Dear Friends, in 1905 a small village in western France, La Roche-Posay, between Tours and Poitiers, inaugurated its first thermal center. The French Academy of Medicine had already recognized the spring as being of public utility in 1869, so by then the village had a reputation to live up to. It is a good place to open a letter about oily skin, because the story is a calm, clinical one.

 

Here is the lesson I take from it for the best skincare for oily skin: oil is not the enemy, and harshness is. The AAD says a face wash that is too harsh can irritate your skin and trigger increased oil production, and that oily skin still needs moisturizer (yes, really). So the routine is mostly restraint: a gentle foaming wash, an exfoliant used with care, a light gel cream, a mask now and then, and a sunscreen that does not shine. I have gathered modern options for each step, one set at a time. I went deeper on a related idea in Best Skincare for Oily Skin: A Short Routine, One Active. I went deeper on a related idea in Caudalie Skincare: Serums, Cleansers, Sunscreen and Creams.

 

We begin at the sink. Picture her at 7am, hair clipped back, reaching for something that foams and rinses clean. The Effaclar foaming gel from La Roche-Posay is the closest link to our village: it is oil-free, soap-free and non-comedogenic, with zinc pidolate to help remove excess oil. The Ordinary's Glucoside cleanser is made for oily skin and is meant to keep the moisture barrier intact. Paula's Choice CLEAR is the one I would pick for a breakout-prone face, since it removes oil and makeup without drying or redness. For something softer in feel, Tatcha's matcha gel turns into a fine foam, and CeraVe's blue pump bottle adds hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.

 

Two more: LANEIGE's rice foaming gel has glycolic acid, and Murad's gel pairs two types of salicylic acid. A practical test: after you rinse, your skin should feel clean but not tight. If it squeaks, move down a step in strength.

Brands tend to have an origin story, and Paula's Choice has a good one: founder Paula Begoun was fired from a cosmetics counter job for telling clients the truth about what products could and could not do for skin. She began as a consumer with acne and eczema, hunting for products that would not make things worse. Her brand later launched the 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, one of the industry's first leave-on exfoliants, and the 2% BHA toner here, with green tea in the mix, comes from the same brand.

 

The AAD notes that salicylic acid, glycolic acid and lactic acid can help reduce oiliness, though they may be too harsh for some skin. That is the whole lesson in one line: use acids, but gently. The same 2% BHA comes as pre-soaked pads, which suit a rushed morning. The Ordinary's salicylic acid serum is water-based in a clear dropper bottle, and Medik8's Press & Clear is a gentle 2 percent BHA toner aimed at blackheads and congestion. Bioré's Hydra Serum is a 4-in-1 with 2% BHA, which is the easy one if you dislike layering. If you want to keep going, BYOMA Milky Toner Explained: The Barrier Line, Creams And Gentle Cleansers is the one I would read next.

 

For a weekly reset, Drunk Elephant's Sukari Babyfacial mixes 25% AHA with 2% BHA, Dr. Dennis Gross has dermatologist-formulated peel pads, and Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate adds enzymes and a physical polish. Test any new acid on one cheek for a few evenings before you commit.

 

What I would skip: stacking three of these in one night. One acid at a time is plenty.

Erno Laszlo is the name to know here. He was a dermatologist who opened his first institute in Budapest in 1927 with his brother, and he told people, "If you do nothing else, wash your face." The Mattifying Gel Moisturizer in its white jar with a black marble lid is a water-based gel with squalane, made for oily and combination skin. (Yes, squalane in an oily-skin gel is a nice surprise.)

 

Look for the words the AAD recommends: oil free and noncomedogenic. Paula's Choice CLEAR Oil-Free is a weightless gel cream in a pump that hydrates without clogging pores. Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel is an oil-free pump bottle for combination and oily skin. Estée Lauder's DayWear Matte is an ultralight jar with MoistureMatte technology to control oil and shine, and CeraVe's Oil Control Face Gel Cream uses silica and other powders to absorb excess oil.

 

For something that feels fresh, Tatcha's Water Cream is refillable and aims to reduce oil over time, Neutrogena's Hydro Boost is a blue jelly-like water gel for normal to oily skin, and Glow Recipe's watermelon one is an oil-free water gel with hyaluronic acid. Press a dab on the back of your hand: it should sink in within a minute and leave no sheen.

 

What I would skip: a rich cream just because the label says hydrating. Oily skin wants water, not more oil.

Oily skin has an upside that the AAD points out: oil helps preserve the skin, and people with oily skin tend to have thicker skin and fewer wrinkles. So the goal of a mask is tidying, not stripping. Think of it as a Sunday reset after a week of makeup and city air.

 

Kiehl's Rare Earth clay mask in a white tube is made to reduce clogged pores and excess oil. fresh's Umbrian clay is a noncomedogenic jar that minimizes the look of pores and shine. Benefit's POREfessional is a creamy kaolin clay, and innisfree's volcanic clay is a wash-off tub that absorbs excess sebum. Origins' charcoal mask is the dark, deep-cleaning one.

 

Two are for specific moods. Dr. Jart+ is a single-use mud-coated sheet mask with PHA, handy for travel bags, and Murad's sulfur and salicylic clay mask is for breakouts. The Ordinary's niacinamide 10% plus zinc 1% serum is not a mask, but it belongs here: the brand's founder, Brandon Truaxe, was a computer programmer who launched The Ordinary in August 2016, and this serum reduces excess oil and improves texture.

 

Rinse with lukewarm water the moment the clay starts to tighten. What I would skip: leaving clay on until it cracks, which is how you end up with an irritated face.

Sunscreen is where oily skin gets stubborn, because the formula that protects can also shine. The AAD says that makeup labeled matte can help reduce shine from oily skin, and the same instinct applies to SPF. Fortunately there are eight good ways in.

 

Supergoop's Unseen Sunscreen is an invisible, weightless, scentless SPF 50 that doubles as a primer, and its Mattescreen is a tinted mineral SPF 40 in Sunrise. ILIA's Sun Serum is a mineral SPF 50 with up to 8 hours of oil control. Ultra Violette's Unblock Screen is a non-acnegenic SPF 50 that controls shine, and make p:rem's UV Defense me. is a lightweight mineral SPF 50 with a soft-matte finish.

 

Shiseido's Urban Environment is an oil-free SPF 40 with hyaluronic acid that doubles as primer. Dermalogica's Porescreen has niacinamide and a hint of tint for blurry pores, and Murad's Superactive is an SPF 50 moisturizer with salicylic acid. Tint matters, so check it on your jaw in daylight before you buy.

 

What I would skip: a thick SPF over a thick cream. Pick one of the gel creams and let the sunscreen sit on top.

The village story I opened with is a calm one, so clean, calm, protect is how I would build the routine, in order. Pick one gentle foaming cleanser, one salicylic acid product for a few nights a week, one oil-free gel cream, and one matte sunscreen for the morning. Masks are the extra.

 

Give it a few weeks before you judge, and change one thing at a time. Oily skin is not a flaw to fix; it is simply a skin that likes to be left a little alone.

 

With love, and soft hands,