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Face oil is the step people either swear by or skip. Used right, it locks in hydration and leaves skin with a healthy sheen. Used wrong, it just sits on top and feels greasy. We judged real face oil formulas on ingredients, texture, and value. A few are also good enough to double as slip for gua sha.
By Rowan Avery Editorial Director Updated July 5, 2026 Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Some links on this page are affiliate links.
Face Oils
The Ordinary
It's single-ingredient, non-comedogenic, and inexpensive enough to use generously without rationing drops. That makes it the easiest oil to recommend across skin types.
The Inkey List
A wax ester close to skin's own sebum, it absorbs quickly and rarely feels heavy. It's also one of the lowest prices per ounce in this category.
Josie Maran
Higher in oleic acid than squalane or jojoba, it sits with more richness. It visibly softens rough patches without a sticky finish.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Every product here is judged on our five-part rubric — formulation quality, the strength of the evidence behind its key actives, texture and daily wearability, value, and the pattern of real long-term user experience. We don’t publish fabricated star ratings, and we flag at least one honest downside on every pick. Anything genuinely medical is referred to a dermatologist.
Full methodologyA face oil is a concentrated blend of plant oils, sometimes with a few actives added. It sits as the last step in a routine and reinforces skin's own lipid barrier. It isn't a moisturizer replacement. Most oils skip humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, so they don't pull water into skin. What they do is trap water that's already there and smooth the surface. That's why a face oil layers best over a water-based moisturizer or serum, not instead of one.
Some face oils blend in vitamin C, botanical extracts, or peptides on top of the base oil. Check the ingredient list, not the marketing, to see how much active is actually in there. A blended oil is priced and marketed more like a serum than a basic single-ingredient oil, so weigh the extra cost against what's already in your routine.
Oily and acne-prone skin generally does better with lighter, linoleic-acid-rich oils — squalane, jojoba, rosehip — used sparingly. Dry and mature skin can usually handle heavier, oleic-acid-rich oils like argan or marula. Apply these more generously, especially in colder months. If you're buying an oil mainly for gua sha or a facial roller — one of the most common reasons people search for face oil — you want enough slip to avoid dragging the skin. That usually means a slightly heavier hand than you'd use for everyday moisturizing.
Face oils split into three buying tiers. A single-ingredient oil — squalane, jojoba, rosehip — is the simplest and usually the best value; you know exactly what you're getting. A botanical blend combines several oils for a particular feel or scent and costs more for the formulation and experience. A serum-in-oil adds actives like vitamin C or peptides and is priced like a treatment, so weigh it against the serums already in your routine. If a blend's actives sit low on the ingredient list, you're mostly paying for the base oils and the marketing.
Plant oils oxidize, and a rancid oil can irritate rather than nourish, so freshness matters. Favor oils in dark glass with a dropper or pump over clear bottles that let light in, and check for a batch or expiry date. Rosehip turns over quickly once opened, so buy a smaller bottle you'll finish. Natural and organic on the front say nothing about how gentle or fresh the oil actually is.
Buy by both skin type and job. Oily or acne-prone skin does better with lighter, fast-absorbing oils — a squalane like The Ordinary's or a jojoba like The Inkey List's. Dry or mature skin can handle a richer argan such as Josie Maran's, especially in winter. Reactive skin or post-breakout marks point toward a gentler rosehip like Trilogy's. If you mainly want slip for gua sha or facial massage, you need enough cushion to avoid dragging, so a slightly richer oil beats a dry-touch one.
A basic single oil costs little and does the core job — sealing in moisture — as well as anything. Spend more only when you're buying an experience or a specific finish: a luxurious multi-oil blend like Herbivore's Phoenix, or an oily-skin-friendly treatment oil like Clarins' Lotus that finishes without added shine. A few drops go a long way, so even a pricier bottle lasts months, which lowers the real cost per use.
See our ranked picks and buying guide.
See our ranked picks and buying guide.
