Nipun Kapur has reviewed a lot of products for oily skin, and her record stands out. Out of 53 products, she approved 47, gave one a mixed take, and skipped just five. That is one of the most generous records you will find from any expert in this space. But the skips are pointed, and worth knowing about before you shop.
What does Nipun Kapur recommend for oily skin?
What Nipun keeps praising are formulas that do the job without tipping into irritation. She gave the Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel AHA Exfoliating Solution her only ever 10-on-10, saying it earns that for anyone whose skin can handle a 15% acid peel. She calls the Anua BHA 2% Gentle Exfoliating Toner uniquely gentle because it is the only BHA toner she knows of that also contains ceramides, which are ingredients that help protect the skin's barrier. She has rated niacinamide serums highly too, naming the Minimalist Niacinamide 10% Serum one of her six category winners, and approving picks like the Anua Peach 70% Niacinamide Serum and La Roche-Posay Pure Niacinamide 10 Serum. Her full list of six category winners also includes the Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer, the Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil, the Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask, the Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright Facial Brightening Mask, and the Remedy Clear Serum.
In her words
"If you are someone who can tolerate something like a 15% multi-acid peel, get it. Otherwise, skip it. You don't want to risk a broken skin barrier, but if you can tolerate it, this is [...] a 10 on 10. And I've never given anything a 10 on 10."
"This can really help calm and soothe acne prone skin and can reduce the amount of acne you're getting. This is my claim coming from three clients who have used this product who are all three acne prone, one of them has a lot of acne. The brand says it's for pore size which is true but I think this also works really well on acne prone skin. So I give this an 8 out of 10. And if you've ever heard my ratings before you know an 8 out of 10 is creme de la creme, the best of the best."
"I absolutely love it, highly highly recommended, this is the best of 2024"
"For the longest time I have always carried the drunk elephant azelaic acid. the bouncy bright facial. It is an expensive product but it is one of the best in the market."
"I genuinely love this product everything has improved I use this with everything peptides retinol AHAs BHAs transdermal acid"
"This is the only BHA toner on the market that actually has ceramides and it is absolutely skin soothing."
How many products has Nipun Kapur reviewed for oily skin?
Nipun Kapur has reviewed 53 products for oily skin, for a Guru Score of 89%. 47 approved, 1 mixed, and 5 skipped.
What has Nipun Kapur skipped for oily skin?
Where Nipun draws the line is concentration. She gave The Ordinary Vitamin C 23% Suspension a zero, saying anything above 20% vitamin C does more irritating than it does good. That means anyone tempted by a very high-strength formula may want to step down to something gentler first. She also does not recommend The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% in its original formula, noting that more than half the people who use it report irritation. The Tatcha Deep Cleanse Balancing Exfoliating Cleanser left her cold too: she found it felt like a plain face wash and nothing more. And she flagged the Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 as too greasy for daytime on oily skin, suggesting it works better in a night routine if at all.
"If you find it greasy, use it in your PM routine."
"23% anything about 20% is not required it's way too irritating so a 23% formula gets a zero from me"
"It just feels like a regular face wash. I don't know, it has these little mini beads and maybe that's why they call it exfoliating, and it is exfoliating but like it doesn't feel anything special."
"However the original formula is the original best seller. More than half the people get irritation from it. So that is something I don't recommend."
What should you take from Nipun Kapur's picks?
Nipun Kapur's overall read on oily-skin care is encouraging. She finds a lot of products genuinely worth using, and her six winners span cleansers, masks, serums, and moisturizers. Her main caution, repeated across several skips, is that high concentrations are not a selling point once they cross into irritation territory. If you are building a routine and want to know what she would and would not reach for, her record here is one of the clearest guides available, with a Guru Score of 89%.
Watch Nipun Kapur say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing MoisturizerNamed a winnerWatch at 7:46
- Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing OilNamed a winnerWatch at 1:56
- Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow MaskNamed a winnerWatch at 5:53
- Remedy Clear SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 6:30
- Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright Facial Brightening MaskNamed a winnerWatch at 9:39
- Minimalist Niacinamide 10% SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 2:11
- Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40Skipped itWatch at 44:04
- The Ordinary Vitamin C 23% SuspensionSkipped itWatch at 5:49
- Tatcha Deep Cleanse Balancing Exfoliating CleanserSkipped itWatch at 3:53
- The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Skipped itWatch at 13:27
- Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ExfoliantSkipped itWatch at 4:14
- Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel AHA Exfoliating SolutionRated itWatch at 18:16
- Minimalist 2% Salicylic Acid SerumRated itWatch at 11:15
- Anua BHA 2% Gentle Exfoliating TonerRated itWatch at 6:44
- Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle TonerRated itWatch at 9:59
- Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++Rated itWatch at 4:56
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic AcidRated itWatch at 1:20
- Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel SPF 50+ PA++++Rated itWatch at 8:43
- Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideRated itWatch at 10:09
- The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% SolutionRated itWatch at 7:13
- Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night SerumRated itWatch at 5:59
- Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari BabyfacialRated itWatch at 62:43
- Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster with 2% Mandelic Acid and Lactic AcidRated itWatch at 7:53
- The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% MaskRated itWatch at 7:06
About this expert
See everything Nipun Kapur has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Nipun Kapur said across their videos about 53 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.