B-L3™, I'm already impressed. The lightweight texture is perfect for my combination skin, absorbing quickly without leaving any greasy residue. It's great that it's refillable, aligning with my preference for sustainable products."

Watermelon Pink Juice Oil-Free Refillable Moisturizer

Come for the fresh watermelon scent, stay for the lightweight, fast-absorbing formula, which sinks into skin in a blink. I love that it never leaves my skin feeling sticky, but offers enough moisture to leave my combo skin feeling perfectly balanced and comfortable—thanks to a killer combination of hyaluronic acid and amino acid-packed watermelon extract.

• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, watermelon

• Fragrance-free? No

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "I have combination skin, so it’s hard to find a moisturizer that’s not too moisturizing, but also applies enough moisture to keep my cheeks from getting inflamed. This is the perfect moisturizer for me. I already use hydrating serums so when I used my moisturizer, it would usually make my t-zone way too oily. This is the first moisturizer I’ve tried that treats my combination skin perfectly. It’s a must have in any combo or oily skin girls."

Clarifying Moisturizer

Dealing with breakouts? We got you: This moisturizer just got a little makeover this year to make it more nourishing to skin while still delivering the blemish-busting results you might already know and love. It has a water-like feel that leaves behind a matte finish, and is packed with the nurturing botanicals you might expect from the brand at this point—think lemon-myrtle extract to balance sebum levels, ceramides to support the skin barrier, and fatty acids to nix oxidation.

• Key Ingredients: Lemon-myrtle extract, ceramides, fatty acids

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "This is truly the best blemish-control moisturizer I have tried. It is soothing and light on the skin, but it makes my skin feel as bouncy and hydrated as it does with a thick, rich moisturizer. It is mattifying, so I add a tinted sunscreen over to top to make my skin more glowy during the day."

Shinkai Electrolyte Drench 3-in-1 Deep Hydrating Gel Cream

Oily skin peeps get wrinkles, too. While some moisturizers made for mature skin can feel heavy and overly rich, that's not the case with this gel cream, which packs peptides alongside mineral-rich seawater to hydrate skin without feeling occlusive.

• Key Ingredients: Kombucha essence, chlorella extract, wakame

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "This is my second jar of this - I live in Dubai so a light gel cream is perfect for warmer temperatures. Love the scent of this, and goes on so nicely"

Mattifying Moisturizer

IYKYK: Embryolisse is a fave among makeup artists, since its OG moisturizer is a must-have for soft, dewy skin on set and backstage. So they know their stuff, which explains why this moisturizer is so great. It hydrates with glycerin while brightening with turmeric extract. It also uses a suuuper-fine powder to absorb oil throughout the day, giving skin a soft-focus finish.

• Key Ingredients: Turmeric extract, glycerin

• Fragrance-free? No

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "This is a really nice facial moisturizer. It smells nice and goes on very light, perfect for daytime use. It does have a mattifying effect, which I appreciate since my t-zone can look oily. Feels really hydrating for being so light. Works well under makeup. The tube is a good size. There is a safety seal on the tube, so no worries there. I'm really enjoying using this product and would order it again."

Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer

There's not much not to love about this moisturizer, which sinks into my skin in a snap but leaves it hydrated for hours (and hours, and hours). I love that it's noncomedogenic and therefore won't clog my pores, and it has a combo of niacinamide, glycerin, and ceramides to protect my skin barrier. Bonus: The size is perfect for traveling, and the sensitive skin-friendly formulation keeps my skin balanced whenever, wherever.

• Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "I won't use anything else since I got this for the first time. It's reasonably priced and makes my skin smooth while getting rid of acne."

Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream

If you too consider Dr. Jart+'s Ceramidin line to be way too nourishing for oily skin, you're def not alone. That's why I was floored when I tested this out on a trip and fell in ~love~. The formula sank in incredibly fast and didn't trigger a breakout. And the moisture—courtesy of five ceramides, as well as panthenol—was a life-saver, keeping my skin soft and comfy through a cold snap.

• Key Ingredients: Ceramides, panthenol, glycerin

• Fragrance-free? No

• Oil-free? No

Glowing customer review: "The best!! I’ve tried many different moisturizers and this one is my favorite. I have very sensitive skin and it leaves my skin feeling hydrated, protected and smooth."

Ulta Light Moisturizer

Okay, okay, most moisturizers for oily skin have to be lightweight—them's the rule. But this one goes above and beyond, feeling more like an emulsion than a lotion, tbh. I love it for daytime for that reason, since it layers nicely beneath my SPF, and I appreciate that it has the brand's proprietary TriHex technology that kickstarts new collagen and elastin production, which is kind of a big deal now that I'm in my 30s.

