16 Best Moisturizers for Acne-Prone Skin (Tested and Reviewed for 2023)

I swear by this soothing moisturizer when my skin feels extra ~angry~ (read: inflamed, itchy, and red). It’s filled with two major calming ingredients: Centella asiatica, aka cica, can potentially help soothe and repair wounds, while allantoin calms down irritation by gently smoothing dead skin to better increase hydration. And as a bonus, it also has 0.5 percent salicylic acid to help gently exfoliate pore-clogging skin cells

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid (exfoliating); centella asiatica, allantoin (soothing)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “Literally such a must have,” writes one reviewer. “I have struggled so much with redness, and within the first few uses, I could see results! It is so lightweight; it doesn't feel sticky at all!”

In the summer when my skin feels like it’s suffocating every time I layer on a thick moisturizer, I pull this gel moisturizer into my rotation. It’s filled with ultra-lightweight hydrators like hyaluronic acid and moringa leaf water that immediately absorb into my skin, along with niacinamide to help slowly brighten acne scars and reduce some irritation over time.

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide (brightener); hyaluronic acid, moringa leaf water (lightweight moisturizers)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: According to a tester, “​​I like this product because it's not greasy, feels fresh, and doesn't clog pores. It makes my skin feel soft.”

Hey, if you’re more of a ~minimalist~, choose this salicylic acid-spiked moisturizer, which essentially combines your acne-treatment step and your moisturizer step in one. It uses 0.75 percent exfoliating salicylic acid, as well as brightening niacinamide and acetyl glucosamine (an amino acid), to help treat current acne, prevent new breakouts, and heal and brighten any leftover dark or red spots. FYI though: This is a bit drying on its own for me, so I always smooth it on in a thin layer, then slather on a moisturizing overnight treatment to keep my skin hydrated.

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid (exfoliating); niacinamide, acetyl glucosamine (brightening)
• Oil-free? No (contains some castor oil)

THE REVIEWS: “Great moisturizer if you have acne issues,” writes one reviewer. “Even great for occasional breakouts. I use it mainly for spot treatment. It’s mild enough to use several times during the day and does a great job with helping diminish pimples and keeping them at bay.”

Butt acne, back acne, chest acne—I’ve got it all, which is what led me to this lightweight body lotion. It’s spiked with 2 percent salicylic acid to help slowly buff away the dead skin that gets trapped in my pores and causes zits. It’s also surprisingly weightless, so I don’t even feel it on my skin once I start massaging it in. As a bonus too, it uses soothing chamomile and willow-herb extracts to help calm any irritation on my skin when I already do have a flare-up.

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid (exfoliating); chamomile extract, willow herb extract (soothing)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: One review reads, “This treatment works so well for my skin when I’m using it consistently. It has helped fade a lot of my dark spots and back acne, and it's been exciting to see how this product continues to change the texture of my skin over time.”

If you hate the dewy finish of practically every moisturizer, you’ll love how smoothing and mattifying this ultra-lightweight gel moisturizer is. It’s actually filled with ingredients to soak up excess oils, like konjac root powder and tapioca starch, but it also contains willow-bark extract (essentially a plant-based alternative to salicylic acid) to lightly exfoliate your skin too to help keep it clear.

• Key ingredients: Willow bark extract (exfoliating); konjac root powder, tapioca starch (mattifiers)
• Oil-free? No (sunflower seed oil)

THE REVIEWS: One review reads, “This gel cream is so nice! I have tried probably hundreds of moisturizers for my sensitive, combination, acne-prone skin, and this does everything it claims to. It completely balanced my skin, helped with uneven tone and spots, wore beautifully under makeup, and actually corrected the look of my pores and blackheads.”

You would legit never guess how damn moisturizing this is by how weightless the consistency is. Truly, I slather on a full quarter-size amount, and I feel like it’s disappearing because it sinks in so quickly. But it actually uses a mixture of peptides, ceramides, and squalane to deeply hydrate and plump my skin without a thick residue, all while lightly smoothing and soothing my acne with niacinamide.

