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Cleansers are key to maintaining a healthy complexion. Creating a routine and product line-up designed to keep your face clean and clear depends on your skin type. For oily skin, finding a gentle and non-comedogenic product will help keep your skin healthy and fresh. The balancing act is finding a face wash for oily skin that protects, hydrates, and keeps your pores unclogged to prevent breakouts. eye cream
When considering a face wash to purchase for oily skin, look for ones with lighter oils, says Dr. Geeta Yadav, board-certified dermatologist and founder of FACET Dermatology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “You want to find ones that mimic the qualities of your own sebum, like squalane and jojoba,” she says.
“If you are prone to blemishes, you can also use cleansers with ingredients that will help clarify the pores and prevent breakouts, like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide,” says Dr. Yadav.
Those with oily skin should consider foaming and gel formulas to help cut through the oil on their skin and not leave moisture behind like a creamy face wash, Dr. Yadav advises.
Just like anti-aging serums and eye creams, affordability and budget will likely dictate the type of face wash you purchase, so I rounded up a range of options from splurges to steals.
I love CeraVe for its affordability and oily-skin friendly ingredients, like salicylic acid, which smoothes rough skin, and hydrating hyaluronic acid. Because it’s non-comedogenic and fragrance-free, this face wash won’t irritate or clog your pores (super important if your skin is oily). Unlike many face washes, it doesn’t have microbeads so it won’t strip oils you need from your skin.
If you’re looking for a dermatologist-approved cleanser for oily skin at an affordable price, this fragrance-free face wash will make a great addition to your skincare routine.
SkinCeuticals is another dermatologist-recommended brand, and its oily skin face wash is a gel that gently exfoliates dead skin cells without stripping your skin of the natural oils it needs to stay healthy. I love that it includes chamomile, which naturally reduces inflammation and soothes redness, on its list of key ingredients.
This highly-recommended skincare brand’s option for oily skin is chock-full of natural ingredients, like chamomile, to fight inflammation, and this cleanser easily removes dirt, pollutants, and makeup to keep your pores unclogged.
The key word here is “oil-free” because dermatologists recommend you steer clear of added oils in products if you have an oily complexion. Oily skin may also mean blemishes but this face wash is gentle enough to use and it contains salicylic acid, a powerful ingredient to help clarify pores and prevent breakouts, according to Dr. Yadav.
An affordable, dermatologist-recommended acne-fighting cleanser without additional oils.
Read, also: Best Face Washes for Acne Prone Skin, According to Experts
This fragrance-free product is designed to do a deep-dive cleaning on your pores. If you struggle with blackheads caused by clogged pores, Rare Earth will remove excess oil and dirt and reduce the appearance of large pores. Gentle enough to use every day, with all-natural ingredients like aloe and clay, this is a great choice if blackouts and big pores are a burden.
It provides a deep clean from natural products like white clay and aloe to soothe irritated or blemished skin.
If you need a deep clean but have sensitive skin, La Roche-Posay is an affordable option. One of its ingredients, coco-glucoside, removes excess oil while clearing out clogged pores, which can lead to blackheads. Suitable for oily or dry skin, this foaming face wash also provides a layer of moisture.
An affordable (and highly recommended) face wash for acne and oily skin that gets deep dirt out of pores.
Mature skin can be oily, too. DERMA-E gently removes oil without harsh ingredients and it contains Vitamin A to help diminish fine lines and wrinkles. It’s also made from 100% vegan ingredients and is certified cruelty-free.
An affordable and eco-friendly product for mature skin, thanks to ingredients that greatly reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
Osea is known for its all-natural approach to skincare, and this face wash won’t disappoint fans of their other products. Good for oily and blemish-prone skin, it boasts ingredients harvested from the sea, like algae and glacial oceanic clay powder to help unclog pores and detoxify skin, plus glycerin to smooth and hydrate. Shopping tip: Osea also sells skin care tools like gua sha sculptors and a plant-based body brush.
If you can afford the high price tag, this face wash made from all-natural ingredients gives you a deep clean without overdrying your skin.
This lightweight gel cleanser for oily skin removes dirt and oil plus hydrates without leaving your face feeling sticky with residue. It contains peptides—which are known for increasing collagen production plus treating fine lines and wrinkles—and because it’s gentle and fragrance-free, it works well for sensitive skin. Olay also makes a night cream with niacinamide and peptides that is suitable for oily skin.
Extremely affordable, quality face cleanser recommended by dermatologists with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides.
Affordable and easy to use, this skin-balancing cleanser works best on oily skin to remove excess shine, make-up, and impurities. It can be used more than once a day (AM and PM, suggested) to keep your face hydrated without drying it out.
A skin cleanser that is affordable without harsh ingredients suited specifically for oily or combination skin.
This sweet-smelling face wash is a great choice if you are looking for a collagen-based cleanser. Infused with oils like lavender, elderberry, camomile, and eucalyptus, this cleanser calms and cleans your skin while appealing to your sense of smell. Best of all, you can use it twice daily or leave it on longer once a week as a collagen-boosting mask.
A remarkably good smelling facial balm that turns into a hydrating face wash with thousands of five-star reviews.
I selected my top picks with the help of dermatologists who advised me on the types of ingredients you should look for in a face wash if your skin is oily and how to best care for oily skin. I also talked with friends and colleagues, personally tested cleansers, and searched through hundreds of reviews. My “best of” list covers a range of affordable options to treat oily skin.
“One of the easiest ways to tell if you have oily skin is how much shine your skin develops, especially in the t-zone, throughout the day,” explains Dr. Yahav. “If you try blotting your skin with a blotting paper, oily skin will leave behind significant residue while dry skin will leave little to nothing on the paper. Oily skin is also more prone to enlarged pores than dry skin.”
The following ingredients are recommended by dermatologists:
If you have oily skin, avoid ingredients like petroleum or coconut oil which will block your pores. You should also steer clear of jelly-based or wax-based products. Look for face washes in gel form versus creams.
“For oily skin, I do recommend twice daily cleansing, and for that PM cleanse, I typically recommend double cleansing: one cleanser to remove makeup and the next cleanser to remove sebum,“ says Dr. Rachel Reyes-Bergano, medical director of SkinSpirit Pasadena in California.
CeraVe brands offer products that are good for oily skin because they help restore your skin’s barrier but they won’t clog your pores. Finding the best face wash can be a challenge but CeraVe’s lineup makes it easier.
Dr. Yadav recommends that individuals with oily skin avoid products with excess oils and products that may clog their pores. Dr. Reyes-Bergano says thick and creamy cleansers can potentially cause pore congestion and should be avoided if you have oily skin.
Use lukewarm water to rinse your face, then take a small amount of face wash and gently apply it in circular motions to your face. Rinse off with lukewarm water and pat dry.
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