Which brand is best for oily skin care?

Shine-reducers and acne-busters.

Photo: Felicity Ingram; Wardrobe: Ronald Burton; Hair: Jerome Cultrera at L’Atelier; Makeup: Porsche Cooper; Manicure: Yukie Miyakawa at Walter Schupfer

People with annoyingly oily and acne-prone skin know: the skin-care products you choose are crucial for preventing and treating breakouts in all their many forms, whether they’re showing up between your shoulder blades or along your T-zone. For this year’s Healthy Beauty Awards, we asked a range of testers, many with oily and acne-prone skin themselves, to evaluate the best new creams, cleansers, scrubs, and even beauty devices for oily skin types (including a tiny red-light pen from Dr. Dennis Gross and a remake of Origins’ best-selling night cream).

To guide us in our selection process, a panel of dermatologist experts singled out a few beneficial ingredients for oily skin types, including exfoliants like alpha hydroxy acids and salicylic acid, and recommended looking for non-comedogenic (or non-pore-clogging) formulas. Each of our winning products contains some sort of skin soother or acne-fighting ingredient like the above, and has received gold stars from our diligent testers. Here, we present the best skin-care products for oily skin types, which will help you keep breakouts to a minimum. And if you want to learn more about skin-care for oily or acne-prone skin, read our brand new comprehensive guide to skin care here.

All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Reviews have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

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  Curology/Morgan Johnson

  Best Moisturizer for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Curology The Moisturizer

  Curology is one of the buzziest new skincare subscriptions that helps you get customized, prescription-strength skin care without even stepping into a derm’s office. The startup recently released a moisturizer that’s non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, and suitable for all skin types. Our testers were impressed with how lightweight, no-frills, and effective it was, with one of them, below, calling it “THE moisturizer.” See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This moisturizer is non-comedogenic and oil-free, which our derms suggested you look for.

  One Tester Said: “It's a little bold to call something THE Moisturizer, but I'm a fan. The texture is light, like a primer, but it definitely feels moisturizing. No discernible scent. For a simple, basic, fuss-free moisturizer, I can't find fault with it. May become my go-to to layer over other products with multiple actives."

  Buy It: $60 for a two-month supply of the full Curology set (including the moisturizer), curology.com

• The Inkey List/Morgan Johnson

  Best Cleanser for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Cleanser

  If you’re not a fan of cleansers that physically scrub your skin with beads or rice bran, we’d recommend this new salicylic acid cleanser from affordable beauty brand The Inkey List (everything is under $15). It chemically exfoliates to deep-clean pores, but never feels too harsh or drying. It contains allantoin—a common skin soother—to prevent skin from looking red and irritated post-cleanse. See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This product contains a beta hydroxy acid, salicylic acid, which our derms recommended you look for in your products for oily- and acne-prone skin.

  One Tester Said: “This cleanser is so good! I do suffer with hormonal acne and I felt that my skin looked so much clearer even after just a few washes with this product. Even though it is a BHA (beta-hydroxy acid), I didn't feel like it was too harsh on my skin and would feel comfortable using it daily. It lathers instead of foams and it didn't dry out my skin at all. I do have skin that is both sensitive and acne-prone and it hasn't caused a negative reaction. In fact, I used it after a long-haul flight—my skin felt clean and I didn't break out!”

  Buy It: $10, sephora.com

• Sailor by Captain Blankenship/Morgan Johnson

  Best Serum for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Sailor by Captain Blankenship X Marks the Spot Serum

  This Captain Blankenship serum has a lot of things you might recognize in a good toner, like witch hazel and white willow bark extract (these are great for reducing inflammation and preventing blemishes). As a bonus, it also contains a range of essential oils to keep your skin hydrated, and our testers loved that you can use its rollerball tip as a spot treatment. See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This serum contains willow bark extract, which is a natural source of salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a BHA, which our dermatologist experts noted as a good ingredient to have in a serum if you've got oily- or acne-prone skin.

