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People with oily skin constantly deal with excessive shine on their faces. Battling oily skin is frustrating because there can be many different reasons for the relentless shine. Generally, it is caused when the sebaceous glands produce too much oil. But the excessive oil production can be caused by hormones, stress, the weather or genetics.
The good news is that you can take steps to control the amount of oil on your face.Wash your face twice a day, and also after exercise, but don’t scrub your face. That can irritate the skin and cause issues.
After washing, use a natural astringent toner like witch hazel to shrink pores so dirt doesn’t enter. Use blotting pads to make your face look less shiny – they won’t stop sebum production, but will reduce the oil on top of your skin.
Take the first step in controlling that excess oil and choose one of these 18 best face washes for oily skin in 2023.
1. Blu Atlas Volcanic Ash Face Cleanser
For a natural option with clean ingredients, look no further than Blu Atlas’ Volcanic Ash Face Cleanser. Ninety-eight percent of the ingredients in this face cleanser come from natural sources such as plants, fruits and minerals. This vegan face wash is made clean in New York and contains no phthalates, parabens, sulfates or synthetic fragrances, and is cruelty-free.
One of the best face washes for oily skin in 2023, the Blu Atlas Volcanic Ash Face Cleanser removes dirt and grime with gentle exfoliation. Tiny particles of volcanic ash absorb excess oil from your skin and gently strip environmental contaminants that lead to acne. The ash also tightens large pores, another issue that often accompanies oily skin.
Lactobacillus ferment filtrate, a probiotic, comforts the skin to ensure the skin’s microbiome is healthy enough to withstand attacks from environmental aggressors. Pomegranate seed oil helps skin grow back strong due to its high levels of vitamins, protein, fiber and fatty acids. Your face will look younger and healthier because of these powerhouse ingredients.
This face wash is safe for all skin types, so you and your partner can both use it, even if one person has dry skin and the other oily.
2. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel 
La Roche-Posay’s extensive line of skincare products has the backing of over 90,000 dermatologists worldwide. One ingredient you can find in every one of their products is the proprietary La Roche-Posay thermal spring water.
This unique thermal spring water can only be found in La Roche-Posay, France, and is rich in selenium, an antioxidant that soothes the face to battle irritation and redness.
The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Cleanser for Oily Skin works for oily skin and sensitive skin, so it’s gentle enough to cleanse the face without irritating like tough exfoliators do. This solution keeps your skin pH balanced and won’t clog pores, a major issue for those with oily skin.
The other active ingredient is zinc pidolate, which absorbs oil and cleans the skin. This solution is gentle enough to be used twice a day, and should be followed by the Effaclar Mat Moisturizer. If you’re going out in the sun, also apply the Anthelios Clear Skin Oil-Free Sunscreen.
When using this regularly, reviewers saw results quickly and noted that this cleanser doesn’t dry out their faces like the other ones they tried.
3. Obagi Medical CLENZIderm M.D.® Daily Care Foaming Cleanser
For people with severely oily faces that cause acne breakouts and other painful issues, it is advisable to look into entire skincare solutions from trusted sources. Skincare products by Obagi Medical are created with over 30 years of clinical experience, focusing on the skin’s biology to formulate products that work.
Anyone with aggressively oily skin should try Obagi Medical’s CLENZIderm M.D.® Daily Care Foaming Cleanser. This tough cleanser works for people with normal to oily skin and uses salicylic acid as the main ingredient to fight acne caused by oil buildup.
Obagi Medical recommends that people with oily skin use a combination of salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide to fight their pimples or cystic acne. The benzoyl peroxide kills harmful bacteria living on your skin and salicylic acid works as a chemical exfoliant to remove dead skin, grime and oil buildup.
With this treatment, you shouldn’t just buy the face wash. For best results, add the CLENZIderm M.D.® Pore Cleanser, which also contains salicylic acid, and the CLENZIderm M.D.® Therapeutic Lotion, which contains benzoyl peroxide.
4. First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser With Red Clay
First Aid Beauty focuses on creating clean skincare solutions that are safe for everyone to use. Their line is cruelty-free, dermatologist-tested, free of artificial fragrances and works for people with sensitive skin.
If you have oily skin that breaks out with harsh exfoliant cleansers, try the soothing Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay. This is one of the best face washes for oily skin because it uses gentle, natural ingredients to deeply clean the skin to draw out dirt and grime while avoiding breakouts or redness.