• Key Ingredients: Ceramides, peptides, silver mushroom

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "I have very sensitive skin and this moisturizer is wonderful. It doesn’t irritate my skin and it’s not too heavy. It makes my skin feel hydrated and it has a plumping effect for all those lines and wrinkles. I will always repurchase this product."

Moisture Surge Broad Spectrum SPF 28 transparent Hydrator Moisturizer

As light and cushiony as it gets, this moisturizer feels like nada on skin, but delivers long-lasting hydration with a combo of fermented aloe and hyaluronic acid. (It also has provitamin D, a pretty powerful antioxidant.) And because it's a chemical sunscreen, it won't leave a chalky cast on deeper skin tones.

• Key Ingredients: Biofermented aloe, hyaluronic acid, vitamin D

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? Yes

Glowing customer review: "This is a nice moisturizer, smooth with a lightweight feel. Love that it has SFP protection."

Vinopure Oil Control Moisturizer

Caudalíe is known for its grape-derived antioxidants, so we lo-o-ove that you get a ton of those protective polyphenols in this moisturizer, too. At the same time, the noncomedogenic formula uses olive-based squalane to hydrate skin while actively mattifying and reducing the look of pores. Plus, it basically doubles as a smoothing primer for makeup.

• Key Ingredients: Squalane, grape fruit water, grape juice

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? No

Glowing customer review: "What I can I say?! This stuff is holy grail. Wow clean healthy ingredients. Non irritating. Doesn't clog pores. Calms skin a bit. But most importantly, it actually mattifies the skin and controls oil! Like for real. Never had another product do this so well, that didnt cause more skin issues. And I have sensitive oily skin, with acne, large pores, the works. This moisturizer is the one. I would never pay 50 bucks for anything so repetitively except this. lol. only downside is the cost."

Dew Point Moisturizing Gel-Cream

Not only is the jelly-like feel of this formula flat-out fun, but it also feels really refreshing—like a splash of cold water on your face. It pairs hyaluronic acid and aloe leaf juice (the usual suspects!) but what sold us was the green tea, which has anti-inflammatory properties and rich in antioxidants. We also love that it's free of silicones, so it won't leave your skin with a slick feel.

• Key Ingredients: Green tea leaf extract, aloe vera, sodium hyaluronate

• Fragrance-free? Yes

• Oil-free? No

Glowing customer review: "Love how light it is and how it hydrates without making me break out. Unscented and pleasant. Wonderful summer moisturizer and also use it as my morning moisturizer in the winter. It's like a fresh glass of water for a thirsty skin! Love love love the jumbo sized option and so glad it's back!"

What causes oily skin?

Blame your parents. A combo of genetics, hormones, and even your age can contribute to oily skin. But the time of year can also play a factor, with research finding that skin gets more oily in hot, humid weather.

Does oily skin need moisturizer?

People who struggle with oily skin tend to have dehydrated skin, meaning their skin lacks water (versus oil), board-certified dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla, MD previously told Cosmopolitan. And dehydrated skin is thought to produce extra oil to compensate for this lack of hydration.

Plus, it's not like oil simply protects your skin barrier from all the aggressors out there, especially if you're using retinoids for acne, exfoliants like salicylic acid, or just too many harsh products. A good moisturizer with barrier-friendly ingredients like ceramides and squalane can go a long way in keeping things comfortable and balanced.

How to choose the best moisturizer for oily skin:

Keep track of your actives

You can look for active ingredients that have a mattifying effect, like salicylic acid. Bonus: These can also help fight acne, if you have trouble with breakouts. However, “you can still overdo it with harsh products, which can trigger inflammation and breakouts,” Atlanta, GA-based board-certified dermatologist Tiffany Clay, MD, previously told Cosmo.

Consider the texture

Nothing feels worse than a rich, heavy cream on top of already oily skin—which is why a gel or gel-cream formulation is ideal when you've got a ton of grease. That said, some creams and lotions have a lightweight texture and do sink in quickly.

Meet the experts:

• Kavita Mariwalla, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY. Her areas of study include cosmetic injectables and laser technology.
  

• Tiffany Clay, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Clay's interests include treating skin of color, skin cancer prevention and awareness, and cosmetic injectables.

Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?

Deanna Pai is the interim deputy beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with more than 12 years of experience covering skincare, makeup, and beyond. She’s an authority in all skincare categories, but is an expert when it comes to oily skin (personal *and* professional experience, womp). When she's not testing skincare formulas, she's chatting up top dermatologists to learn about everything new and innovative.

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