There are few skin-care products quite as divisive as facial oils — either you love them or you hate them. While some swear by their game-changing moisturizing powers, others find them too greasy. But believe it or not, many of the best facial oils sink into skin just as well as a serum and leave no greasy residue behind. It all just comes down to finding the best formula for your skin type and making sure you're applying it the right way.
Drier skin types can turn to a number of oils to help lock in moisture and provide antioxidant protection. Chief among those options are almond, marula, and argan oils, which are all particularly nourishing. These can also work for sensitive skin types, provided that the formula isn't paired with any essential oils or other fragrance that could be potentially irritating.
For more oily skin types, though, you want to look for oils that will help balance your own skin's sebum production while still being lightweight and breathable like jojoba oil. And acne-prone skin types should look for oils that have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, or antibacterial properties like tea tree, pomegranate, and rose hip oils.
No matter which oil you choose, make sure you apply it as the last step in your nightly skin care. While oils contain helpful vitamins and antioxidants, because they create a protective barrier on your skin, you want to pat a few drops of your facial oil after your eye cream, serum, and night cream to allow the rest of your routine to work properly and seal in all of their benefits. Also, to avoid greasiness, just use a few drops — with face oils, a little goes a very long way.
Ahead, you'll find five of the best facial oils for dry skin, acne-prone skin, and everything in between.
If you're looking for a facial oil that offers tons of skin benefits, the Mad Hippie Antioxidant Facial Oil is your best choice. This oil does pretty much everything: It moisturizes, calms, brightens, helps fade blemishes and scars, and protects skin from environmental aggressors. Some of the most impressive ingredients in this formula are camu camu berry, which is rich in vitamin C; argan oil, a skin-nourisher and moisturizer; sea buckthorn berry, which is loaded with nutrients including folic acid, fatty acids, and omegas; and other plant-based ingredients like blueberry extract, broccoli extract, sunflower seed oil, and goji berry. Additionally, the all-natural formula is free of most potential irritants and unnecessary additives, and safe for all skin types.
If you're trying to ease your way into making a face oil a part of your routine, squalane is a good place to start. Because it's naturally present in your skin, it helps moisturize and soften without causing irritation or congestion. Timeless Skin Care's Squalane Oil is 100 percent olive-derived squalane, which means it can be used on its own as the final step in your skin-care routine, or you can add it to your face creams, masks, and even hair conditioner for more moisturizing benefits.
Squalane oil is also said to have oil-balancing and anti-inflammatory benefits, making it a great choice for all skin types including oily and acne-prone. The other nice thing about squalane is that it's less heavy than most other oils. It absorbs into skin almost instantly and doesn't feel greasy, making it a wonderful base for makeup. This particular option comes in an 8-ounce pump bottle — much bigger than you get with most face oils — so you'll be stocked for a while.
This calming oil is great for sensitive and dry skin types because it's completely free from synthetic preservatives, fragrances, dyes, and mineral oil. Instead, the Weleda Mandel (almond) Soothing Facial Oil contains just three nourishing and antioxidant-rich ingredients — sweet almond oil, prunus domestica seed oil (or plum oil), and prunus spinosa flower extract (or blackthorn extract) — that help reduce symptoms of irritation like redness and itchiness. The dermatologist-approved facial oil is also an Amazon user-favorite, with over 1,200 five-star reviews and a 4.5-star overall rating.
Jojoba oil is similar to the oils your skin naturally produce, which is what makes it a prime choice for oily skin types. It provides skin with antioxidants and moisture without clogging pores — in fact, it can even help control excess oil production, which may help reduce the appearance of congested, enlarged pores. Ogee's Jojoba Glow Face Oil pairs organic cold-pressed jojoba oil with ylang ylang and geranium flower oil to further help nourish, repair, and regenerate skin.
"My skin drinks this oil up, nothing is left sitting on the surface of my skin," shares one reviewer. They continue, "I'll use it at night ... and wake up glowing.... So glowing that I don't have to wear make up, just some SPF and I'm outta here."
Tea tree oil has become popular for treating acne because it has natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits that are thought to help calm redness and clear up acne-causing bacteria. The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil is an Amazon favorite because it's affordable and effective. The brand even uses Community Trade organic tea tree oil that's hand-harvested by farmers in Kenya. Because this stuff is pretty potent, it's recommended you only use it on affected areas and not your entire face.
"Works miracles on acne," one fan writes. "Clears breakouts and is an incredible spot treatment." Another says, "If it’s the same day the spot will either reduce in redness or at least not get worse. If it’s overnight it’s almost completely fine in the morning."
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