This cleanser is a dark orange due to the main ingredient, red clay, which removes contaminants from the skin’s many layers so it feels fresh and healthy. Rosemary leaf oil is an essential oil that fights against bacteria that get trapped in your pores.
Glycerin works as a humectant, so it reduces the loss of moisture in your skin. This removes the appearance of fine lines and makes your face look dewy and feel soft.
For best results, use a dime-sized amount of this cleanser on a wet face day and night. Wash it off with water or a damp washcloth to fully remove the red clay.
5. Kiehl’s Oil Eliminator Deep Cleansing Exfoliating Face Wash for Men
In general, men are more likely to suffer from oily skin than women. Men naturally produce twice the amount of sebum that women do, which can lead to more buildup in the pores and shine on the surface of the skin. If men shave daily, the constant use of a razor can also lead to irritation.
In order to fight acne, men need strong skincare solutions that are gentle enough to not irritate the face, like Kiehl’s Exfoliating Face Wash. Crushed apricot seeds work out tough dirt and filth stuck deep in the skin. The cleanser also washes away surface oil, but it doesn’t make the skin feel dry.
For best results, use this on a wet face once a day. Rub the exfoliator in circles all over your face. Wash with warm water and pat dry, ensuring that none of the solution gets into your eyes.
Kiehl’s recommends two other products, which men should use in tandem with their exfoliating face wash: the Oil Eliminator Refreshing Shine Control Toner for Men and the Oil Eliminator 24-Hour Anti-Shine Moisturizer for Men.
6. Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm
An annoying aspect of skincare is that it can feel like you should have a hundred different products in your cabinet. When you can combine products to tackle multiple skincare needs, it saves you time and money.
Anyone with oily skin who also wears makeup should consider trying Farmacy’s Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm. This potent product is a makeup remover and a face cleanser all in one.
In the jar, the product looks like a thick balm. Once you apply it to your face, it changes into an oily substance that lathers easily. This is a certified clean product, so you can feel good about applying it to your face.
Papaya extract helps your skin shine (in a good way!), making you appear more youthful. Added essential oils, including lime, bergamot and orange, smell good and give your skin critical nutrients.
To use this product, scoop out a healthy portion and apply it to a dry face. With your fingers, work the product into the skin gently, with circular motions that go upward and outward. Wash off with water, and break down any stubborn makeup areas with a cloth or cotton pad.
7. Vichy Laboratories Normaderm Phytoaction Daily Deep Cleansing Gel
To test the results of their Normaderm Phytoaction Daily Deep Cleansing Gel, Vichy Laboratories conducted a consumer study on 54 women with oily skin over four weeks. They found that after the participants washed their face one time with the Normaderm Phytoaction Daily Deep Cleansing Gel, 94% said their skin looked less oily and 93% said their face was less shiny.
After four weeks of use, 98% of participants said their skin looked smoother, 89% said they had a balanced skin tone and 85% said that they couldn’t see their imperfections as clearly as before.
These results make Vichy Laboratories’ Normaderm Daily Deep Cleansing Gel a major contender for the best face wash for oily skin in 2023. This product is made for adult skin to remove oil and dirt so your skin looks healthy and the texture looks even.
This product is full of natural ingredients, including salicylic acid, zinc, copper and the proprietary Vichy volcanic water to unclog pores, reduce acne and get rid of blackheads.
The product starts as a gel. Apply it to a wet face, and it will turn into a rich lather beneath your fingers. The cleanser won’t make your face feel too dry, so it’s great for people with acne-prone sensitive skin.
8. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash
Some of the options on this list are quite expensive, and not everyone has a monthly budget of $150 for skincare. For a simple solution from a brand that makes tried and true skincare products, try Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Acne Wash.
At around $10 a bottle, this budget option uses mostly natural ingredients to clean up pores. Salicylic acid is the main ingredient. It works as a chemical exfoliant to remove oil and buildup caught in pores that cause acne.
Neutrogena also promises that their MicroClear Technology works as acne medication to clear up acne and blackheads, but doesn’t say exactly what that is. However, this product has the backing of some dermatologists and promises to clean without drying out the skin or clogging pores.
At the end of the day, if you need a cheap solution, this one would be a good choice. However, it doesn’t promise to be cruelty-free or be free of artificial colors, which are listed as ingredients on the website. The company also says the ingredients are subject to change and cannot promise that they are up-to-date, so you may not know exactly what you’re putting on your face.
9. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
Another drugstore favorite, CeraVe is a more expensive option than Neutrogena but still fits in most budgets, at around $16 a bottle. CeraVe is a favorite for people with dry, sensitive skin, but they also make fantastic products for people with normal to oily skin.
Their Foaming Facial Cleanser promises to clear oil and dirt off your face without harming the skin’s environment. Ceramides naturally occur on your skin – they’re the glue that holds skin together – so CeraVe adds them to their products to seal in moisture on your skin’s barrier to better protect against environmental damage.
Hyaluronic acid maintains the skin’s moisture and makes the skin fuller and plumper due to its humectant properties. Niacinamide (also known as vitamin B3) is water soluble, so it ensures the skin stays healthy, increasing the water in the upper layers so it stays hydrated and keeps an even tone.
This mellow formula is safe to use as many times as you need throughout the day. It was developed by dermatologists, so it’s guaranteed to be non-comedogenic and gentle on the skin.
10. Ole Henriksen Find Your Balance Oil Control Cleanser
Ole Henriksen doesn’t just want you to guess which cleanser to implement for the best face wash routine. Head to their website and check out their Ole Routine Skincare Finder to take a quiz and discover which combination of products works best for you.
Odds are, if you struggle with oily skin, you’ll want to take a look at Ole Henriksen’s Find Your Balance Oil Control Cleanser. Free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates, this product is full of clean ingredients to cleanse oily faces so well that you’ll be ready to pose for photos again.
Ole Henriksen’s proprietary Green Tea Fusion complex is a mix of botanicals, like green tea, kelp and Irish moss extracts, that suck the excess oil off your face so that pores are clean and free of debris. Neem seed oil contains fatty acids and antioxidants that promote healthy skin so you have a shiny, fresh complexion.
Glycolic and lactic acids are chemical exfoliants that gently remove dead skin so it doesn’t get stuck in your pores and cause acne. Other helpful ingredients include peppermint oil, sodium hydroxide, glycerin and eucalyptus leaf extract.
In a one-week clinical study, 36 people agreed that this product cleansed their skin and removed excess surface oil.
11. Boscia Detoxifying Black Charcoal Cleanser
Boscia touts itself as the leader of clean beauty, opening its doors in 2002 to create plant-to-bottle formulas that show better results than the harmful chemical options on the market.
These fantastic natural solutions actually work, landing Boscia’s Detoxifying Black Charcoal Cleanser as one of the best face washes for oily skin in 2023. This warming gel works as both a makeup remover and a cleanser, so you get a two-for-one deal with this bottle.
Naturally occurring ingredients are the star of this potent blend. Activated charcoal makes the cleanser black. It removes dirt, oil and toxins in the skin while gently exfoliating so your pores look better the longer you use it.
Artichoke leaf extract makes your skin tighter and more malleable so that pores appear smaller. It reduces hyperpigmentation and tightens the pore wall so less dirt can make its way through.
Vitamin P is an ingredient you may not have heard of. Also called flavonoids, this compound naturally occurs in citrus peels and helps increase blood flow to the skin, which is how the face wash creates its warming effect. Last, the Boscia signature botanical blend of jojoba and willowherb saves your skin from free radicals while preventing inflammation.
12. WOW Skin Science Apple Cider Vinegar Foam Exfoliating Face Wash and Brush
If you want a face wash option that includes a brush, try WOW Skin Science’s Apple Cider Vinegar Foam Exfoliating Face Wash and Brush.
Powerful natural ingredients from plants include apple cider vinegar, aloe vera and vitamins B5 and E. These nutrients brighten your face and help remove the appearance of skin cracks, damaged skin from redness and other types of blemishes. The face wash is safe for people with sensitive skin, but they may not want to use the exfoliating brush.
The brush is made of soft silicone bristles that remove dead skin so fresh, youthful skin remains on top. Use the brush daily with two to three pumps of foam face wash. This works to tighten the pores so that the skin can better protect you from environmental contaminants.
This product promises to cut down on breakouts from whiteheads or blackheads without overdrying the skin. If you’re not happy with the product, contact WOW Skin Science through Amazon and they will offer you a full refund.
13. Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1
Garnier may be best known for their hair-care products, but they also create affordable skincare solutions. There are many different types of Micellar Cleansing Water, so head to Garnier’s website to take a test to find the right one for you.