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide (lightly hydrating and soothing), peptides (barrier-supporting); ceramides, squalane (moisturizing)
• Oil-free? No

THE REVIEWS: “Light but moisturizing,” writes one tester in a review. “It sinks in quickly. I've been using it for a few months and am seeing improvement with discoloration. I also have occasional breakouts and this has really helped keep them under control!”

One thing about me: I’m going to immediately try any moisturizer that combines AHAs and BHAs, because it’s essentially a killer for the bumpy texture that gets left behind after I get a breakout. And lemme tell ya, this moisturizer is chock full of exfoliating acids like salicylic, glycolic, tartaric, and lactic acid. But if you’re worried it’ll burn your face off, it also uses soothers like bisabolol and centella asiatica, as well as moisturizers like jojoba oil and shea butter to offset irritation and dryness.

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid (exfoliators)
• Oil-free? No (coconut oil)

THE REVIEWS: “When I first tried this cream, I thought it was going to be heavy and greasy, and it almost feels like that for the first minute or two,” writes one tester, “but then it just slowly absorbs, and your skin just feels soft. I only used it a couple of days, and I already notice more clarity in my skin.”

At 26, I need my skincare to help me keep my skin clear (tysm, hormones) and help me prevent forehead wrinkles and crow’s feet. So, I reach for this lightweight anti-aging cream, which combines some of the best anti-aging ingredients: retinol and peptides to promote collagen production, along with resveratrol, an antioxidant from red grapes that helps fight environmental stress (like UV light and pollution). And because retinol also increases cell turnover, it can help treat and prevent acne and fade leftover scarring too.

• Key ingredients: Retinol, peptides (boosts collagen); resveratrol (antioxidant)
• Oil-free? No (sunflower seed oil)

THE REVIEWS: “This cream is buttery and luxurious—the texture competes with my $80 facial moisturizer—yet lightweight and gentle on my skin unlike any other retinol I've tried,” writes one tester in a review. “I've noticed this cream expedited the healing process of existing blemishes and helped with the overall turnover of my skin so that my face was glowy and plump all day long. I especially love that it doesn't dry out my skin either.”

Although I have acne-prone skin, I prefer a night cream that locks everything in and keeps my skin ~supple~ and soft, which ultimately led me to test this moisturizer from Futurewise, a brand entirely focused on slugging (a hack for preventing water loss by coating your skin with an ointment-like product, like Vaseline or Aquaphor). It’s filled with a ton of lightweight moisturizers (like evening primrose oil, which my cystic acne actually responds super well to, along with vitamin E and polyglycerides), as well as dimethicone to give my skin that smooth, silky feeling.

• Key ingredients: Evening primrose oil, vitamin E, polyglycerides (moisturizing)
• Oil-free? No

THE REVIEWS: “I have oily, acne-prone skin, and this really helped my skin feel moisturized without feeling greasy,” writes one tester.

It’s no wonder basically every dermatologist I talk to recommends this basic moisturizer: It’s filled with some go-to hydrators, like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, as well as niacinamide to help soothe your skin. All of this to say, it’s great to slather nightly on your sensitive, acne-prone skin, especially if you’re subbing in drying retinoids or exfoliating acids to treat your zits. Board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, actually recommends her patients opt for this lotion instead of a heavy-cream formula, since it’s water-based, therefore, v lightweight.

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide (soothing); hyaluronic acid, ceramides (hydrating)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEW: "This is the holy grail. This is THE STUFF...this product actually somehow maintains that [beautiful] morning skin look for me...all the time. Additionally, the texture of my skin has improved and it finally feels hydrated," writes one reviewer.

I’ll be honest: I used to hate wearing sunscreen on my acne-prone skin—until I found this SPF moisturizer from Cetaphil that actually leaves my skin matte, not greasy. It’s filled with dimethicone—the most common silicone—that leaves my skin feeling so silky and smooth, which helps cut down on some of the oiliness I get throughout the day, all while protecting my skin from the sun with SPF 30.

