No BS Beauty has a clear standard for oily skin, and she sticks to it. She reviewed more than 120 products in this space, landing an approval rate of 68%. She named a few as category winners: Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Gel, The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Mask, and PSA Skin Follow the Light Multi-Acids and Vitamin C Peel.
What does No BS Beauty recommend for oily skin?
Lightweight, fragrance-free formulas are the clearest pattern across her approvals. When Neutrogena updated the Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid to be fragrance-free and added amino acids, she said it impressed her in a way she does not usually expect from that brand. She also looks closely at soothing backup ingredients, not just the main active. On SkinFix Barrier Balancing Water Cream, she called out zinc PCA for oilier and acne-prone skin, alongside niacinamide and peptides. She said the brand knocked it out of the park with that one.
In her words
"It's one of the few ingredients I added into my routine where I knew a difference, I could tell a noticeable difference in my skin very quickly. It's great for redness, it's great for acne, it's great for hyperpigmentation, it's great for hydration, it's just a wonderful ingredient all around, and it's really great if you have suffered from blemishes, dark spots. My acne got a lot better when I started using this."
"A jar like this will last a long time because a little bit of it goes a very long way. [...] It's nice. [...] It's felt really nice during this humid weather. There's some moisturizer you put on and you go out when it's really humid out and you can feel it on your skin. This stuff doesn't do that, so it's really nice for the hot and humid weather we've had recently. I love it for that."
"I also love their Smooth Out liquid exfoliant. It's 32 bucks. It's got 12% AHA, which is comprised of glycolic and lactic acid. It's wonderful."
"This sunscreen is wonderful. I really enjoy it. I like seeing five different filters, I like seeing the combination of UVB and UVA filters, and I like seeing the L'Oreal patented one that's nice to see being used in some K Beauty brands. The manufacturer of this one is Colmar Korea, which I think makes a lot of innisfree sunscreens as well, and in my past testing some of the Colmar Korean ones I've had pretty good luck with them. I haven't really had any issues."
"That one's very gentle as well this one's also super gentle"
"But it soaks in really nicely. This one plays really nicely under sunscreen. It's great morning or evening. This one I typically use a lot like on my neck and chest sometimes. I just find it really works there at night nicely. It's got a minimalist formula. So it doesn't have a ton of beneficial ingredients, but it's got niacinamide, panthenol, and then glycolipids, which are hydrating barrier repairing ingredients. It's really nice. No fragrance, short ingredient list."
How many products has No BS Beauty reviewed for oily skin?
No BS Beauty has reviewed 118 products for oily skin, for an approval rate of 68%. 80 approved, 14 mixed, and 24 skipped.
What has No BS Beauty skipped for oily skin?
Her clearest skip was Medicube Zero Pore Pad. It packs in multiple essential oils, including bergamot, rosemary, lavender, and citrus peels, with denatured alcohol as the fourth ingredient and lactic acid as the exfoliant. She said that combination could do more damage than good, especially for acne-prone skin, and advised against using it at all. She also found The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser too drying, though she was clear it is not a terrible formula.
"First Aid Beauty Coconut Water Cream, this was in my travel bag [...] and it's pretty much empty and I opened it and there's like it was just dried up so there's nothing left of that."
"But the bigger issue is this brand had batches recently in the late summer that according to official government research and publications contained an ingredient called Sudan red. Hong Kong Customs tested this product that was going to be sold to customers and it found one point five milligrams of Sudan red inside of it and Sudan red apparently is an extremely carcinogenic carcinogen. Not good for your skin, not good for topical, not good for anything."
"I don't have the stick version because I hated that one. I'm just pretend like it didn't happen but it worked well for a lot of people so whatever."
"I'm not messing around with sunscreen that's even a couple months old, it's not worth the risk of it for me anyway. With my hyperpigmentation, melasma, it's just not worth the risk. This one uses zinc, and I have a feeling mineral sunscreens when they go bad, they're bad. Chemical ones may not be so true, but I've heard from zinc when it's done, it's done. You're not getting a benefit from it. So there's no point in messing around with that."
What should you take from No BS Beauty's picks?
For oily skin, No BS Beauty's record is a practical guide. She approves most of what she reviews, but her yes always comes with close attention to texture, fragrance, and whether the formula backs its actives up with something soothing. Her named category winners are the clearest sign of what she values. Her ingredient warnings are specific, detailed, and worth applying beyond the individual products she reviewed. The combination she flagged most clearly is essential oils and alcohol used alongside an exfoliant acid. She said that mix can do more damage than good for acne-prone skin.
Watch No BS Beauty say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing GelNamed a winnerWatch at 5:09
- Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 12:17
- The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% MaskNamed a winnerWatch at 7:22
- PSA Skin Follow the Light Multi-Acids and Vitamin C PeelNamed a winnerWatch at 6:30
- First Aid Beauty Coconut Water CreamSkipped itWatch at 6:16
- Medicube Zero Pore PadSkipped itWatch at 7:24
- Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick SPF 50Skipped itWatch at 0:15
- ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40Skipped itWatch at 9:00
- SkinCeuticals Silymarin CFSkipped itWatch at 9:42
- Head & Shoulders Classic Clean ShampooSkipped itWatch at 1:12
- Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit CleanserSkipped itWatch at 7:34
- AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow SerumSkipped itWatch at 6:09
- Goodal Green Tangerine Vitamin C Dark Spot Care SerumSkipped itWatch at 7:05
- Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA and AHA Salicylic SerumSkipped itWatch at 10:05
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated SerumSkipped itWatch at 2:07
- Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide SerumSkipped itWatch at 3:49
- Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore Smooth Blur DropsSkipped itWatch at 6:48
- Biossance Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30Skipped itWatch at 1:52
- Senka Perfect Whip Cleansing FoamSkipped itWatch at 9:25
- Huda Beauty Easy Bake Setting Powder in Banana BreadSkipped itWatch at 4:54
- BYOMA Moisturizing Gel Sunscreen SPF 30Skipped itWatch at 9:28
- Vichy Mineral 89 48-Hour Moisture Boosting Matte SorbetSkipped itWatch at 4:27
- Thayers Witch Hazel TonerSkipped itWatch at 6:46
- First Aid Beauty Oil-Free Mattifying GelSkipped itWatch at 0:15
About this expert
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This guide reflects what No BS Beauty said across her videos about 118 products for oily skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.