James Welsh has looked at 52 products aimed at oily skin. He approved 31, gave 8 mixed takes, and skipped 13. That earns the category a Guru Score of 60%, which is honest rather than glowing. His picks show a clear pattern, though, and if oily skin is your concern, his reasoning is worth following.
What does James Welsh recommend for oily skin?
James comes back to the same things again and again across his approvals. He wants cleansers that feel thorough without stripping the skin bare. He praised Remedy Gel-to-Foam Cleanser with Salicylic Acid for hitting that balance, calling it the cleanser to reach for after a hot, sweaty, oily-skinned day. He loves niacinamide for keeping oil in check without drying things out, and both Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gelée 3% and Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule win him over partly for that reason. Lightweight texture matters to him too. He flagged Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 as one of the brand's best because, unlike a lot of clear sunscreens, it does not sit greasy or oily on the skin.
In his words
"It has to be Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule. If you follow me on TikTok, you know how much I have used and repurchased this product this year. Green tomato is rich in antioxidants and tannins that help support firmness, but [...] it's more the other ingredients in here that hydrate and collagen for plumper looking skin. We have PHA in here, a very gentle exfoliant that you can use daily with this serum with no irritation whatsoever, just a nice more even looking texture to the skin. We have niacinamide in here for oil regulation and a bit of brightness too. Then they have something called anti-sebum which [...] helps balance sebum production. So if you're very oily this is a great one. But if you're dry or dehydrated it's not going to dry you out in any way whatsoever. [...] As somebody with combination skin, this was so nice during summer when my skin felt kind of thick with excess sebum, congested, a little bit more textured than usual. This just kind of fixed all that."
"One of their best and I would say most iconic products is their unseen sunscreen, purely because everyone can use it, it works great as a sunscreen, a lot of clear sunscreens can be very greasy and oily looking, this one isn't, in my opinion, and it doesn't sting my eyes."
"If you want a really good deep thorough cleanse for your oily skin without stripping the out of your skin, this is the cleanser to go for. Gives you that satisfaction of almost like a deep purge without destroying your skin barrier, without voiding your face of all moisture. Salicylic acid, of course, is going to gently exfoliate. [...] Balance with like ceramides and glycerin, so it doesn't feel stripping. It's just that perfect middle ground between a nice satisfying cleanse after a hot, sweaty, oily-skinned day with that gentle, gentle cleanse."
"A slightly more focused cleanser, which is thankfully not stripping anyway cuz it is nice to leave on your skin for a little bit kind of like a mask, especially when you have actives in it. So, so gentle, niacinamide balancing things out a little bit. I just love this. Again, another everyday cleanser that I'd happily use morning and night, which I do when the weather gets hotter and my oily combination skin becomes more oily."
"One of the best has to be their Omega Water Cream and I never see anyone talking about it. This is one of the best gel cream textured moisturizers I've ever used. I have combination skin and it's perfect for the most driest parts of my skin and for the oiliest parts. There's ceramides, glycerin, and niacinamide in here so our barrier and hydration levels are cared for. It targets everything that needs to be targeted but it's just super super quenching. I would call it if you haven't tried it already give it a go, I'm pretty sure you'll love it."
"The Foaming Facial Cleanser, developed for normal to oily skin types, aiming to remove excess oil and sebum without disrupting the skin's natural barrier."
How many products has James Welsh reviewed for oily skin?
James Welsh has reviewed 52 products for oily skin, for a Guru Score of 60%. 31 approved, 8 mixed, and 13 skipped.
What has James Welsh skipped for oily skin?
Where James skips a product, there is usually a real reason. He gave Ultra Violette Lean Screen Mattifying SPF 50 Zinc Sunscreen a hard pass after independent lab tests returned an SPF of just four or five rather than the promised 50 plus. That means anyone relying on it for sun protection was not getting it. He also skipped Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser after certain batches were found to contain an unlisted preservative that can irritate sensitive skin. And he was blunt about Supergoop Resetting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35, saying you simply cannot apply enough of it to count as real sun protection without looking cakey and powdery.