The All-in-1 variety was made for every skin type and is safe for people with sensitive skin. It’s a gentle cleanser and a makeup remover. You can use it safely on your face, lips and eyes, and don’t have to rinse it off afterward.
The active ingredients in this water are the micelles, which can easily lift makeup and dirt. To use the product, pour it onto a clean cotton pad and gently wipe away the makeup, dirt and impurities.
Micellar Cleansing Water can also be used to help with specific issues. Try the Micellar Cleansing water to remove hair color stains, clean skin before a wax, get rid of excessive self-tanner, remove makeup buildup from brushes, wash your face after a workout or get rid of makeup mistakes.
14. NutraNuva Face Food All-in-One Cleanser, Exfoliator and Toner
If you have oily skin and are looking for a skincare solution packed with natural ingredients, try NutraNuva’s Face Food All-in-One Cleanser, Exfoliator and Toner. This magical mix works as three different skincare solutions. Twenty-four potent ingredients will reduce oil on the skin while making you look younger.
Ingredients include aloe vera to soothe the skin, apple fruit extract to renew skin cell’s vibrancy, bergamot for an antioxidant boost, and Chinese quince, which works as an antibacterial to fight painful skin breakouts.
This product also works as anti-aging skincare, so it’s suitable for men and women in their golden years who are looking for a youthful glow. It leaves a pleasant scent of natural green tea and mint to relax and refresh you throughout your day.
15. Skinfix Acne+ 2% BHA Cleanser
Skinfix created this cleanser to specifically target breakouts caused by excessive sebum buildup. Like many other cleansers for oily skin, this uses salicylic acid as the main BHA to help shed dead skin cells and remove excess sebum from pores.
However, there are also other acids, including azelaic and glycolic, to boost the effects of salicylic acid. Niacinamide is added to treat hyperpigmentation that comes after a breakout, while green tea and zinc are soothing elements to tone down inflammation.
Even though this is a powerful vegan cleanser, it’s safe to use every day because it targets the skin’s pH to ensure the environment is balanced for maximum health. This product has been tested by unbiased dermatologists and is free from harmful chemicals like fragrance, silicone/dimethicone, parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, phthalates, lanolin and gluten.
16. Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser
Paula’s Choice created their Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser based on research from prominent science journals. This clean solution lands on our list of the best face washes for oily skin due to its lightweight formula that removes makeup, dirt and oil while healing your skin from painful acne or irritation. Sunflower seed oil is rich in vitamin E, which in turn is full of antioxidants that help your skin fight acne, inflammation and excessive redness.
Aloe barbadensis and glycerin deeply moisturize the skin and can help with conditions like eczema. Stearic acid strengthens the skin barrier by removing dead cells. Cetearyl alcohol softens the skin so it doesn’t feel dry after cleansing.
17. C.O. Bigelow Face Care Collection Oily Skin Foaming Facial Wash
C.O. Bigelow got its start in the popular Greenwich district of Manhattan in the 1800s, creating skincare products to tackle every issue. The Oily Skin Foaming Facial Wash has been developed by Bigelow chemists and is dermatologist tested to clean normal to oily skin.
Four natural extracts make up the ingredients in this cleanse. Grapefruit extract provides anti-aging benefits, including protection against free radicals. Lemon extract works as an astringent to buff away dull skin so it appears bright and healthy again. Mandarin orange extract smells fantastic and adds antioxidants and vitamins critical for your skin’s health. Finally, ginger root extract increases blood flow to the face.
When used daily, this cleanser removes oil, dirt and other environmental contaminants so your face feels invigorated and refreshed. This formula is not tested on animals and is free of SLS and parabens.
18. Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser
Youth to the People creates vegan skincare out of plant superfoods so you’re feeding your face with the healthiest nutrients possible. Their Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser touts itself as a daily green juice for your face.
The main active ingredients are kale, spinach, green tea and alfalfa, as well as vitamins C and E. Kale is full of phytonutrients, which can help protect your face from harmful UV rays. Spinach naturally hydrates the face and cools it down to heal and prevent inflammation. Green tea is full of essential oils and fatty acids that keep skin looking lustrous and feeling healthy.
This product is safe to use on all skin types and is made in the USA without animal testing. It’s also free of parabens, PEGs, phthalates and dimethicone. For the best results, use it in the morning and at night to prevent dead skin and dirt from building up in your face’s pores.
