Does Oily Skin Need a Moisturizer?

If you have oily skin or tend to be prone to acne, moisturizers still play an important role in your skin-care routine. Skin oils and skin hydration are not the same thing, and your skin can be both oily and dehydrated. Moisturizers can help offset fluid loss due to environmental factors, such as cold weather, or other causes.

This article will help you to better understand the biology of your skin and what is needed to keep it healthy. It explains the benefits of daily moisturizing when you have oily skin, and some of the products best suited to achieve this goal.

Hydration vs. Oil

People often mistake skin oil for skin hydration. Skin oil is the waxy substance, called sebum, that is secreted by the sebaceous glands to help maintain the barrier function of the skin.

Skin hydration is the process in which water is absorbed into the layers of the skin, known as the epidermis and dermis, to maintain its plumpness, elasticity, and resiliency.

Although the excessive build-up of sebum can lead to oily skin and acne, it doesn't mean that the skin is well-hydrated. Moreover, the very act of stripping away these oils promotes the loss of moisture.

In the end, hydrated skin is healthy skin. Without ample moisture, the appearance and protective function of the skin can be severely compromised. With prolonged dehydration, your skin is at greater risk of:

• Inflammation
• Infection
• Wrinkles
• Premature aging

Remember that just because your skin has a lot of oil doesn't mean that it has a lot of water. Things like cold weather, hot baths, and harsh astringents can all disrupt the integrity of the skin, leading to rapid moisture loss and dryness.

Acne and Moisturizing

Many acne ingredients have a profound drying effect on the skin. This includes topical retinoids like Retin-A (tretinoin) and Accutane (isotretinoin) or topical antibacterials like benzoyl peroxide.

These drugs promote drying in two distinct ways:

• Topical retinoids speed up the skin cell turnover cycle, increasing the rate by which skin cells are shed and leaving the remaining skin dry and flaky.
• Benzoyl peroxide is sebostatic (meaning that it slows sebum production) and mildly keratolytic (exfoliating), the combination of which can lead to skin dryness.

Unless you replace the lost moisture caused by these substances, your skin will not only remain dry and flaky but also be more vulnerable to cracks, breaks, tears, and infection. Using a moisturizer daily is the single best defense to avoiding these and other common side effects.

Moisturizers for Oily Skin

There are many moisturizers created specifically for oily skin. These products are light, fast-absorbing, and won't leave your skin feeling slick or looking shiny.

A good moisturizer has three main properties:

Occlusive Agents

An occlusive agent is an ingredient that seals in moisture by forming a hydrophobic (water-fighting) film on the skin.

Occlusive agents like petrolatum, lanolin, mineral oil, paraffin, and squalene are usually quite greasy. If you have oily skin, silicone derivatives like dimethicone or cyclomethicone are not greasy if used on their own.

Humectants

Humectants are ingredients that keep the skin moist by drawing water from the lower-lying dermis to the outermost epidermis.

These include ingredients like glycerin, sodium lactate, ammonium lactate, hyaluronic acid, sorbitol, urea, and alpha hydroxy acids, all of which are suitable for people with oily skin.

Emollients

Emollients are ingredients that smooth skin by filling spaces between flakes in the stratum corneum (the crusty outer layer of the epidermis) with either oil or wax.

There are some emollients that are less greasy (like ceramides) and others that are more greasy (like stearic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, lauric acid, and fatty alcohols).

Summary

Skin oils and skin hydration are two different things, meaning that people with oily skin also need to be sure that their skin is moisturized. The first step is to ensure that they're drinking enough water and the entire body is properly hydrated.

Some acne treatment products, like retinoids, dry the skin and increase hydration needs. Beyond that, certain moisturizers prove to be better options for people with oily skin than others are. Their ingredients seal in skin moisture and help to draw in moisture from deeper skin layers.

You may want to try different moisturizers until you find the products that work best for you.

A Word From Verywell

When it comes to choosing a moisturizer for oily skin, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Take the time to choose the right moisturizer by reading ingredient labels and asking your dermatologist or esthetician for recommendations.