25 Best Moisturizers for Oily Skin: Oil-Control Face Creams

This was one of the first moisturizing gels to gain popularity, and it’s still one of the best moisturizers for oily skin. Since it’s a gel, it’s extremely lightweight, so it manages to hydrate the skin without leaving any residue – just a soft, matte look. It contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin for the all-important moisture, and a wide range of antioxidant plant extracts that soothe the skin and prevent premature aging. Get it at Nordstrom! 

Just because you have oily skin doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy luxurious skincare! This stunning moisturizer from Tatcha is filled with water for a light texture that hydrates completely. It also includes microbiome-fortifying ferments and soothing natural extracts that leave the skin looking clear and bright. Despite the nourishing ingredients, it still leaves the skin looking demi-matte, thanks to dimethicone that offers some oil-control. Buy it from Sephora!

We love most products from this Korean beauty brand, and this emulsion is no different. It’s a great choice if your skin is not just oily but also acne-prone. The texture is very liquid-y, so it’s almost like an essence, but it still manages to lock some moisture into the skin.

If your skin is severely oily, it’s a fantastic choice, but if you’re more combination-oily it might be too light. It’s made with acne-fighting BHA in its gentle form as betaine salicylate, antimicrobial tea tree oil, and centella asiatica, which reduces redness and calms active breakouts. Order it from Revolve!

Products for oily skin often overlook wrinkle prevention. Everyone’s skin ages, and almost no one wants fine lines or wrinkles, including those with oily skin. This moisturizer, however, breaks that trend. It’s light and non-greasy, and it contains a ton of peptides that help smooth the skin and maybe even give a collagen boost. As a bonus, it’s gentle and fragrance-free, so it’s a safe choice for sensitive skin. Shop for it at Sephora!

Vitamin C is the star ingredient in this incredible gel moisturizer. Since it’s a gel, it’s awesome even for severe oiliness. It features a blend of pure vitamin C and its derivatives, and it’s gentle enough for daily use. The range of benefits vitamin C offers is many: it promotes collagen production to reduce fine lines, it brightens the skin and combats hyperpigmentation, and it has a soothing effect that can help with active acne. This is a powerful moisturizer that we can’t recommend enough! Purchase it from Sephora!

This gentle product bridges the gap between moisturizer and primer, thanks to the fantastic smoothing and mattifying effect. This formula is rich in dimethicone, which gives amazing oil-control, but it still hydrates the skin well. It features acne-fighting ingredients like LHA and BHA, as a bonus. It’s sold online via Amazon.

If you’re not aware of our love affair with niacinamide, which is one of the key ingredients in this formula, pay attention. It’s the gentlest skincare ingredient we’ve ever seen effectively reducing oil production in the skin, and as a bonus, it also has anti-aging, brightening, and anti-acne effects.

It is not the only ingredient in this light, moisturizing cream that deserves attention since there are plenty of skin-soothers and antioxidants, as well. Oh, and it’s fragrance-free, so it’s a safe choice for sensitive skin. Find it on Amazon!

If you’re the kind of person who wants their skincare to be fun, try this moisturizer for oily skin. Made by a K-beauty-inspired brand, this gel moisturizer looks and smells really pretty, and it also has a really nice balance of effects. It contains a range of plant proteins that hydrate and fortify the skin, so it’s extremely moisturizing despite being so light. It contains some soothing ingredients as well and is quite mild, so it’ll work with any skincare routine. Find it at Sephora!

As the name implies, this moisturizer is made specifically to fit those days when the last thing you want is a product that you can feel on your skin. It’s just as good for oily skin as it is for active, sweaty days. It’s super hydrating thanks to a gentle version of lactic acid and lots of different glycols. It’s a little heavy on plant extracts that have some potential to irritate, although if you do well with fragrances, then it’ll probably be fine. Pick it up at Ulta!

This moisturizer for oily skin combines a ton of energizing fruit extracts with ingredients like niacinamide and betaine to refresh and hydrate oily skin. It’s a lovely formula that is loaded with natural ingredients and contains no silicones, but that does mean that it can feel a little sticky on the skin. It might be a better choice for the night. Shop for it at Sephora!

This is a light and lovely moisturizer with some strong barrier-restoring ingredients, so we’d recommend it if you’re using any drying products on your skin. The main ingredient is squalane, which acts as an oil but is still quite helpful for oily skin. It helps to fortify and protect the skin but is considered non-comedogenic. It also includes some probiotics for added moisture. Grab it from Sephora!

Sometimes, the best route to take when you have oily skin is to limit how many products you use in the daytime. Using both a moisturizer and a sunscreen can simply feel too heavy, so two-in-one moisturizers with SPF can be the perfect solution. We really love this gel-based option because it combines hydration with primer-like mattification, and it has a 50 SPF, which gives thorough protection. You can buy it at Nordstrom.

