The 30 Best Moisturizers for Acne-Prone Skin

Embryolisse Emulsion Hydra-Mat

Oil Absorber

"Maintaining a hydrated skin barrier without adding excess oil is always a fine line with acne-prone skin," New York-based dermatologist Marnie Nussbaum explains. "I highly recommend moisturizers that are water-based and more of a gel-cream consistency rather than a thick emollient or ointment. Look for products that contain hyaluronic acid, glycerin and squalene which are hydrating with out clogging pores versus petrolatum or mineral-oil based products. I love Embryolisse Hydra-Mat emulsion as it soaks up excess oil while maintaining hydration."

Differin Oil Absorbing Moisturizer with Sunscreen

SPF-Included

You might already be familiar with Differin from their retinoid acne treatment. So, who better than them to deliver a moisturizer for acne-prone skin? New York-based dermatologist Melissa Levin, MD., raves, "The Differin Oil Absorbing Moisturizer SPF 30 is great for those with acne-prone skin because it has a lightweight formula that contains Micropearl technology, which absorbs surface oil for a matte finish, while also providing protection against harmful UV radiation including UVA/UVB rays."

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Moisturizer

The O.G. Pink Grapefruit Formula

I swear by this stuff. If, like me, you use an acne spot treatment that can't be worn during the day because it dries white, you're going to want to find a moisturizer that also works against your breakouts. This moisturizer is a game-changer. If your skin is super oily, or if you sweat a lot (like if it's summertime or you're going to the gym), you're going to want to check this formula out. Plus, the price simply cannot be beat.

TULA Skincare Breakout Star Oil-Free Acne Moisturizer

Boost & Brighten

So you want a moisturizer that won't break you out, but would you mind if we went ahead and added a few ingredients that heal past breakouts? This moisturizer from TULA not only uses salicylic acid to ease current blemishes, but it also uses azelaic acid to lighten scarring.

Tatcha The Water Cream

Tall Glass of Water

You know the refreshing feeling of that first splash of cool water on your face in the morning? Consider this gel formula that sensation, bottled. It imbues a boost of hydration that plumps the skin, while Japanese wild rose tightens pores and smooths  skin to reduce the appearance of cystic bumps. 

LANEIGE Water Bank Moisture Cream

The One With The Veggies

We love water-based moisturizers for their lightweight, non-oily feeling along with the powerful shot of hydration they provide. This bestselling formula incorporates unusual ingredients like brussels sprout, lima bean, and artichoke extract, resulting in an effective antidote to that horrible combination of flaky-oily skin that so many of us struggle with.

Origins Pore Clearing Moisturizer with Salicylic Acid

To Unclog Pores

Together, bamboo charcoal—that is, charcoal from the singed stalks of a bamboo tree—along with salicylic acid zap existing breakouts while preventing new ones from forming.

Tata Harper Clarifying Moisturizer

Natural Blemish Eraser 

Reducing the amount of sebum your skin produces can help prevent pores from becoming clogged with bacteria. Active ingredient saw palmetto helps balance sebum to mattify your complexion, while tazman pepper berry reduces redness.   

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

The Tried-And-True

There's a reason you can find this on the bathroom shelf of everyone you've ever met. Cetaphil is a no-frills, inexpensive moisturizer that protects skin's moisture barrier throughout the day. Because it lacks alcohol, fragrance, and other potentially irritating ingredients, it's recommended across the board by dermatologists for sensitive skin. 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat Face Moisturizer

A Matte Finish

A favorite among derms everywhere, this soothing and mattifying formula is anti-shine, which means your complexion won't look slick by mid-afternoon. For best results, look into pairing this moisturizer with La Roche Posay's gel cleanser for acne-prone skin.

