The 11 Best Oil-Free Moisturisers for Oily and Dehydrated Skin

As someone with dehydrated but acne-prone skin, finding moisturisers that work for me has been a journey. As anyone else who has experienced oily skin and breakouts will know, when oiliness and congestion is at its worst, moisturising can feel like the last thing you want to do to your skin. But as I’ve learned (the hard way), it’s actually one of the most important.

The better hydrated your skin is, the healthier it is, and the healthier it is, the better able it is to heal existing breakouts and prevent future ones. What’s more, when your skin is well hydrated, it won’t feel the need to “self moisturise” which it does by producing more oil. In fact, many people who think they have oily skin actually have dehydrated skin, and by depriving it of moisturiser, you’re actually making the problem worse.

Back in the day I’d either avoid moisturiser completely or reach for thick creams to address symptoms of dryness—which then resulted in a greasy T-zone and increased breakouts. Since then, years of trial and error has taught me that not all moisturisers are created equally. Broken down simply, moisturisers can be split into two categories—oil-free and oil-based. If oiliness, breakouts, and dehydration are amongst your concerns, then you’re going to want to opt for an oil-free moisturiser. In fact, I now exclusively use oil-free moisturisers and my skin has never been better.

What does oil in a moisturiser do?