Best Cleansers for Oily Skin

Ranked by 334 mentions across Reddit · Updated November 2026

Top picks· 76

Oily skin: foaming gel. Dry or sensitive: creamy wash.

Reddit’s top pick

Foaming Facial Cleanser

CeraVe62 mentions

from $17

The why

Greasy mornings trigger an occasional wash; otherwise, some use only water until their face feels very oily.

“Morning: usually just water, sometimes CeraVe if my face feels very oily.”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction

One minus

Can leave cheeks tight, dry, or visibly stripped

Good forOily Skin, Combination Skin

Compare the top 5

	1 CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser	2 La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser	3 Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser	4 ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener	5 CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser
	Top pick		Budget pick
Reddit mentions	62	30	21	20	17
Price	from $17	from $19	from $11	from $24	from $12
Better for	—	—	—	Texture/Pores	—
Key ingredients	Ceramides, Niacinamide	—	—	—	Salicylic Acid, Ceramides

Want something lighter? COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

Want something richer? Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser

Community take

For oily skin, Redditors most often recommend gentle foaming cleansers, especially CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. They commonly use it once daily to cleanse oily skin without adding harsh acne washes to their routine.

What works

Foaming cleansers are often recommended for removing excess oil.
CeraVe Foaming Cleanser fits simple once-daily routines.
Some use it in the morning when skin feels very oily.

Watch out for

Harsh acne washes are cautioned against for causing irritation and peeling.
Salicylic acid cleansers may not suit routines already using Differin.

The full ranking

1025 Dokdo Cleanser
Round Lab15 mentions
Morning use leaves faces clean and soft without feeling too drying, a draw for oily routines.
“Round Lab Dodko Cleanser: I use this in the morning because it isn't too drying and my skin feels clean and soft”
— Reddit, r/AsianBeauty
from $12
Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
COSRX11 mentions
Morning cleansing gets a slightly deeper clean without stripping, which is why people recommend it for oiliness.
“slightly deeper clean without stripping”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $7
Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Cleanser
La Roche-Posay9 mentions
Through-the-day oil gets the standout mention, with one user saying their face produces little.
“When I used to use La Roche Posay Effaclar Cleanser, my skin didn't produce much oil through the day.”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $18
Acne Foaming Wash
PanOxyl8 mentions
Use it as a mask on greasy areas for 5–10 minutes, two or three times weekly.
“Panoxyl contains Benzoyl Peroxide to target excess grease and acne.”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
Blemish Control Cleanser
CeraVe7 mentions
Leaving it on for three minutes gives salicylic acid more contact time before rinsing.
“AM: Cerave acne control cleanser (let sit for 3 mins)”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $17
Gentle Skin Cleanser
Cetaphil7 mentions
After splashing with plain water, they reach for it if feeling oily.
“Splash with plain water (or cetaphil gentle cleanser if feeling oily).”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $13
SoonJung pH 6.5 Whip Cleanser
ETUDE6 mentions
Whip texture leaves no film, while oily, acne-prone users say it cleans without stripping.
“Currently using Etude Soonjung 6.5 Whip Cleanser, love the texture and how it doesn’t leave a film.”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $10
Sensibio H2O Micellar Water
Bioderma5 mentions
Solo cleansing earns one commenter’s “brilliant” verdict.
“I use the Bioderma as a single cleanser. It’s brilliant.”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $6
Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel
Haruharu Wonder5 mentions
During barrier flares, it cleans without over-stripping or irritation.
“It cleanses without over-stripping my skin and doesn’t irritate me when my barrier is flaring up.”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $9
Gleanser
Prequel5 mentions
Easily stripped complexions praise its lather, while oily users call it their favorite cleanser.
“I have oily skin that get stripped easily by cleansers and this is my absolute favorite cleanser.”
— Reddit, r/Rosacea