• Key ingredients: Dimethicone (temporarily smoothing); avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene (sunscreen)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “I get cystic acne on occasion, and glycolic peels and retinol had been keeping my skin perfect until about a month ago when I broke out again,” reads one review. “I came back to this, and my skin texture improved after the first use, and now after using it three times within a week or so, my cystic acne is reducing dramatically. I don't know what it is about this product, but it is so gentle and scent free.”

I am so over waking up the morning of ~very important events~ with a zit, so I started swapping in this moisturizer to actually prevent new breakouts. It uses 2 percent salicylic acid to exfoliate all the dead skin that gets trapped with oil in my pores to cause acne, as well as azelaic acid to help calm some inflammation (read: my angry, red, blind pimples) and increase cell turnover to smooth my skin.

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid (exfoliating), azelaic acid (smoothing and brightening)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “I have been struggling with super-bad acne lately, and nothing was really clearing it up,” writes one reviewer. “Finally, I decided to give this a try, and it was a life saver! Not only is it clearing up my acne, I also have not had any new big breakouts. This is worth it!!”

Don’t be fooled by the fact that this moisturizer for acne is the cheapest on this list; the cult-favorite formula is stacked with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and amino acids to help hydrate your skin without feeling greasy. Don’t just take my word for it though—peep the hundreds of five-star reviews, and you’ll get the hype.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, amino acids (hydrating)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: According to one reviewer, “I have to say I may have found my daytime soulmate. She’s light, but I pair her with hyaluronic acid and *chefs kiss*—so good. I am acne prone and I have had great results. Doesn’t clear my skin but doesn’t congest my pores, and keeps me nice and hydrated during the day.”

This moisturizer is filled with two MVPs for clearing out your pores and preventing blackheads: 1 percent salicylic acid (a gentle exfoliator that unclogs your pores) and charcoal (a micro-fine powder with antibacterial and antifungal properties). Low-key, charcoal is one of my favorite ingredients for acne-prone skin, because it absorbs oil to both mattify your skin but also slightly reduce excess sebum that could get trapped in your pores and cause zits and blackheads.

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid (exfoliating), charcoal (oil-absorbing)
• Oil-free? No (essential oils)

THE REVIEWS: “I think that this moisturizer is amazing for oily skin,” writes one reviewer. “It really helps clear out pores and fight acne, yet keep you hydrated, but not greasy. It seems to go on with a slight glow, but once it sinks in, it’s perfect.”

I’m a fan of keeping my skincare routine super simple—especially when my face is looking extra oily and broken out—which is why I love this daily moisturizer so much. Instead of using heavy ingredients, this bb is loaded with soothing willow bark, brightening niacinamide, and hydrating hyaluronic acid, all while also being a fragrance-free skincare product. TL;DR: I never have to worry that it’ll irritate my skin.

• Key ingredients: Willow bark extract (soothing), niacinamide (brightening and soothing), hyaluronic acid (hydrating)
• Oil-free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: "I am allergic to some of the most key ingredients to most sensitive or organic skincare lines,” writes one tester. “So, finding this facial moisturizer was literally a life-changer. It's lightweight, easy to travel with, and has simple ingredients. My skin looks fresh and supple.”

This rich moisturizer is an MVP at treating current breakouts while also fading leftover acne scars. It combines licorice root extract, one of the best brighteners out there for all skin tones, and niacinamide to help lighten dark spots, all while antibacterial tea tree oil helps keep skin clear. Layer this on as the last step in your night routine and let the moisturizing shea butter do its ~thing~ to plump and moisturize your skin.

• Key ingredients: Shea butter (moisturizing); licorice root extract, niacinamide (brightening); tea tree oil (antibacterial)
• Oil-free? No (sacha inchi oil)

THE REVIEWS: “I recently had a terrible breakout, and this worked miracles,” writes a reviewer. “It calmed inflammation overnight and now is fading my acne marks. Had some issues with white streaks on my face but no white-cast if I use a small amount.”