The cleansing oil for oily skin?

Oily skin is characterized by an excessive production of sebum, resulting in shiny skin, enlarged pores, and sometimes blemishes. Many believe that applying an oil, whether it's a cleansing oil or not, could make the skin even oilier. Cleansing oils work by lipid affinity, based on the principle that "like attracts like". Thanks to the fatty substances they contain, they attract lipophilic impurities, such as makeup, pollution particles, and also sebum, and dissolve them. Cleansing oils provide very effective makeup removal for the skin, an important point for all skin types, especially for oily skin, which is sensitive to pore blockage.

Furthermore, cleansing oils have the advantage of gently removing makeup and pre-cleaning the skin. This point may seem trivial for oily skin, but it is actually important: by preserving the hydrolipidic film and the skin barrier, cleansing oils prevent a rebound effect, where the skin, deprived of its natural oils, compensates by producing even more sebum. Moreover, when they are well formulated and contain effective emulsifiers, cleansing oils do not leave a greasy film on the skin, a crucial factor for oily skin types that fear the sensation of an occlusive film.

Contrary to popular belief, cleansing oil can be a true ally for oily skin.

There have been few clinical studies on cleansing oils, but one provides insightful information about their compatibility with oily skin. This study was conducted in 2019 with ten women who wore makeup. To remove their makeup, they used a cleansing oil on their left cheek and micellar water on their right cheek. Two hours later, the amount of sebum on their face was measured using a sebumeter. A value of 205.29 µg/cm2 was obtained for the cheek where the cleansing oil was used, compared to 172 µg/cm2 for the one where the micellar water was applied. It's worth noting that the sebum level was 250 µg/cm2 before the skin was cleaned. Just like micellar water, often recommended for combination to oily skin, the cleansing oil did not encourage sebum synthesis but had a better protective effect on the hydrolipidic film. Although the study does not specify if the volunteers had oily skin, it remains interesting.

Note : In practice, the compatibility of a cleansing oil with oily skin largely depends on its composition, a point discussed below.