Oily Skincare Routine

Best Skincare Routine for Oily Skin

A great AM and PM skincare routine for oily skin is about helping your shine look more balanced without leaving skin feeling tight. Just remember to keep textures fresh and give each product time to do its job before applying the next.

Morning oily skincare routine

1. Cleanse

Your skin tends to shed skin cells and lose water as you sleep, which leads to the sebaceous glands working overtime to produce more oil and keep your face hydrated. This oil combines with your sweat, leaving a thick oily build-up for you to contend with in the morning.

So, the first step in getting rid of this excess oil and any impurities is cleansing your face with a gentle face cleanser - both in the morning and night, as well as after sweating excessively (post workout, for instance). Wet your face with warm water and, using your fingertips, apply the cleanser all over your face, avoiding your eye area. Gently use circular motions to work it into a lather. Rinse and pat your face dry with a clean and soft towel.

A good cleanser for oily skin should be lightweight and hydrating.

Product pick: MyClarins RE-MOVE Purifying Cleansing Gel

This gel helps sweep away excess sebum with Meadowsweet extract and helps remove daily pollution particles with Moringa extract, so skin looks clearer and fresher.

2. Tone

Think of toner as your “reset” step. It removes leftover residue after cleansing and helps skin feel primed for what comes next, allowing you to layer your routine more evenly.

Product pick: Purifying Toning Face Lotion for Oily Skin

The witch hazel and meadowsweet extract in this toner help your skin feel refreshed and look less shiny, while saffron flower polyphenols support skin’s comfort and balance.

3. Target concerns

If your main struggle is a T-zone that gets glossy fast or pores that look more noticeable, now is the time to implement that extra care into your routine. Extra care may look a little different depending on what you’re seeing on your skin. For some, it may be an added exfoliation step or it may be a blemish gel for some spot treatment.

Product pick: My Clarins PURE-RESET Matifying Blemish Gel

This frosted gel helps visibly reduce shine and keep excess sebum in check with the Healthy Plant Complex (organic coconut water and organic Alpenrose extract) plus hibiscus flower acids for a smoother-looking, matte finish.

4. Eye cream

Even if your face gets shiny, the eye area can still look tired or dehydrated. A targeted eye cream helps that delicate skin look smoother and more rested without adding heaviness.

Product pick: Total Eye Lift Eye Cream

Powered by harungana and horse chestnut escin, this eye cream helps the eye contour look brighter and more refreshed while keeping the finish comfortable under makeup.

5. Serum

The goal of this step is to repair and replenish the skin. You want to shoot for the biggest benefit while still keeping things light. Think luxurious, not heavy and dense. Some serum formulas combine ingredients, such as antioxidants, that work well for both morning and nighttime routines.

Product pick: Double Serum Light Texture

This lightweight dual serum is powered by plant extracts, including turmeric, and is designed to leave a fresh, bare-skin finish that’s great when you want a glow without extra slip.

6. Moisturizer

Oily skin needs moisturizing just as much as dry skin. If you skip this step, your skin will start producing more oil to combat the dryness, which defeats the point of your entire oily skin routine care. So, moisturize. Look for moisturizers that are light, oil-free, and contain ingredients such as niacinamide or hyaluronic acid.

Bonus? Moisturizing your skin can help fight signs of aging and rejuvenate your skin.

Expert tip: When choosing the right moisturizer for you, keep in mind that leading scientific experts recommend using gel-based moisturizers for oily skin.

Product pick: Hydra-Essentiel [HA²] Matte Gel

This refreshing gel moisturizer pairs hyaluronic acid with leaf of life extract and alpine willowherb to help skin feel hydrated while keeping that shiny look under control.

7. UV protection

An often forgotten step when it comes to skincare for oily skin is applying sunscreen. Exposure to the sun causes your skin to dry out, which increases sebum production. So, no matter the weather, use sunscreen with broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher. And yes, you need sunscreen even during winter because the sun’s UV rays are still present and working against your skin.

Learn more about proper care for your skin in the sun from the Clarins Sun Care Blog.

Product pick: Dry Touch Facial Sunscreen – Broad Spectrum SPF 50+

This lightweight SPF has a velvety, dry-touch finish and is powered by Clarins’ Sun Plant Complex (plane tree, baobab, pea, senna, and olive tree extracts) to support comfortable daily wear while helping protect skin from UVA/UVB exposure. Designed to work on land or in water, you can tackle anything on your agenda with this sunscreen, from heading out to the shore with friends to going about your everyday tasks.

If you want more options to mix and match, explore our selection of oily skin products and build a routine that fits your day-to-day.

PM routine

1. Cleanse and remove makeup

Night cleansing is where your skincare routine for oily skin can really make a difference. Remove dirt and make-up from the day with a face cleanser designed to remove the build-up from your face. The goal here is to remove all the junk from your day, leaving you with a blank slate to tone and apply moisturizing and visibly renewing products as you drift off to sleep. This is an essential step in reducing the effects of leftover skin cells, dirt, and other environmental factors that can clog your pores and promote oily skin.