Bioderma Sebium Mat Control

Acid Trip

"Bioderma Sebium global is a great moisturizer for acne prone skin," New York-based dermatologist Lily Talakoub, MD, says. "The biggest mistake acne prone consumers make is that they skip moisturizing for fear of more breakouts. However if the skin is not hydrated and gets dry it will actually produce more oil. This moisturizer contains AHA esters, salicylic acid, and citric acid to reduce blemishes while zinc gluconate, combined with enoxolone, soothes and reduces redness caused by inflammation."

Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer

Skin-Softener

If rosacea makes your acne appear worse, this formula eradicates even the most stubborn traces of redness. Sugarcane-derived squalane even softens the skin so your complexion feels pillowy and moisturized. 

Proactiv Complexion Perfecting Hydrator

Blackhead Eraser 

"This is a wonderful choice for acne-prone skin because it's lightweight, and doesn’t occlude or block pores, and it contains 0.5 percent salicylic acid," New York-based dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD, shares. "Salicylic acid is an ingredient that helps prevent future acne pimples and also treats current pimples by dissolving blackheads and whiteheads. Salicylic acid is a bacteriostatic ingredient and targets the bacteria that live on the skin and play a role in acne formation. This product also contains licorice root extract and kojic acid: both improve the pigmented and dark marks that acne leaves behind; essentially the 'stains' on the skin from old pimples."

Paula's Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer

Gatorade for the Skin

This formula comes out of the bottle in an air-light whip, and it melts on contact with your skin. It's ingredients are just as refreshing: electrolytes recharge tired looking skin, and calcium and potassium strengthen the moisture barrier.  

Peter Thomas Roth Acne-Clear Oil-Free Matte Moisturizer

Soothing Treatment

If you haven't tried a matte moisturizer, you haven't lived. No one wants to apply makeup atop a greasy canvas (read: face), and this moisturizer eliminates that issue while also incorporating hyaluronic acid, soothing, aloe vera, and, of course, salicylic acid.

Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb

Moisture Bomb

This cream "bursts" into a lush, moisturizing gel on contact, reduces redness, and cools an irritated visage. And it can boost your skin's hydration levels by a whopping 70 percent without the heaviness of a standard cream. 

EltaMD AM Therapy Facial Moisturizer

All Day Moisture

Willow bark extract stimulates the formation of new, unpocked skin, while niacinamide and hyaluronate moisturize sans oil.

Face Reality Skincare Clearderma Moisturizer

Non-Irritating Botanicals

Sometimes botanical-based moisturizers can be too triggering for already inflamed, acne-prone skin. This formula, however, incorporates a gentle blend of green tea, lilac, and cranberry fruit extract in order to soothe your inflamed skin and reestablish an ideal moisture balance. 

PCA Skin Clearskin

Dermatologist Fave

This cool, jelly-like cream calms and hydrates thanks to cucumber, niacinamide and redness reducing borage seed oil. Try it as a soothing base under more potent treatments, like a retinol cream or spot treatment.

Glossier Super Pure

Lightweight and Simple

It's not a regular serum, it's a water-gel serum, with two efficacious acne-moisturizers: Rebalancing niacinamide and decongesting zinc, which clear pores without causing redness or scaly patches. 

Stryke Club Calm Down Moisturizer

Affordable and Natural

Ingredients like alcohol and sulfates, which are found in many popular creams, can disrupt already-struggling skin. Stryke Club's Calm Down Moisturizer has none of that, using non-reactive elements like sunflower oil, rice bran extract, and vitamin E instead for a formula that's both hydrating and soothing.

Eminence Organic Skin Care Acne Advanced Clarifying Hydrator

Organic Option

We love organic options. And this fast-absorbing, milky liquid, along with being sustainable, will provide you with exfoliating, redness-zapping moisture that works hard to clear your skin so that you can sit back and relax.

Korres Pomegranate Moisturising & Balancing Cream-Gel

Fruit-Forward Formula

In this formula, antioxidant-packed pomegranate helps you achieve a fresh-faced glow without irritating your delicate skin. This active ingredient also reduces the appearance of pores, while salicylic acid gently unclogs them and exfoliates away dead cells. 

