It’s about not only managing oily skin, but also about brilliance and conflict breakouts, but also about balance. While it’s appealing to bare your skin with a harsh cleanser or push yourself too hard with exfoliating, dermatologists say approaches often do more harm than good. The best skin care routine for oily skin includes the right mix of ingredients and active ingredients that support skin barriers, reduce excess oil production without causing irritation.
“Oil-based skin can be due to a variety of reasons,” explains Rachel Nazarian, MD, MD, citing genetics, stress levels, drugs, humidity and weather conditions, local skin care regimens, and hormonal variation, as the most common. “Most people with long-term untreated oily skin will notice a small skin color growth that gradually expands in their pores and often refers to the sebum hypermorphism, which represents an enlarged oil gland of overactiveness.”
To help break down the right oily skin routine from morning to night, we spoke to two top dermatologists. That’s exactly what they recommend.
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Rachel Nazarian, Maryland, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York.
Step 1: Start with a gentle cleanser
One of the most common myths about oily skin is the need to actively cleanse it. “The biggest mistake people with oily skin have made is cleaning,” says Dr. Nazarian. “You need to use a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser to remove surface oils and bacteria, but there is no aggressive skin cleansing,” she says. “A strict cleansing product makes it much more difficult to tolerate the rest of the regimen.”
Dr. Janet Allenby, a dermatologist at Delray Beach, Florida, agreed, adding that oily skin types often want “squeaky and clean” emotions, but can cause problems if they work hard. “The cleanser should be a little mild. You don’t want to throw away the pH of the skin too aggressively, so the irritation begins to occur,” she says.
Instead of reaching for something overly dry, both experts recommend choosing a calm formula that doesn’t have any scent or sulfate. “It’s gentle and can cleanse surface oils, but look for cleansers without peeling or irritating the skin in the process,” says Dr. Nazarian. “Strong isn’t good. I’ll stick to the basics.”
Step 2: Skip the scrub
Exfoliating can make you feel satisfied, but it is not a necessary step for a balanced, oily skin routine, especially when the skin is smooth. In fact, it can often be more harmful than good. “Detaching surface skin cells does not have a major impact on oil production,” says Dr. Nazarian. “You can’t wash your way to reduce oil production! This is one step that oily skin can skip.”
If you want to streamline your routine or eliminate steps that aren’t putting weight down, this is something you should consider dropping.
Step 3: Add oil adjustment active
Once your skin is clean and calm, you can start layering ingredients that actually make a difference when it comes to oil regulations. According to Dr. Nazarian, it’s not about scrubs or stripping, but it’s about the ingredients on vacation that help the skin function in the long term.
“It’s best to look for ingredients that downregulate oil production, shrink oil glands, absorb oil, and give the skin a matte look,” she says. “Some of the best ingredients are sulfur, retinoids and salicylic acid.”
Dr. Allenby adds that these ingredients are usually well tolerated by oily skin types. “People with oily skin tend to withstand retinol and antioxidants, which helps skin health,” she says.
Step 4: Do not skip the moisturizer
It’s easy to assume that oily skin doesn’t need any more moisture, but skipping hydration can make things worse. If your skin is not hydrated, it may produce more oils to compensate. Therefore, both dermatologists recommend incorporating lightweight hydrators every day.
“Water-based products are the best,” says Dr. Allenby. “Skin care routines for people with oily skin are logically optimal without the oils and more greasy components you might find in ointments and creams. The product should generally be water-based serum and cream.”
Dr. Nazarian emphasizes the importance of barrier support. “Contents like hyaluronic acid and ceramide are great because they ensure that the skin is hydrated and balanced, and can also withstand many other aspects of the anti-petroleum regimen where the skin is usually very irritating.”
The key is to choose an oil-free, non-comedogenic moisturizer that provides hydration without weight.
Step 5: Incorporate retinoids
If you have one oily skin, it’s a retinoid. Even if you are considering minimizing breakouts or reducing glow, retinoids can help balance oil production and improve overall skin texture over time.
“For people with oily skin, retinols or retinoids can also be extremely helpful,” says Dr. Nazarian. “You can certainly tackle other parts of the regimen, but finding a gentle, moisturized retinol is a great place to start for most people. I recommend that people apply it with a moisturizer to ensure tolerability.”
Step 6: Always wear sunscreen
The final step in your oily skin routine is sunscreen. Many oily or acne-prone skin types avoid SPF due to fears that they clog pores or create a skin gloss, but with the right formula it doesn’t have to be.
“They make water-based products, so people with oily skin definitely need to use hydrators like topical hyaluronic acid or sunscreen,” says Dr. Allenby. “This is to keep your skin barriers healthy and intact.”
Look for non-comengen-type, oil-free formulas that offer a wide range of protection and matte finishes.
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