Face Oil Before or After Moisturizer? The Ultimate Skincare Guide

Facial oil can be an excellent addition to your skincare routine, offering moisture, nourishment, and anti-aging perks. But when layering skincare products, the order you apply them matters in terms of maximizing the benefits, allowing for proper absorption, and preventing pilling. Pilling is the result of inadequate absorption and prevents products from absorbing into the skin. These products collect on the surface and form little balls or clumps.

Oil is typically one of the final steps, but should you use face oil before or after moisturizer? Let’s dive into the ideal skincare routine for glowy skin.

Understanding Face Oils and Their Role in Skincare

Face oils can be single-ingredient products, such as rosehip oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, or squalane. They can also be tinctures that combine multiple plant-derived oils with other active ingredients like peptides, antioxidants, or hyaluronic acid.

Believe it or not, natural oils can benefit all skin types, including sensitive skin, mature skin, combination skin, and even oily and acne-prone complexions. Filled with essential fatty acids and other nutrients, they support the hydration barrier, add protective moisture, and help regulate oil production so your skin doesn't need to churn out more oil, which can lead to a shiny T-zone.

Our GOLDENHOUR Watermelon Barrier Oil, for instance, is ultra-light and fast-absorbing, locking in moisture without making your skin feel greasy.

The Purpose of Moisturizers and Why Non-Comedogenic Matters

Moisturizer is a non-negotiable step of your morning and evening skincare routines. Beyond delivering hydration and preventing dryness, these products support a healthy skin barrier while keeping your complexion soft, supple, and plump, which can minimize the look of fine lines and other signs of photoaging (i.e. sun damage).

But they're not all created equal. Whether you opt for a lotion or a thicker cream, a non-comedogenic formula is crucial. Non-comedogenic moisturizers won't clog your pores and lead to breakouts. They also tend to be lighter-weight, easily absorbed, and less likely to cause irritation.

Key Benefits of Non-Comedogenic Moisturizers

Non-comedogenic face moisturizers are ideal for preventing breakouts, plus they allow your skin to breathe and are generally suitable for different skin types and skin concerns.

• Prevent breakouts: Non-comedogenic essentially means a product won't (or is very unlikely to) clog or block the pores on your face. This is vital for preventing acne breakouts.
• Allow skin to breathe: This type of moisturizer is lightweight and fast-absorbing, delivering hydration while still allowing your skin to breathe.
• Suitable for sensitive and oily skin: Non-comedogenic face lotions and creams are typically non-irritating, with ingredients that moisturize without blocking pores or making your skin feel greasy.

Should You Apply Face Oil Before or After Moisturizer?

Don’t know how to use facial oil? The general rule of thumb is to apply face oil after moisturizer to lock in hydration.

Some people go by the theory of applying products in order from lightest to heaviest. So if you're using a lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturizer, a facial oil would be a heavier, more concentrated treatment you'd layer on top. This order can help prevent pilling.

Exactly when to apply a face oil can depend on things like your skin type and the formula. For example, those with very dry skin might use oil first for enhanced moisture. Some oils are meant to be used as face serums, meaning you'd usually apply them after cleansing but before moisturizing.

The Science Behind Layering Skincare Products

The science behind what order to layer skincare products has to do with molecular size and effectively sealing in a moisture barrier.

• Molecular size and absorption rates: The idea is that ingredients with lower molecular weights absorb quicker in the skin, and those with larger molecules take longer to soak in. So as a heavier product, oil is best applied last to give other products a chance to fully absorb underneath.
• Creating a barrier that seals in moisture: As the final step of your nighttime skincare routine, face oil creates a barrier for your skin that locks in moisture and helps other products penetrate.

Of course, the right formula helps ensure this all works as it should. That's why our lightweight, quick-absorbing GOLDENHOUR Watermelon Barrier Oil is the ideal formula to layer over a non-comedogenic moisturizer. There are many benefits of our watermelon seed oil, which is why it makes for an excellent addition to any skincare routine.

How to Use Face Oil and Moisturizer Together for Optimal Results

Moisturizer is a vital step of any skincare routine. But if you want to take it further and achieve dewy, youthful, healthy-looking skin, reach for a facial oil and serum.

With a thoughtfully formulated, non-comedogenic lotion or cream and a lightweight face oil, you can avoid clogged pores while reaping the many benefits of plant oils.

Achieve Radiant Skin With the Perfect Skincare Routine

If you're curating a clean skincare routine and want a clear, glowing complexion, CLEARSTEM's non-comedogenic and non-toxic skincare products are a great place to start.

Our HYDRAGLOW plant stem cell moisturizer is ideal for daily use and plays well with all skin types, even the acne-prone set. Follow that with our GOLDENHOUR Watermelon Barrier Oil, and you're, well…golden.

Sources:

Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. (2017). Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. Int J Mol Sci. ;19(1):70. doi:10.2147/CCID.S144180

Sethi A, et al. (2016). Moisturizers: The slippery road. Indian J Dermatol. ;61(3):279. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.182427

Purnamawati S, et al. (2017). The Role of Moisturizers in Addressing Various Kinds of Dermatitis: A Review. Clinical medicine & research, 15(3-4), 75–87. doi.org/10.3121/cmr.2017.1363