Best Face Moisturizer For Acne Prone Skin

Contrary to popular belief, acne doesn’t just pop up because of overly oily skin.

With a breakout in full sight, a moisturizer might be the last thing you want to slap onto your face. But there are so many reasons why you actually should still be keeping your skin moisturized with a cream or lotion. Plus, it might actually help you fight your breakout and prevent against future ones too by keeping your skin balanced. We’re giving you our top picks for acne-friendly moisturizers to help you find that much-needed relief.

How to choose the best face moisturizer for acne-prone skin

Contrary to popular belief, acne doesn’t just pop up because of overly oily skin. It’s true that excess oil sitting on your skin can clog up your pores and cause an infection. But why is your skin overproducing that sebum in the first place? Your skin might be dried out by harsh acne treatments and sun damage, and produce too much sebum to compensate. That’s why a moisturizer could help prevent against future breakouts.

Second, moisturizers work to seal in important moisture and nutrients into your skin, thus increasing the efficiency of your skin care routine. The good news is that there are plenty of lightweight formulas out there that will still let your skin breathe, while still providing deep hydration to balance your skin. And before you turn to an oil-free formula, just remember that not all plant oils are alike, and some can actually help you fight those pesky pimples.

Not-so-ideal ingredients for acne

• Cocoa butter: A deeply moisturizing plant butter, but it may clog your pores.
• Silicones: Creates a tight smooth finish. But isn’t the easiest to wash off skin and can end up drying up skin and clogging pores in the long run.
• PEG compounds: Petroleum-based compounds that may not only clog your pores, but has been found to be contaminated with the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane.

Good ingredients for acne

• Shea butter: An anti-inflammatory ingredient that’s a lot less likely to clog your pores than cocoa butter.
• Argan oil: Naturally non-comedogenic, and also rich in linoleic acid that can help balance out acne-prone skin!
• Jojoba oil: Similar in composition to your sebum, so it’s highly compatible with your skin and can lessen excessive greasiness in your skin.

Best face moisturizers for acne-prone skin

Blemish Balm Moisturizer from Osea
If acne is almost a daily occurrence for your complexion, you’ll want to pick up this moisturizing lotion that contains active anti-acne ingredients in it that won’t dry out your skin. Tea tree oil actively works to fight acne-causing bacteria, while a blend of botanicals help ease inflammation in existing breakouts. Contains anti-aging grapeseed oil and jojoba oil, so this formula won’t dry out your skin.

Incredibly Clear Mattifying Moisturizer from Acure
Looking to achieve that flawless matte finish in the summertime without sucking out moisture from your skin? This fast-absorbing moisturizer should help do the trick. It’s packed with linoleic acid rich argan oil that helps to nourish your acne-prone skin, while lilac and chlorella help improve the appearance of your skin tone, smoothing out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Fortifying Face Balm from Ursa Major
Here’s another efficient moisturizer that delivers nutrients into skin without overwhelming your pores. This lightweight gel moisturizer has a serum-like feel that leaves skin feeling tighter and smoother, thanks to kendi seed and carrot seed oil. It contains salicylic acid from willow bark too to keep your pores purified. This weightless formula is definitely something we’d want to wear under our sunscreen on a sweaty summer day!

Purely Simple Face Cream from Osmia
This cream was actually formulated for people with perioral dermatitis in mind, so it has a lower percentage of oil-based ingredients. So if your acne reacts negatively to oil-based products, give this one a try! Organic aloe juice hydrates while also soothing inflamed skin. This simple yet effective formula is ideal for sensitive and oily skin types. It’s perfect for use as your daily moisturizer.

Hydra Drench Cream from 100% Pure
If your skin is severely oily and totally off balance, it may be in need of more hydrating ingredients and less oil-based ingredients to lock the hydration in (because that’s what your sebum does too!). This cream helps out on the hydrating end by delivering hyaluronic acid and rosewater into your deprived skin cells. Omega fatty acid rich chia seed gel helps support balanced, healthier skin.

Acai Kombucha Oil-Free Moisturizer from Andalou Naturals
Probiotics have been a popular trend in beauty, and the idea is that they’re meant to help provide a healthier bacterial balance on your skin and lessen the amount of acne-causing bacteria. This probiotic moisturizer also helps target damaged skin with argan stem cells and acai berry. Willow bark actively helps keep pores clear of buildup.

If your acne treatment methods have been going nowhere, it might be time to try something new. We recommend simple, clean, plant-based skin care that won’t do more harm to your skin, and gently treat breakouts with soothing botanicals. Don’t skip out on your skin care routine, and remember that cleansing and moisturizing are the two most important steps your skin needs! With some extra attention and care, your skin should finally reach the balance you’ve been looking for.