DR. BARBARA STURM Clarifying Face Cream

Antibacterial Ace

"I created my Clarifying Face Cream with acne-prone skin specifically in mind," skin expert Dr. Barbara Sturm shares. "I tell many of my clients who have problematic skin that it is a common misconception that skin prone to acne and breakouts should be dried out. In fact, it is even more important to moisturize it as most breakouts are exacerbated by inflammation and dryness...The cream works as an anti-bacterial and helps target inflammation before it occurs. When used as part of your daily skincare routine, it will result in a more even and more clarified complexion."

Renée Rouleau Skin Recovery Lotion

Instant Calm

"When the skin's barrier has been damaged from drying acne products, keep your skincare routine simple by only using a gentle cleanser and a calming moisturizer," Rouleau explains. "Twice a day, morning and night, you’ll want to cleanse and immediately follow with the application of a moisturizer. If your skin is in an inflamed state due to harsh acne treatments, less is more right now.  The skin needs water, not oil. Use an oil-free, water-soluble lotion like my Skin Recovery Lotion, which is great for repairing the skin's moisture barrier packed with bisabolol, a soothing and calming plant-based anti-irritant derived from chamomile."

G.M. Collin Puracne Treating Gel

Inflammation Queller

"This gel contains a complexity of ingredients to eliminate breakouts and induce a healthier complexion," aesthetician and global educator for G.M. Collin Karen Asquith explains. "Salicylic acid, the gold standard to treat acne, provides a keratolytic and comedolytic effect while visibly decreasing inflammation. Niacinamide improves the appearance of enlarged pores, helps regulate sebaceous lipid and acne, and imparts a more even-looking skin tone."

Joanna Vargas Daily Serum

Complexion Green Juice

"My Daily Serum is a lightweight gel formula, created to address breakouts and hydration issues without clogging pores, and with no harsh chemicals," Joanna Vargas explains. "It works for all skin types and makes you look like you’re glowing from 10 miles away. Inspired by my love of green juices, it contains oat grass juice for the lymphatic system, chlorophyll for oxygenation, Vitamins A,C,E and F found in leafy greens, and hyaluronic acid which holds 1,000 times its weight in water. My favorite ingredient is Galactoarabinan, which is derived from the larch tree, because it causes more cell turnover than a glycolic, and is anti-inflammatory, so it won’t cause irritation, even in sensitive skin. The serum also contains minerals that control the oil production in the skin."

Snow Fox Skin Care Cucumber Recovery Serum

Cool As A Cucumber

"I suggest Snow Fox's Cucumber Recovery Serum, as it is a non clogging moisturizer with 200,000 molecular weights of hyaluronic acid," skincare expert and founder of Snow Fox Skincare Phoebe Song shares. "High concentrate HA serums that have low or non comedogenic properties won't clog pores. It's paired with a cucumber recovery tonic, which has a concentrated rose water base. Rose water is great for rebalancing the natural pH of skin, which can help reduce inflammation and regulate oil production."

Dove DermaSeries Fragrance-Free Face Cream

"This keeps the skin barrier health top of mind," Connecticut-based dermatologist, Mona Gohara, MD recommends. "Its simple, fragrance-free formulation keeps the acne fire from being stoked. Although it’s a cream, it is non-comedogenic, cosmetically elegant and easy to layer. I often use it as my last step before makeup when I am going out at night. "

MMBalance Serum

Redness Reducer

"This is best for acne-prone skin because it acts as a serum and moisturizer, and keeps your routine short and simple," board certified dermatologist, Ellen Marmur, MD, who also is the founder of Marmur Metamorphosis. "The amazing ingredients such as canadian willow herb, niacinamide and pre- and probiotics help sooth not only acne but also rosacea, redness, inflammation, and dryness. Massage one to two pumps of serum to face, neck and chest."