Face wash for oily skin

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser has the best record for oily skin: 21 of 24 reviewers who said they have oily or combination skin reported that it kept shine down and left skin feeling clean. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (14 of 16) and PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash 10% Benzoyl Peroxide (13 of 15) are close behind. Just 3 cleansers had enough reviewers with oily skin to rank, and each group is small, so read them as near ties.

  • 186 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Jul 2020 to Oct 2026

Updated . How we count

Did it control oil? What reviewers with oily skin said
  1. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser 24 said either way
  2. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 16 said either way
  3. PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash 10% Benzoyl Peroxide 15 said either way

Share of reviewers who stated an outcome for oiliness. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser Best record La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser 21 of 24 say it kept oil and shine down See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Drying is the complaint that sets them apart: 30% of PanOxyl reviews call it drying, against 14% for La Roche-Posay and 7% for CeraVe.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points reviewers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1 La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser

La Roche-Posay

Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser

21/24 say it kept oil and shine down

31% of its reviews say skin didn't feel tight after washing and 29% say it left skin fresh, though 14% found it drying. Reviews copied from La Roche-Posay's own site show 10 of 10, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 31%
  • Leaves skin fresh 29%
  • Removes makeup 9%
  • Gentle 9%
  • Good value 6%

What buyers complain about

  • Drying 14%
  • Breaks skin out 6%
  • Irritates or stings 6%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 21 of 24
  • Brand site 10 of 10 shown, not counted
2 CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

CeraVe

Foaming Facial Cleanser

14/16 say it kept oil and shine down

Reviewers with oily skin mostly liked it at 14 of 16, and 29% of its reviews say skin didn't feel tight afterward. Staying oily is the main complaint, at 14%.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 29%
  • Clears breakouts 25%
  • Leaves skin fresh 18%
  • Gentle 11%
  • Good value 11%

What buyers complain about

  • Drying 7%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 14 of 16
  • Brand site 4 of 4 shown, not counted
3 PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash 10% Benzoyl Peroxide

PanOxyl

Acne Foaming Wash 10% Benzoyl Peroxide

13/15 say it kept oil and shine down

Breakouts are what reviewers talk about here: 72% of its reviews say theirs got better and 22% mention less oil. Drying is the main complaint, at 30%.

What buyers praise

  • Clears breakouts 73%
  • Leaves skin fresh 10%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 10%
  • Good value 5%
  • Gentle 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Drying 30%
  • Irritates or stings 8%
  • Breaks skin out 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 13 of 15

Where these numbers come from

The 3 products ranked here carry 13,994 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about oiliness, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Jul 2020 and Oct 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (0 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

Skin type, skin tone and age splits use what reviewers chose on Sephora's review form (and age on Ulta's when given). We only show a split when enough reviewers fall on each side.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most reviewers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser Target (35 reviews counted)
  2. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser Target (28 reviews counted)
  3. PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Target (40 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which face wash works for oily skin?

Counting just reviewers who said they have oily or combination skin, La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser has the best record (21 of 24). CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (14 of 16) and PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash 10% Benzoyl Peroxide (13 of 15) are close behind, all from small groups.

Does CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser work for oily skin?

Reviewers with oily skin mostly say yes, at 14 of 16. 29% of its reviews say skin didn't feel tight afterward, and 14% say they were still oily.

Is PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash good for oily skin?

Reviewers with oily skin mostly said it kept shine down (13 of 15), and 72% of its reviews say their breakouts got better. Drying is the main complaint, at 30% of its reviews.

What if my oily skin also breaks out?

A cleanser is one part of a routine. See a dermatologist for painful, deep or lasting breakouts, and stop any wash that keeps stinging or leaves your skin raw.

Related problems

Face wash Face wash for acne Top pick: Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser 392 buyer reports Face wash Face wash that doesn't strip skin Top pick: Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser 294 buyer reports Face wash Face wash for sensitive skin Top pick: Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser 362 buyer reports Face moisturizer Moisturizer for oily skin Top pick: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer 404 buyer reports

HiveTried earns a commission when you buy through the "See price & reviews on Amazon" buttons. It never changes the ranking: the order comes from buyer reports only, and a product gets an Amazon button only when buyers here say it works.