Gentle Facial Cleanser
Vanicream5 mentions
Morning cleansing gets oil off without stripping, even for users who feel oily after water alone.
“doesn't strip anything but actually gets the oil off”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $9
Cleansing Foam
Avene4 mentions
Skipped morning washes bring lunchtime breakouts, while twice-daily cleansing leaves skin clean without tightness or dryness.
“if I skip a morning cleanse (and just use water, for example), I break out by lunchtime lol.”
— Reddit, r/Rosacea
from $24
Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
Beauty of Joseon4 mentions
Returning after a cleanser switch, one commenter says their skin goes back to normal.
“So I went back to my BOJ green plum refreshing cleanser”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $9
Green Tea Fresh Cleanser
Isntree4 mentions
Gel-to-light-foam texture cuts through grease, though some users report tightness afterward.
“great cleanser gel to light foam texture, has extracts to cut through grease”
— Reddit, r/AsianBeauty
from $10
Perfect Whip Cleansing Foam
Senka4 mentions
Less than a pea-sized dab leaves oily faces clean without that tight, stripped feeling.
“seems to keep oil under control w/o feeling tight, dry, or like it strips my skin”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $4
Heartleaf 77% Clear Cleansing Oil
Anua3 mentions
Pore cleanup is the draw: shoppers say the oil cleanser does the heavy lifting in keeping pores clean.
“the oil cleanser definitely does the heavy lifting in keeping the pores clean”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $17
SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1
Garnier3 mentions
Face-washing haters reach for micellar water when they know they need to wash but dislike the sensory experience.
“Garnier Micellar Water- Combination and oily skin. (Mainly sensory reasons. I hate washing my face, but I know I need to.)”
— Reddit
Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil
Kose3 mentions
Sunscreen, makeup, and sebum come off, and one user says that helped lessen their breakouts.
“I love the pink softymo cleansing oil. I think it actually helped lessen my breakouts because it really gets rid of suncreen, makeup, and sebum.”
— Reddit, r/AsianBeauty
from $6
Mung Bean pH-Balanced Cleansing Foam
beplain3 mentions
Congested pores are the cue for reaching for this foam, and users also say it helps with excess oil.
“Beplain Mungbean, for when my pores are congested.”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $9
Niacinamide Cleansing Gelée 3%
Naturium3 mentions
Summer use leaves my face clean, but not dry or stripped.
“I like it as my summer cleanser. I won't say it's stripping. It leaves my face feeling clean but not dry or stripped.”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $17
Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser
COSRX3 mentions
Nighttime use is how one commenter works the salicylic-acid wash into their routine.
“I use the salicylic acid cleanser at night.”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $11
Madagascar Centella Ampoule Foam
Skin10043 mentions
Second-cleanse routines use the foam for a morning wash, though one user finds it a little too strong.
“can definitely second all of the skin1004 products, especially the ampoule foam and the sunscreen.”
— Reddit, r/koreanskincare
from $10
Redness Reform Sulfur Cleanser (2.5% Colloidal Sulfur)
Prequel3 mentions
Rosacea users leave the cleanser on for a couple of minutes after cleansing, with oily, acne-prone skin also mentioned.
“Prequel Redness Reform Sulfur Cleanser is awesome for rosacea with oily/combo skin.”
— Reddit, r/Rosacea
from $17
Salicylic Acid + LHA 2% Face Cleanser
Minimalist2 mentions
Once-daily washing helps control sebum overproduction in oily skin.
“Salicylic acid based cleansers ( I use Minimalist Salicylic +LHA 2%, but there might be more effective ones out there)- once a day is helpful to control sebum overproduction of oily skin.”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
from $7
Azelaic Acid Niacinamide Deep Clean Whip Cleanser
Medicube2 mentions
Azelaic-acid cleanser draws one “good luck” mention; commenters don’t specify results for oily skin.
“Medicube Azelaic Acid Cleanser or the Blue Zero Cleanser are all ones I’ve had good luck with.”
— Reddit, r/SkincareAddiction
Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Cetaphil2 mentions
Extremely greasy users reach for it daily and say they don’t need extra moisture.
“I use Cetaphil gentle foaming cleanser everyday. Type 2. But I am extremely greasy.”
— Reddit, r/Rosacea
from $9