Product pick: MyClarins RE-MOVE Detoxifying Dermo-Cleansing Gel

A quick cleanse helps lift away any leftover residue, with meadowsweet and moringa extracts supporting that clean, fresh feel.

2. Toner

The next step in your face routine for oily skin is applying a toner. Alcohol-free toners prevent clogged pores and remove any residual oil and dirt from your face. Think of a toner as something that finishes the job that the cleanser started.

After you cleanse or exfoliate, soak two cotton pads with the toner and gently wipe them over your face. Aaaand that’s it! Allow it to work its magic and dry.

Product pick: Purifying Toning Face Lotion for Oily Skin

Witch hazel and meadowsweet extract help skin feel toned and refreshed, while the microbiote-focused complex supports a comfortable finish.

3. Serum

Product pick: Double Serum Light Texture

This lightweight texture layers easily at night and features turmeric among its plant extracts for a fresh finish that won’t feel greasy on the pillow.

4. Night cream

A night cream doesn’t have to be heavy to feel comforting. Look for a formula that supports your skin’s hydration barrier and helps you wake up looking more even and rested.

Product pick: My Clarins RE-CHARGE night cream

With alpenrose and huang qi, this night cream helps detoxify the skin by flushing out toxins and energizing the skin.

If you’re looking for a more personalized lineup (and the right order, every time), try our skincare regimen tool.

Additional steps

1. Weekly reset mask

A clay mask can help “reset” the look of skin when you’re looking for a little extra muscle to fight that shine.

Product pick: SOS Pure Rebalancing Clay Mask

White and green clays help absorb impurities, while alpine willowherb extract supports a fresher, more matte-looking finish and more refined pores.

2. Don’t forget the neck

Oil and congestion can show up below the jawline too, so bring your gentle cleansing and lightweight hydration down to the neck (same order, same textures). If you use a targeted serum for visible pores on your face, you can apply a thin layer along the neck as well. Just keep it light and let it absorb before moisturizer.

Product tip: Stick with gel-cream textures on the neck (like Hydra-Essentiel [HA²] Matte Gel) so skin feels comfortable and looks balanced all the way down.

What to Avoid for Oily Skincare Routines

When you have oily skin, the goal isn’t to “dry it out”; it’s to avoid the usual culprits that can leave skin feeling tight, only to look even shinier later. Ultra-rich, heavy creams, thick balms, and buttery-textured products can have this effect if you’re not careful. They can feel cozy, but on oily skin, they often sit on the surface and make any shine look more noticeable.

Finally, avoid harsh scrubs and overexfoliation. Too much “polishing” can leave skin feeling irritated, which isn’t helpful when you’re trying to keep your complexion looking calm and balanced.

What Causes Oily Skin on the Face?

Oily skin happens when your sebaceous glands produce more oil than your skin needs. This can be influenced by things like genetics, hormones, stress, weather (hello, humidity), and even skincare habits that leave skin feeling stripped.

As your body produces sebum, it travels to the surface of the skin, collecting cells that are shed inside the hair follicle. When a follicle is full, sebum flows onto the skin's surface and is joined by lipids from skin cells, sweat, and environmental matter. When this is trapped or allowed to pile up on the skin’s surface, it’s one of the leading reasons for oily skin, and you’ll see blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples rear their ugly heads.

What trips most people up is that when skin feels tight and “squeaky,” it’s not necessarily dried out. It may still look shinier later because it’s trying to get comfortable again.

That’s why choosing lightweight steps that keep skin looking balanced is so important when managing oil. And yes, moisturizer still belongs in a proper oily skincare routine. Skipping it doesn’t stop oil; it just leaves skin feeling less supported, which can make shine feel more noticeable.

If you’re not sure where you fall on the spectrum, start with our guide to oily or combination skin.

Frequently Asked Oily Skincare Questions

How can I control oily skin naturally?

You can help oily skin look more balanced by keeping your routine gentle and consistent. Start by using a cleanser in the morning and at night. Next, use lightweight hydration (yes, even if you’re shiny), and protect with SPF daily. Avoid over-scrubbing your skin with too much exfoliation. A simple skincare routine for oily skin, with products that have breathable textures, is the sweet spot.

Which products are best for oily skin?

The best picks for oily skin are lightweight, refreshing formulas that help reduce the look of shine while keeping skin comfortable. Think gel cleansers, balancing toners, weightless serums, and gel moisturizers. Layering also matters. Using products in the right order helps them perform better and keeps your oily skincare routine feeling fresh (not heavy).

What ingredients should I avoid if I have oily skin?

Skip heavy, rich textures that can sit on the surface (thick balms and dense creams), as well as alcohol-heavy toners that leave skin feeling tight. Also, keeping fragrance minimal can help your routine feel calmer and more consistent. The goal is to avoid any products that may make the shine look more intense later.