The 12 best cleansers for oily skin, tested on nearly 500 people (2024)

We’d be naive to think acne and breakouts are limited to our teenage years; it can still plague many well into adulthood, especially if you have oilier skin.

Sound familiar? It may be time to take a look at your cleansing routine. We’ve found the best cleansers for oily skin, which are designed to combat greasy T-zones, be kind to blemish-prone skin, and even help calm redness.

Take a look at our top recommendations below, or scroll down to learn more about how to control oily complexions.

What causes oily skin?

It can be hard to pinpoint exactly why some of us have desert-dry skin while others struggle with oiliness. But hormones will always play a part, especially if you’re changing contraception or going through menopause.

‘Hormones in the body — particularly progesterone and testosterone — have a significant effect on sebum production in the skin at different points in the menstrual cycle,’ explains Dr Ejikeme, Founder and Medical Director of Adonia Medical Clinic.

‘This happens most notably in the second half of the cycle when progesterone rises, leading to an increase in sebum,’ she adds. ‘Right before menstruation, oestrogen and progesterone fall and testosterone predominates, which can also increase sebum production in the skin. During menopause, there are also a number of changes to our hormone levels that can lead to breakouts.’

Acne and oily skin can go hand in hand, too. ‘Acne is primarily driven by genetics but there are environmental and lifestyle factors that can precipitate or aggravate it,’ Dr Ejikeme explains. ‘These include over exfoliation, stress, poor sleep, use of occlusive oils and high sugar diets. When spots do occur, touching and squeezing them can make things worse.’

What ingredients help prevent oily skin?

If you suffer from spots at that time of the month, or you can’t seem to mattify your T-zone no matter the weather, chances are you’re going to need a cleanser that caters specifically to oily skin.

If you don’t want to overcomplicate things, there’s one ingredient you should look out for: salicylic acid.

Dr Ejikeme advises choosing a cleanser with this skincare ingredient. ‘Salicylic acid is a key ingredient for acne,’ she explains. ‘Choose 2% cleansers and use throughout the week, ensuring you don't over-strip the skin.’

How often should you cleanse your face if you have oily skin?

It may be tempting to over-wash your face to prevent a greasy T-zone but vigorously scrubbing or washing your skin can lead to stripping, which in turn makes your skin produce even more oil.

More oil ultimately ends up in breakouts, so it’s a chicken and egg situation. ‘Acne is not caused by unclean skin,’ says Dr Ejikeme. ‘If you have an acne-prone complexion, you should cleanse the same way as everyone else – twice a day for 30 seconds. This is important to ensure makeup, sunscreen, sweat, pollution and debris are removed from the skin, reducing the risk of these leading to inflammation or occlusion of a pore.’

How we test

In the Women’s Health Lab, our panel of over 470 testers with mild to extremely oily, blemished skin tried 34 brands of face wash – formulated for all ages and skin types – for four weeks. They assessed the quality of the product, how clean it left their skin, how well it helped control oil and blemishes, and whether it left their complexions feeling dehydrated. They also gave feedback on the packaging and how easy it was to use.

Created to slough away everything from dust to pollution particles, testers loved this cleanser’s gel texture, saying it left their skin feeling fresh. After continued use, testers noted that their complexions looked clearer and they experienced fewer dreaded breakouts by the end of the trial. It also helped rebalance oiliness and improve texture, without any discomfort or dryness.

If breakouts aren't bad enough, the resulting redness can also add to frustrations. This calming cleanser creates a creamy lather, which doesn’t leave skin feeling stripped, and helps to soothe inflammation and spots. Testers saw some added plumpness to skin, too (which is always a welcome bonus!).

This formula uses salicylic acid to gently exfoliate the skin and works to minimise the appearance of blemishes. It’s a thicker texture than others on our list, but it created a rich lather once applied, which testers said provided a luxe feeling. It was gentle, yet provided results almost immediately, reducing shine and leaving testers with clearer, healthier skin by the end of the trial.

As much as we would love it to be true, it’s a beauty myth that you can shrink the size of your pores. But what can you do to minimise their appearance? This cleanser claims to have the answer, thanks to kaolin clay, which removes dirt, and willow bark extract, which targets the pores. We found it really did have an effect on how noticeable pores looked and it quickly helped clear up blemishes and excess oil. Overall, skin was left purified and brighter.

Here, the exfoliating duo of salicylic acid and beta hydroxy acid work to unclog pores and lift any dead skin cells, while balm mint and tea tree oil target blemishes — resulting in one powerful oil-combatting formula! Testers loved how soft it left their skin feeling as well as the added plumpness it provided. When it came to blemishes, testers noticed spots reduced in size, resulting in smoother skin, with no tightness in sight.

If you love the foaming sensation of a face wash, try this hardworking cleanser. The mousse-like texture provided skin with a deep cleanse — so much so that it managed to remove any traces of make-up. It helped improve oil-slick T-zones too, all while reducing redness and adding glow. Testers also noticed less breakouts by the end of the trial.

We want our faces to feel clean but not tight and uncomfortable. This cleanser has found a great middle ground, helping to remove dirt and oil while leaving skin feeling fresh and moisturised. It provided a thorough cleanse that managed to control oiliness, helping to tackle any giant spots that were previously seen as untouchable as a result.

A bargain at less than £5, our budget buy can be used as a face mask, wash and scrub. Talk about value for money! It banished stubborn make-up like a pro, leaving skin feeling refreshed and rebalanced. T-zones were left oil-free, and some testers found the formula soothed redness and inflammation too.

This cleansing bar is ideal for your gym bag — just add H2O for a decent lather. It gave skin a slight tingle as it got to work, and left complexions bright and smooth after use. Testers noticed less oiliness accumulating throughout the day, too.

You don’t have to be an avid TikTok-er to know this brand delivers good skin results. Its cleanser is packed with hyaluronic acid and three essential ceramides to help protect the skin’s delicate barrier, while niacinamide targets pesky breakouts. It gently foams up to wash away oil and dirt and testers found it helped clear any blemishes, leaving skin feeling restored. All for less than £15 — not bad!