In 1911 in Hamburg, Oscar Troplowitz launched NIVEA Creme, working with the chemist Isaac Lifschutz and the dermatologist Paul Gerson Unna. Beiersdorf describes it as the first stable skin cream made of oil and water, and it rests on an emulsifier called Eucerit, patented in 1900. Getting oil and water to stay together in a jar was, for a long time, a real technical problem. Every gel cream on your shelf is a descendant of it.

That is worth remembering when someone tells you oily skin should skip moisturizer altogether. The American Academy of Dermatology is more measured than the rumor. It says too much moisturizer can clog pores, and suggests you consider skipping it or choosing a gel, which is lighter than other types. It also says to look for labels that read oil-free, non-comedogenic or won't clog pores, and to apply after washing, while skin is still slightly damp. So the useful question is not whether to use one, but which texture. A moisturizer for oily skin is a lightweight, water-heavy formula that adds hydration without adding slip.

The trick is to start with the simplest group, oil-free lotions and gels that stay light. Paula's Choice CLEAR Oil-Free Moisturizer and Shani Darden's Weightless Oil-Free Moisturizer are the two I would give to a friend who is nervous about the whole idea. Sofie Pavitt Face's Skin Jelly is a gel for anyone who likes a cooling feel. The INKEY List's Omega Water Cream adds niacinamide, and Glow Recipe's Watermelon Pink Juice is refillable, which I like on a bathroom shelf. Farmacy's Daily Greens brings moringa and papaya into a gel, COSRX's Birch Sap lotion keeps things quiet, and philosophy's Purity Made Simple is the mattifying option.

Here is how I would choose a gel cream: look at your cheeks and your forehead separately. If the cheeks are dry by afternoon and the forehead shines, you want a formula that gives water first and a little cushion second, which is exactly what a gel cream does.

CeraVe's Oil Control Face Gel Cream is the reference point. The brand says it is fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, with niacinamide, ceramides and hyaluronic acid, plus a matte finish, and that is a clear description of the category. Estée Lauder's DayWear Matte Oil-Control Anti-Oxidant Moisturizer Gel Cream takes the same idea into a morning product for anyone who wears makeup over it. Origins' GinZing Energizing Gel Cream brings in caffeine and niacinamide, so it suits people who want the moisturizer to feel awake.

Versed's Dew Point Gel-Cream and MAKE Beauty's Succulent Skin Gel Cream are the two I would try when the skin is normal-to-oily and you want a soft finish. Dr. Loretta's Barrier Repair Gel Cream and AESTURA's A-CICA365 Soothing Repair Gel Cream are the ones for oily skin that has become sensitive after too many actives, and Lancôme's Hydra Zen Gel Cream leans soothing for a stressed week.

A pairing I like: a gel cream over a plain hydrating serum on clean, damp skin. Both layers stay thin and neither gets in the way of the other.

What I would skip: a gel cream in the middle of a heat wave if you are already layering an SPF. Pick the lighter of the two and let it do the work.

Start with the water gel if you have never worn a moisturizer at all. It is the lightest way to find out how your skin feels when it is hydrated, and it gives you a baseline before you spend months searching for anything richer.

Beauty of Joseon's Red Bean Water Gel is written for oily and sensitive skin, right in the name. LANEIGE's Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer has mint extract in the name, so expect a cooling feel. Dr. Jart+'s Vital Hydra Solution Water Cream with hyaluronic acid has a glow to it, and Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Water Cream Refillable Gel Moisturizer with niacinamide is the bigger-name bottle if you want the routine to look a little more glamorous on the counter.

Kate Somerville's HydraKate Recharging Water Cream and Murad's Nutrient-Charged Lightweight Moisturizing Water Gel are the two I would try when you want hydration and are not fussed about a matte finish. Dermalogica's Calm Water Gel is the quiet option for a reactive face, and Anua's Barrier Reboot Water Gel Cream is for anyone whose oily skin is also easily upset.

A pairing I like: the water gel by day, and something a shade richer only on the dry patches at night. Oily skin is rarely oily everywhere, and one dermatologist quoted by the AAD suggests exactly that: moisturize the dry spots, skip the shiny ones.

What I would skip: a water gel on its own in a cold, dry office. It will feel lovely at nine and feel like nothing by two.

One rule for oily skin and sunscreen: choose the one you will actually wear on a Tuesday. Texture decides that faster than any number on the label, and a moisturizer with SPF that sits comfortably beats a stronger one that ends up in a drawer.

Murad's Superactive Mattifying Oil + Pore Control Moisturizer SPF 50 is the obvious start for shine. ISDIN's Fusion Water Magic SPF 40 is non-comedogenic by its own description, and Fenty Beauty's Hydra Vizor Invisible Face Moisturizer SPF 30 is the invisible one, as the name says. Clinique's Moisture Surge SPF 28 Sheer Hydrator and Peter Thomas Roth's Water Drench SPF 45 Hyaluronic Moisturizer are the two hydrating options here.

Paula's Choice's 5% Vitamin C Sheer Facial Moisturizer SPF 50 adds a bit of brightening. Beauty of Joseon's Dayscreen combines an SPF 30 with green tea and ceramides, and belif's True Cream Aqua Bomb SPF 45 finishes the group as the water-cream take on sunscreen.

A pairing I like: a mattifying SPF in the morning and a plain water gel at night. That gives you protection where it matters and comfort where it helps.

What I would skip: relying on the SPF in a moisturizer for a full day outdoors. Reapply a proper sunscreen when you are in the sun, because the amount you need is more than most people put on.

I think the best moisturizer for oily skin is the one you barely notice, and I would start with a water gel. Use it on damp skin, follow it with an SPF that does not shine, and add a gel cream when the weather turns.

Troplowitz got oil and water to stay together in a jar in 1911. Your job is smaller: work out which texture your skin wants more of. The AAD says most people see results from an acne-friendly moisturizer within four to eight weeks, so give a new one a real run before you decide. Then stop shopping for a while.

If gels and water creams are your thing, I also wrote about the shiny face moisturizer, with oil control and glow versions.

If you like a drugstore name you already trust, I also picked out a CeraVe moisturizer for oily skin with an oil-free gel-cream texture.

To keep the rest of the routine short, I laid out the best skincare for oily skin with one active and nothing extra.