  One Tester Said: “I've been using this as a spot treatment on trouble areas, and have seen a reduction in redness after a couple hours of application. It's nice having a spot treatment that can be worn all day and not a pasty-white night cream situation that means you're spending all night in your apartment. I also love that this product isn't super drying—I'm guessing this is thanks to the aloe vera base. This one is definitely worth keeping in my arsenal.”

  Buy It: $15, captainblankenship.com

• This Works/Morgan Johnson

  Best Toner for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: This Works Morning Expert Multi Acid Pads

  Regular toner can use up a bunch of cotton rounds in a single week, which is where these all-in-one exfoliating pads from This Works (which are soaked in pore-friendly ingredients like niacinamide, azelaic acid, witch hazel, and aloe) come in. They were a hit among our testers for just how travel-friendly and convenient they are, plus how well they perk up skin without stripping it of moisture. See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This toner comes with alpha hydroxy acids, which our derms noted are good ingredients to include. They also said to look for brightening ingredients, and there's some evidence that niacinamide might be useful in that regard (you can learn more about it here, if you're curious).

  One Tester Said: “I loved these. I'm always worried about putting on too much product whenever I'm freehanding products, but I found these pads had just the right amount of toner. I tossed a few in my backpack to bring with me on-the-go and loved these. I even slipped one in my coat pocket as a pick me up during a long road trip to Philadelphia.”

  Buy It: $50, ulta.com

• Yes To/Morgan Johnson

  Best Mask for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Yes To Tomatoes White Charcoal Spot Mud Mask

  Charcoal and mud masks can get messy if they come in a jar, which is why our testers loved the sponge-tip on this Yes to Tomatoes charcoal mud mask for spot treatments. It contains acne-busting salicylic acid and calming witch hazel, which our testers said helped shrink the size of their pimples and made red spots look less angry. The charcoal and kaolin clay base also help to absorb excess oil and suck up any dirt lodged in your pores. See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: The dermatologists recommended looking for a product with acne-fighting salicylic acid, and this mask delivers.

  One Tester Said: “From now on, I'm only using masks that come in mess-free applicators like this one. It removed all the mess from clay masks and made spot-treatment a cinch. I used this on four or five problem spots for approximately five minutes as directed, and by morning my spots did appear less red and raised. I love that it's a spot treatment for acne-prone skin that’s made with clay. Sometimes a clay mask can be too drying and feel counterproductive to combating acne—but not with this product.”

  Buy It: $13, ulta.com

• Origins/Morgan Johnson

  Best Night Cream for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Origins High-Potency Night-a-Mins Resurfacing Cream

  The original Night-a-Mins night cream was such a hit that the brand re-released it recently with alpha hydroxy acids in the mix. Like any good nighttime product, it uses these exfoliants to combat wrinkles and acne while you sleep, but also adds in a range of other good stuff like squalane, antioxidants, and hyaluronic acid to help you wake up with plump, dewy skin. See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This product is oil-free, which is what our derms suggest you look for.

  One Tester Said: “This night cream is filled with fruit-based AHAs, and it's evident by the sweet-smelling fragrance. The cream sunk into my skin quickly and felt calming. I'm currently using prescription Retin-A to combat acne, and I used this product to sweep away dead skin cells on a night I was skipping my Retin-A. Highly recommend it for that reason: I woke up with clean, calm, and refreshed skin. I would definitely incorporate this now into my regular routine.”

  Buy It: $46, ulta.com

• Paula's Choice/Morgan Johnson

  Best Spot Treatment for Acne: Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

  Azelaic acid, as we’ve noted before, is a wonder ingredient for acne, rosacea, and pigmentation issues. This Paula’s Choice “booster” product uses a 10 percent concentration of it, plus some additional salicylic acid for clearing skin, but goes on like a lightweight, creamy serum. Testers reported clearer, smoother skin after using this serum, without any residual burning, which is a win-win in our book. See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This product contains salicylic acid, which our derms suggested you look for.

  One Tester Said: “Love the texture of this one, it's creamy and sinks in so easily. My face started to feel soft and smooth within a few days, and I love that it can be applied alone or mixed in with a cream. I would honestly use this as a serum all over as well as a spot treatment.”

