Robert Welsh has oily, dehydrated skin himself, so when he talks about what works for oily skin, he is speaking from personal experience. His approval rate across at least 30 products in this category is 77%, and most of his takes land firmly in the approved column. That said, he did skip a few, and his reasons are worth knowing.
What does Robert Welsh recommend for oily skin?
Almost everything he approves comes back to one thing: texture. He keeps returning to lightweight, fast-absorbing formulas that disappear into the skin instead of sitting on top. He praised the Laneige Balance Mode Shine Control Pore Minimizing Lightweight Moisturizer for being 'just above a serum' in weight and absorbing completely. He called the One/Size On Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray his favourite setting spray and the only one he found that actually works for him. Gel formulas get a special mention too. Reviewing the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel Tint, he said gels tend to sit well on all skin textures and are not over-hydrating for oily skin. He also recommends layering smart rather than piling on coverage. His suggestion is that a fluid foundation like the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation, built up where needed, means you can skip a coverage powder on top.
In his words
"This moisturizer is from Laneige, from their shine control range, it's called the Balance Mode Shine Control Weightless Moisturizer. It's a very lightweight [...] fluid moisturizer, that fluid texture being just above a serum in terms of how much moisture it has, but it completely disappears and gets absorbed by the skin. If you're someone who loves to use a range of products, this one from Laneige is beautiful."
"So if you are looking for a good drugstore primer, this is definitely one I would recommend. I have oily dehydrated skin, and I really like this on me. In terms of longevity of wear or foundation, I personally am not somebody who relies on primers to keep my foundation on for a really long time. I rely on setting sprays as primers. I rely on mattifying primers as my primers for longevity, and I actually rely on my whole skincare routine to do that. But yes, I really, really do like this primer."
"The milk one is stunning. The one from Milk is so beautiful and it's truly a skin tint. Like it's not crazy crazy coverage, you know? It really does just tints the skin."
"One Size, On Til' Dawn. This is my favorite setting spray. It's the only one I found actually works for me."
"If you have any areas you know get especially oily, you can also go in with a thin layer of a loose translucent powder such as Maybelline Fit Me. I usually like to apply the powder step with either a damp sponge or a small setting brush."
"This Maybelline Fit Me one can be used by itself, and then a translucent powder would be better. The Maybelline Fit Me isn't a powder foundation, but it does have coverage. [...] Our powders, if we have a foundation like the Maybelline Fit Me foundation, the fluid, which has enough coverage already, you can build it up. You then don't need to go in with a powder with coverage."
How many products has Robert Welsh reviewed for oily skin?
Robert Welsh has reviewed 29 products for oily skin, for an approval rate of 76%. 22 approved, 3 mixed, and 4 skipped.
What has Robert Welsh skipped for oily skin?
Robert Welsh skipped only a few products here, but each skip comes with a clear reason. He said the Benefit POREfessional Primer feels too slippery on oily skin. The Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blur + Smooth Tint Stick went on shiny rather than blurred, and he said it made him look sweaty instead of matte. The Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Mousse Soft Blur Lip Cream got patchy when layered and had trouble gripping darker shades. The most important skip to understand is the Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment. He did not reject it entirely, but he had a painful experience using it daily as directed. When he dropped back to three or four times a week, it was fine. His advice, drawn from that experience, is that anyone with sensitive skin should not use it daily.
"I personally do find them quite tough on the skin and I find they don't remove makeup [...] well. I don't think this is a brand that can give us anything else impressive, [...] I think they missed their calling to make proper makeup remover [...] products to pair with the cloth instead of telling people they don't need a makeup remover at all."
"But it's not the most forgiving to a drier lip, and trying to layer it with itself is quite difficult, it gets a little patchy in some areas. When I used a [...] darker shade that really stands out on the skin, there seemed to be a little bit of trouble with it either sitting down on the lip or gripping to the lip. I'm not a fan. That's going to be a dump for me, I'm afraid."
"I don't like POREfessional Primer on oily skin. I just think it's like quite slippery."
"When it was, like, instantly blurring, it was not. Actual lie. It went on my skin, kind of like, shiny, like a glowy foundation. The thing is, when you have a product that has a glow to it on the skin, it isn't blurring. You have to kind of like, it has to be smooth and matte to look blurred, right. I was obviously like, okay, that's not blurring my skin in any way at all. It's actually, if anything, it's making me look sweaty."
What should you take from Robert Welsh's picks?
Robert Welsh's record on oily skin is largely positive, and his through-line is clear: lightweight, matte-finish formulas win, and anything that adds slip or shine tends to lose. The skips he logged are genuinely useful, especially his warning about the Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment at daily use. Anyone with oily or oily-dehydrated skin will find his takes here practical and specific.
Watch Robert 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.
- Makeup Eraser Original MakeUp Eraser ClothSkipped itWatch at 12:19
- Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Mousse Soft Blur Lip CreamSkipped itWatch at 15:35
- Benefit POREfessional PrimerSkipped itWatch at 0:21
- Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blur + Smooth Tint StickSkipped itWatch at 2:28
- Laneige Balance Mode Shine Control Pore Minimizing Lightweight MoisturizerRated itWatch at 7:06
- NYX Blur Screen Sunscreen SPF 30 PrimerRated itWatch at 4:40
- Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel TintRated itWatch at 13:05
- One/Size On Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting SprayRated itWatch at 13:51
- Maybelline Fit Me Loose Finishing PowderRated itWatch at 57:35
- Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless FoundationRated itWatch at 5:05
- Fwee Blur Pudding PotRated itWatch at 12:47
- Maybelline SuperStay Lumi Matte 30-Hour FoundationRated itWatch at 17:30
- Tirtir Mask Fit All Cover Cushion FoundationRated itWatch at 2:58
- Hung Vanngo Creamy Matte Lipstick in Shade 88Rated itWatch at 21:47
- One/Size Oil Sucker Liquid Blotting Powder SprayRated itWatch at 13:09
- Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse PrimerRated itWatch at 15:27
- Clio Kill Cover Foundation CushionRated itWatch at 16:15
- Iconic London Velvet Smooth Pore Refining PrimerRated itWatch at 14:45
- Milani Make It Last Matte Setting SprayRated itWatch at 16:06
- Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose PowderRated itWatch at 10:52
- Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm PowderRated itWatch at 57:21
- Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Liquid Blurring Balm Mattifying Setting SprayRated itWatch at 14:56
- e.l.f. Matte Putty PrimerRated itWatch at 52:28
- Milani Conceal and Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint SticksRated itWatch at 13:03
About this expert
See everything Robert Welsh has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Robert Welsh said across his videos about 29 products for oily skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products he approved. It is general information, not medical advice.