Doctorly is two dermatologists, and oily skin is clearly their comfort zone. They have worked through 30 products in this category and found a lot to like. Their Guru Score sits at 83%, and they handed out their stamp of approval four times.
What does Doctorly recommend for oily skin?
Lightweight textures come up again and again in their approving takes. They praised the Numbuzin No.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence SPF 50 as one of the most underrated Korean sunscreens out there. People with oily skin call it perfect, they said, and it still feels hydrating. The La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Moisturizer got flagged as a strong summer choice for the same reason. For exfoliation, they called Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant a great starting point for anyone with oily or blemish-prone skin. And the Medicube Zero Pore Pads earned a high compliment: one of them called it probably his favourite product, praising how it tackles pores and texture without upsetting sensitive skin. He uses it twice a week, on the days he skips his retinoid.
In their words
"I'm not a big dry shampoo person, but I really like this one, and my wife likes this one, and all the women in my life are obsessed with this dry shampoo. The feedback on this has been so positive that they've convinced me that this is the best dry shampoo on the market. Currently 48 dollars."
"My favorite product is the Zero Pore Pads, one of their best sellers, specifically the version for sensitive skin. It cleans out your pores, helps with exfoliation, helps with texture, but it plays well with sensitive skin, so it's much more generally recommended and easy to incorporate into a skincare routine. I use it after shaving, about twice a week. I've developed some texture along my temples after a laser procedure, and it's really helping to reduce some of that with time. It's a great addition to your retinoid, to use on the days you're not using your retinoid. It's probably my favorite product."
"One of my favorites here is the Vichy Mattify Sorbet. The brand never puts any ad spin behind it, I've complained to them in person and on social media, but it still just needs more love. It has incredible aesthetics, incredible visual, incredible feel, and it helps absorb oil."
"La Roche-Posay Toleriane matte moisturizer, another really good moisturizer gel-like moisturizer for the summer."
"This is a great product, great for people with oily skin, great for people with blemish prone skin, and it's their most viral product, most purchased product. If you're going to try any product from Paula's Choice, I always think this is a good starter product for you."
"You have things like the Ordinary peeling solution that you could potentially use on these. They are higher strength exfoliants but you would still only want to leave those on for 15 minutes maximum and then definitely wash them off. You don't want to leave them on all day or anything like that."
How many products has Doctorly reviewed for oily skin?
Doctorly has reviewed 44 products for oily skin, for a Guru Score of 86%. 38 approved, 3 mixed, and 3 skipped.
What has Doctorly skipped for oily skin?
Their two skips both had a clear reason. On Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, they pointed out that all the studies showing niacinamide works, for brightening, barrier support and collagen, were done at 5% or less. So they argued there is no clinical case for doubling that dose, and that a higher amount raises the chance of irritation without adding any benefit. The Bubble Break Even Balancing Toner got skipped because rose water mixed with fragrant essential oil derivatives can irritate skin. On top of that, they said the formula does not bring enough active ingredients to earn a place in a routine that already has a vitamin C or niacinamide serum doing the real work.
"At 20% you're really quite far off of the ideal concentration balancing effectiveness and utility and irritation. So this one, the 20%, really I think is just unnecessary. You can just use the 10% and you don't need to find a way forward from there. 10% is more than enough than what you need from my angle."
"You add rose water with a bunch of other fragrant essential oil derivatives in them and that can be irritating to the skin. The thing is that it's not adding many benefits in terms of active ingredients to the skin, so it's something that's an additional step in your routine that really isn't going to be adding much, especially if you're using something like a vitamin C niacinamide serum [...] that's going to have all these benefits without the downsides. [...] It's a toner you don't need. It's neither a stringent you don't need nor is it your active ingredient essence toner, so for me it's a miss."
"When you see a 10% niacinamide you're like do I really need 10%? It's double what the recommended amount is. Is that good? But then you get up into like the 20% and it's like wow, okay, now you're more likely to get irritation. The more you have of anything, it's not like the more of things the better it is. Sometimes less is more. Studies show 5% is sufficient for pretty much all your clinical endpoints. Between 10 and 15% you're probably going to tolerate it, not that it's more effective but the tolerability perhaps isn't terrible. But then you get a 20% and you're really quite far off of the ideal concentration balancing effectiveness and irritation potential."
What should you take from Doctorly's picks?
Doctorly's record on oily skin is generous but focused. They reward products that are light, functional and well-dosed. The four winners they named, the Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40, La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser, La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Moisturizer and K18 Airwash Dry Shampoo, all reflect that same thinking. Their message on the skips is just as clear: in their view, a higher concentration is not evidence of a better product, and fragrance in a toner rarely pulls its weight.
Watch Doctorly say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 7:02
- Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40Named a winnerWatch at 7:59
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte MoisturizerNamed a winnerWatch at 20:59
- K18 Airwash Dry ShampooNamed a winnerWatch at 10:36
- Paula's Choice Niacinamide 20% TreatmentSkipped itWatch at 16:08
- Bubble Break Even Balancing TonerSkipped itWatch at 6:11
- Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster with 2% Mandelic Acid and Lactic AcidSkipped itWatch at 15:21
- Medicube Zero Pore PadRated itWatch at 1:05
- Vichy Mineral 89 48-Hour Moisture Boosting Matte SorbetRated itWatch at 4:50
- Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ExfoliantRated itWatch at 14:24
- The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling SolutionRated itWatch at 13:03
- The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% SolutionRated itWatch at 6:37
- Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliating PeelRated itWatch at 21:16
- SkinCeuticals Silymarin CFRated itWatch at 8:03
- Kate Somerville Eradicate 3% Daily Foaming CleanserRated itWatch at 9:48
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel SPF 50Rated itWatch at 17:21
- e.l.f. Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30Rated itWatch at 11:01
- Krave Beauty Kale-Lalu-Yaha AHA/BHA ExfoliantRated itWatch at 8:02
- Minimalist Alpha Arbutin 2% Face SerumRated itWatch at 12:12
- Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Removing Foam WashRated itWatch at 5:49
- Hero Cosmetics Salicylic Acid Toner 2%Rated itWatch at 7:19
- Real Actives Pore Power Exfoliating LHA plus BHA Gel CleanserRated itWatch at 13:25
- Paul's Choice 2% BHARated itWatch at 7:12
- Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Matte Sunscreen Gel SPF 45Rated itWatch at 12:51
About this expert
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This guide reflects what Doctorly said across their videos about 44 products for oily skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.