"Despite being marketed as having an SPF rating of 50 plus, Choice revealed that their test returned an SPF rating of just four. This rating was so low that Choice actually sent a sample to another lab in Germany just to double-check the results, and that came back with an SPF rating for Lean Screen of five. So slightly better, I guess, but not the rating they promised. A drop from a rating of 50 plus to just four or five would be bad enough for any sunscreen product. But considering that Ultraviolet's products aren't cheap, it was even more disappointing to consumers."
"The jelly cleanser, certain batches contain a preservative not listed on the product ingredient list. And whilst this preservative is found commonly in skincare products, especially those clean beauty ones, this preservative, like many paraben alternatives, can cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals, especially at higher levels."
"Lab muffin who actually did an example on a YouTube short to show you how that powder would sit on your face if you were using enough and it's not nice it doesn't look good the makeup would look very cakey is cakey the right word for powder it would look very thick and powdery it's just not enough coverage. I think it's nice to use if you want to maybe reapply your sunscreen then go over the top with the sunscreen powder but you just aren't getting the right coverage. I honestly feel like they're kind of useless in general as a sunscreen product but I'm not against having some kind of sun protection every single product it can it can only do good right well sometimes there's no point at all in this case. You shouldn't rely on this as your main sunscreen or even as a reapplication sunscreen unless you want to look like a powdery mess. It's just never going to be good enough coverage."
"While it still hydrates, the formula has kind of evolved but all they've really done is highlighted the hyaluronic acid because that is now a popular buzzword. Whilst I feel like green tea used to be very popular and hyaluronic acid used to be very popular too, people are all about other things now when it comes to hydration. I think even in Korea the brand isn't as popular as it used to be, and that's the thing is I feel like whilst the industry had all their kind of core collections they didn't evolve much and it all became very outdated and kind of old. I think in today's world for a brand to survive there has to be that kind of well what do you do, like what else do you do, what's the gimmick, what's the catchy thing. Isntree is lacking in that regard. I don't think every brand should have to have this, Isntree should be able to stand alone great on its ingredients and what their products do, but I feel like it's just not kept up with the times, which is sad."
What should you take from James Welsh's picks?
James's one named winner for oily skin is Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule, a product he says he repurchased repeatedly. He calls it great for very oily skin while gentle enough not to dry out anyone who is not. His wider record says: look for lightweight textures, trust niacinamide to balance oil without stripping, and do not assume a sunscreen works just because a brand says it does.
Watch James Welsh say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting AmpouleNamed a winnerWatch at 16:57
- Ultra Violette Lean Screen Mattifying SPF 50 Zinc SunscreenSkipped itWatch at 30:36
- Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly CleanserSkipped itWatch at 8:40
- Supergoop Resetting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35Skipped itWatch at 10:30
- Isntree Green Tea Fresh SerumSkipped itWatch at 11:02
- Clinique Clarifying Lotion OneSkipped itWatch at 3:38
- Murad Rapid Relief Blemish Spot TreatmentSkipped itWatch at 2:30
- CeraVe Renewing SA CleanserSkipped itWatch at 7:59
- First Aid Beauty Coconut Water CreamSkipped itWatch at 11:27
- The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling SolutionSkipped itWatch at 8:11
- Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night SerumSkipped itWatch at 10:16
- The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% SolutionSkipped itWatch at 2:48
- The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Skipped itWatch at 8:07
- Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing MoisturizerSkipped itWatch at 9:21
- Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40Rated itWatch at 45:26
- Remedy Gel-to-Foam Cleanser with Salicylic AcidRated itWatch at 21:31
- Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gelée 3%Rated itWatch at 20:53
- The INKEY List Omega Water CreamRated itWatch at 13:35
- CeraVe Foaming Facial CleanserRated itWatch at 10:42
- The INKEY List 2% Salicylic Acid CleanserRated itWatch at 47:59
- Kate Somerville Eradicate 3% Daily Foaming CleanserRated itWatch at 10:17
- Aestura Atobarrier 365 Hydro EssenceRated itWatch at 12:03
- e.l.f. Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30Rated itWatch at 13:00
- Krave Beauty Oil La La SerumRated itWatch at 12:09
About this expert
See everything James Welsh has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what James Welsh said across their videos about 52 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.