Can’t get enough of hyaluronic acid? This moisturizer includes a complex of 30% HA along with many other moisture-binders, making for an extremely hydrating formula. This is another one of the best face creams for oily skin that is in some way compromised, either due to over-exfoliation or harsh medication because it includes different ceramides that aid in barrier repair. It’s available at Nordstrom.

When it comes to serious effects, this is one of our favorite face creams for oily skin. It’s an exfoliating moisturizer with a significant percentage of glycolic acid, so it gives all of the benefits of regular chemical exfoliation: smoother skin, smaller-looking pores, fewer breakouts, and overall increased skin brightness.

At the same time, it hydrates and moisturizes the skin. However, because of the acid, it’s slightly more likely to irritate the skin than other options on the list, so don’t use it every day if you’re not used to chemical exfoliation. Purchase it from Amazon!

This is our second Farmacy moisturizer recommendation, but it’s intended specifically for the daytime. It’s a moisturizer and sunscreen combination made with mineral sunscreens, so it’s less likely to irritate the skin. The formula has a natural, non-greasy finish, and it includes extracts and ferments to add a bit of moisture to the skin. Get it at Sephora!

This was one of the first Korean gel creams to get a lot of attention in the West, and for a good reason. It’s a fantastic moisturizer for oily skin, with just the right texture to hydrate and occlude, while making the skin feel velvety soft and non-greasy. The formula includes a lot of natural extracts loaded with beneficial nutrients, like lady’s mantle and nettle. It also includes some natural fragrances that may not work for everyone. It’s available at Sephora.

There are a lot of gel-creams on our list, which is not surprising since it’s a great texture for oily skin. What makes this one special is that it comes in a pump bottle rather than the ubiquitous jar. This makes it very convenient and more sanitary. The formula, as with all Tula products, is based on probiotics that strengthen and hydrate the skin, but it also includes some fantastic plant extracts that have soothing effects on the skin. You can get it at Nordstrom.

This oil-free moisturizer is a little different than the others on this list. It’s a cream with a thin and runny texture, and it’s made with some unique non-silicone emollients that feel silky and smooth without totally sealing the skin. It leaves the skin feeling firm and matte, but still nourished.

There are a ton of moisture-binding ingredients included like xylitol, but none of the traditional ones like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, meaning that it’s a good option if you don’t respond well to most moisturizers. Don’t be fooled by the packaging – it seems like a jar, but it’s actually an air-tight pump. You can pick it up at Nordstrom.

If you just need light protection throughout the day, this is a day cream with a 20 SPF and the perfect light, demi-matte texture. It’s made with men in mind, but it’s awesome for just about anyone since it contains hydrating hyaluronic acid, soothing edelweiss extract, and anti-aging retinyl palmitate. It comes in a pump bottle, which is how we prefer our products to be packaged. Shop for it at Sephora!

If you’re on a budget, this is a great face moisturizer for oily skin to consider. It has a gel texture that we think was directly inspired by Korean products, but it comes at an affordable price and with a very short ingredient list that’s free of probiotics or ferments, which can be troublesome for some. It’s hydrating and light, although we do wish it was made without the fragrance. It’s sold at Amazon.

If your skin can’t get enough tea tree oil, this is THE moisturizer to buy. The antimicrobial ingredient is a natural acne-fighter, and it’s used here both as an essential oil and an extract. The formula itself is a light lotion that sinks into the skin quickly and moisturizes with a dose of glycerin. It also includes oil-controlling niacinamide and a soothing green tea and chamomile blend. Order it from Sephora!

This is another one of those face creams for oily skin that don’t compromise on the pleasure of skincare. It’s your typical silicone-based gel cream, which we love for offering thorough moisture without any sheen. What makes it special is the rose water that replaces regular water. Rose water is extra hydrating, and it has an incredible smell that can really uplift the mood. Buy it at Ulta!

This lovely, light cream is a promising mattifying moisturizer for oily skin. It’s not super hydrating, but it does offer a bit of moisturization. More importantly, it’s silicone-free and yet still able to mattify the skin, so it can be awesome under makeup, especially for those who are avoiding silicones. Grab it from Sephora!

If you’ve got the budget, SkinCeuticals products are always a safe choice that guarantees results. This moisturizer combines staple hydrators like glycerin and algae extract with skin-firming witch hazel, making for a moisturizer that can have a temporary pore-minimizing effect. It also features a ton of antioxidant-rich extracts and retinyl palmitate that give an anti-aging touch. It’s available at Dermstore.

After having a bad reputation for many years, Proactiv really turned things around, and we’re always surprised by just how much we like what they have to offer. This moisturizer is particularly well suited for oily and acne-prone skin, as well as for targeting hyperpigmentation. It has a hydrating gel-cream texture and features our favorite active ingredients, including kojic acid, salicylic acid, and licorice root extract. Find it at Sephora!