  Buy It: $36, paulaschoice.com

• Recess/Morgan Johnson

  Best Wipes for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Recess Bacteria Fighting Wipes

  Wipes in all forms are helpful for cleaning and refreshing on the go, but often come in bulk packages that are sealed with a sticker. Recess’s antibacterial wipes come individually packaged, so they’re great for bringing to the gym or on vacation, without having to worry about your pack accidentally drying out if the sticker comes unsealed. They’re also biodegradable, which appealed to our testers, and hydrating (thanks to the glycerin in them). See the full ingredient list here.

  One Tester Said: “I sweat an extraordinary amount, so these wipes immediately appealed to me. Each one comes in its own small package (slightly larger than a condom), which makes them easy to bring with you and keep on hand anywhere, anytime. I used them on my body, with excellent results. They did a great job of wiping away sweat, without leaving a sticky residue on skin. The light, fresh scent quickly dissipates—a big plus for me, because I hate walking around smelling like deodorant all day. I worry about the amount of waste generated by the individual packaging, but at least the wipes are biodegradable and compostable.”

  Buy It: $28, amazon.com

• Dr. Dennis Gross/Morgan Johnson

  Best At-Home Device for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Spotlite Acne Treatment Device Stick Anti-Acne LED

  At-home LED light treatments are becoming more and more popular, and typically use either red or blue light to target acne and reduce inflammation (they’re essentially weaker versions of ones you can get in a dermatologist’s office). This new red-light device from Dr. Dennis Gross is like a palm-size pen that you can focus directly on blemishes to decrease the size of them over time. Our testers were skeptical, but found that the Spotlite actually worked on downsizing angry red zits: huzzah. Read more about this product here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: Products with LED lights are the only type of at-home/DIY skin-care device our dermatologist experts were comfortable with you using.

  One Tester Said: “I was a little skeptical of a machine for my zit. I've always used some kind of cream or face wash but was excited to see how it would work. Surprisingly, it actually worked! I could definitely see a difference in the size of my zit after 2 uses. However, the one thing I didn't like was that you had to hold it on your face for 3 minutes. I didn't realize how tired my arm would be while holding it to my face."

  Buy It: $52, sephora.com

• Esker/Morgan Johnson

  Best Body Wash for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Esker Clarifying Body Wash

  If you regularly get bad cases of bacne, you know that an acne-specific body wash can go the extra mile for keeping breakouts to a minimum. This clarifying body wash from botanical brand Esker does just that, with soothing aloe in it to calm down inflammation, and an assortment of gentle, clarifying oils to hydrate and cleanse without irritating skin. See the full ingredient list here.

  One Tester Said: “This body wash lathers up nicely and I was surprised to enjoy the scent—the floral isn't overpowering, and it's actually a bit refreshing. The soap works up to a nice lather (I've used it both with a loofah and with just my hands) and I definitely felt fresh and clean after each use, but never like my skin was drying out. Which, to me, is what a good body wash should do.”

  Buy It: $28, anthropologie.com

• Level/Morgan Johnson

  Best Body Scrub for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Level Naturals Vanilla + Charcoal Body Polish

  Charcoal was another ingredient that derms recommended for cleansing acne-prone skin of dirt and oil, and it’s included in this sugar scrub that gently sloughs off dead skin and dirt. Our testers raved about the vanilla scent, though they advised using just a little bit at a time for the best results. See the full ingredient list here.

  Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This product contains charcoal and sugar, both of which our derms recommended you look for in a body scrub when you have oily and acne-prone skin.

  Just So You Know: This product contains coconut oil, which our derms suggested you might want to avoid.

  One Tester Said: “I really loved the scent of this body polish. Although the polish can be a little hard and tends to clump together, it lathered very well without completely disintegrating. Once I’d completely washed the scrub away, there was a bit of an oily film left in its place, which I’d assumed was just a natural result of the oils in the scrub.”

  Buy It: $13, levelnaturals.com

Lori Keong is a writer and former editor at SELF. Previously, she's worked for The Strategist, Marie Claire, and The Cut, reporting on fashion, beauty, and wellness.

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.