Oily Skin and Sensitive Skin: What’s the Difference?

The difference between oily skin and sensitive skin

When it comes to your face, you’ve probably heard a bunch of terms used to describe different types of skin – normal, dry, oily, sensitive. Normal skin contains the right balance of oils and moisture, and maintains a mildly acidic pH. Dry skin lacks moisture and oils, while oily skin – as the name suggests – has an excess of oil because the oil glands produce more oil than the skin really needs.

Sensitive skin describes skin that is easily irritated by skin care products that contain fragrances, perfumes, soap, alcohol, parabens, or other known skin irritants. This can result in stinging, itching, or rashes. For many people, their sensitive skin is limited just to their face. While sensitive skin is more common in people with dry skin, people with oily skin and acne-prone skin can also experience sensitive skin.

A skin care routine for oily skin will likely look different than a skin care routine for normal or dry skin. If you’re experiencing acne, it’s more than likely that you’re dealing with oily skin – in fact, 87% of people who have acne report having oily skin! So it’s important to look for products that can help control excess oil as well as help prevent clogged pores. When acne-prone skin is also sensitive, it’s important to use products that are effective yet gentle and mild on the skin.

Oil control

One of the key drivers of acne is overactive oil glands that produce too much oil. This can make your face feel greasy and yucky as well as look shiny or dirty. But, when this excess oil gets trapped in your skin’s pores because they’re clogged with dead skin cells (another unpleasant feature of acne-prone skin), it can trigger the formation of pimples.

One of the best ways to manage oily skin is by washing your face morning and night with a mild, soap-free cleanser. This will help remove the excess oil that builds up on your skin and clear out the dead skin cells and other junk that clog pores and drive acne breakouts.

It’s important to choose the right cleanser for oily skin, because ordinary soaps or harsh cleansers can irritate or dry out your skin, which could actually trigger more oil production. Look for products designed for oily or acne-prone skin – these should be oil-free, alcohol-free, and non-comedogenic (won’t block pores). These cleansers usually contain what’s called synthetic detergents (or syndets) rather than soap, which more closely match the skin’s natural acidic pH and are less likely to irritate or dry out sensitive skin.

Oil control cleansers

ACNE-AID Liquid Cleanser Oil Control
A facial and body cleanser for oily, acne-prone skin ACNE-AID Liquid Cleanser Oil Control helps to remove excess oil and helps eliminate impurities in the skin. With a soap-free, pH-balanced, non-comedogenic formula, it gently cleanses without drying to help leave skin soft and smooth.

ACNE-AID Soap Bar Oil Control
A facial and body bar cleanser for acne-prone and oily skin, ACNE-AID Soap Bar Oil Control contains a balanced blend of a gentle degreasing agent and effective cleanser to help remove excess oil from skin, plus the skin conditioner glycerin to help keep skin moist and soft. With no added perfumes, colourants, and abrasives, it is mild on face and body while it effectively and gently cleanses the skin.

Sensitive skin

For people with sensitive skin, it’s important to take extra care with the products they use on their skin – especially the face. Look for products that are mild or gentle, not likely to irritate, and contain hypoallergenic ingredients, and that are fragrance-free. And remember that if any product does irritate your skin, you should stop using it and seek further advice!

Sensitive skin cleansers

ACNE-AID Gentle Cleanser Sensitive Skin
A facial cleanser for sensitive, acne-prone skin, ACNE-AID Gentle Cleanser Sensitive Skin helps to remove excess oil and helps eliminate impurities from the skin. With a soap-free, fragrance-free, and pH balanced formula, it gently cleanses the skin without drying or irritating.