Face moisturizer that isn't greasy

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion has the best record for a face moisturizer that doesn't feel greasy: 22 of 24 reviewers said it absorbed without a greasy feel. Pond's Gel Hydra Active Face Moisturizer has the highest share at 94%, from 17 reviewers, and Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel follows at 24 of 27. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Face Moisturizer has the weakest record here at 13 of 28.

  • 227 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Jan 2017 to Oct 2026

Updated . How we count

Did it feel greasy? What shoppers said
  1. CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion 24 said either way
  2. Pond's Gel Hydra Active Face Moisturizer 17 said either way
  3. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel 27 said either way
  4. L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer 21 said either way
  5. L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream 18 said either way
  6. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Face Moisturizer 28 said either way
  7. e.l.f. Triple Bounce Serum Moisturizer 11 said either way

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

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion Best record CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion 22 of 24 say it didn't feel greasy See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

The first three here are all praised as lightweight, in 50%, 52% and 40% of their reviews. Greasy or shiny comes up in 38% of Aveeno reviews, and shoppers tend to write about greasiness when it bothers them, so read the shares with that in mind.

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 CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion

CeraVe

PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion

Best for a light evening lotion

22/24 say it didn't feel greasy

50% of reviews call it lightweight and 48% say it isn't greasy, with 40% calling it hydrating too. Complaints are small, with 5% saying it felt greasy and 5% saying it stung. The brand's own site agrees at 7 of 7, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Lightweight 50%
  • Hydrating 40%
  • Gentle on sensitive skin 20%
  • Absorbs fast 18%
  • No breakouts 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Irritates or stings 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 22 of 24
  • Brand site 7 of 7 shown, not counted
2

Pond's

Gel Hydra Active Face Moisturizer

Best for a light gel feel

16/17 say it didn't feel greasy

It has the highest share on the page at 16 of 17, from a smaller group of reviewers than the leader. 68% call it hydrating, 60% say it isn't greasy and 52% call it lightweight. The complaint that repeats is that 12% say it isn't moisturizing enough.

What buyers praise

  • Hydrating 68%
  • Lightweight 52%
  • Absorbs fast 28%
  • Works under makeup 16%
  • Hydration lasts 12%

What buyers complain about

  • Not moisturizing enough 12%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 16 of 17
3

Neutrogena

Hydro Boost Water Gel

Best for fast-absorbing hydration

24/27 say it didn't feel greasy

Hydration is the praise that repeats: 48% call it hydrating, 40% lightweight and 38% not greasy, and 30% say it absorbs fast. The complaint that repeats is a strong scent, at 10%. Reviews copied from the brand's site are positive too (10 of 10), though we don't count them.

What buyers praise

  • Hydrating 48%
  • Lightweight 40%
  • Absorbs fast 30%
  • Good value 10%
  • Gentle on sensitive skin 10%

What buyers complain about

  • Strong scent 10%
  • Not moisturizing enough 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 24 of 27
  • Brand site 10 of 10 shown, not counted
4 L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer

L'Oréal Paris

Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer

15/21 say it didn't feel greasy

Opinions split: 15 of 21 reviewers said it absorbed without a greasy feel, while 21% found it heavy and 17% found it greasy. 25% say it absorbs fast, and 12% mention a strong scent.

What buyers praise

  • Absorbs fast 25%
  • Hydrating 21%
  • Good value 17%
  • Lightweight 13%
  • Works under makeup 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Strong scent 13%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 15 of 21
  • Brand site 5 of 8 shown, not counted
5

L'Oréal Paris

Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream

10/18 say it didn't feel greasy

Reviewers are close to even: 10 of 18 said it wasn't greasy, but 21% call it heavy and 18% call it greasy. A strong scent comes up in 25% of reviews, and 39% praise the hydration.

What buyers praise

  • Hydrating 39%
  • Good value 14%

What buyers complain about

  • Strong scent 25%
  • Irritates or stings 14%
  • Too expensive 14%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 10 of 18
  • Brand site 3 of 7 shown, not counted

Share of 28 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

6

Aveeno

Positively Radiant Daily Face Moisturizer

13/28 say it didn't feel greasy

More reviewers weighed in on this one than on any other here (28), and 15 of them said it felt greasy or heavy. Its record is the weakest here at 13 of 28. Still, 38% praise it as not greasy and 29% call it hydrating.

What buyers praise

  • Hydrating 29%
  • Works under makeup 12%
  • Good value 12%
  • Lightweight 12%
  • No breakouts 9%

What buyers complain about

  • Irritates or stings 15%
  • Breaks skin out 12%
  • Not moisturizing enough 12%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 13 of 28
  • Brand site 7 of 9 shown, not counted

Share of 34 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

7

e.l.f.

Triple Bounce Serum Moisturizer

6/11 say it didn't feel greasy

A smaller group weighed in (11), and 6 of 11 said it wasn't greasy. 50% call it hydrating and 11% say it absorbs fast. 11% said it broke their skin out.

What buyers praise

  • Hydrating 50%
  • Absorbs fast 11%

What buyers complain about

  • Breaks skin out 11%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 6 of 11
  • Brand site 1 of 1 shown, not counted

Share of 18 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 33,123 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about greasiness, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Jan 2017 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 (15 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. CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion Target (40 reviews counted)
  2. Pond's Gel Hydra Active Face Moisturizer Target (25 reviews counted)
  3. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Target (40 reviews counted)
  4. L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer Target (24 reviews counted)
  5. L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream Target (28 reviews counted)
  6. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Face Moisturizer Target (34 reviews counted)
  7. e.l.f. Triple Bounce Serum Moisturizer Target (18 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which face moisturizer doesn't feel greasy?

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion has the best record (22 of 24), followed by Pond's Gel Hydra Active Face Moisturizer (16 of 17) and Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel (24 of 27). Pond's has the highest share, 94%, but fewer reviewers weighed in on it than on the other two.

Is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel greasy?

Reviewers mostly say no: 24 of 27 said it didn't feel greasy. 40% call it lightweight and 30% say it absorbs fast. The complaint that repeats is a strong scent, at 10%.

Is Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Face Moisturizer greasy?

Reviewers disagree. It has the weakest record here at 13 of 28, and 38% of its reviews mention a greasy or shiny feel. Others like it, with 38% calling it not greasy.

Which light moisturizer works under makeup?

Reviewers mention Pond's Gel Hydra Active Face Moisturizer under makeup in 16% of its reviews and Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel in 5% of its reviews. Both are also praised as lightweight.

Related problems

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