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Guide

Skincare routine for oily skin

A simple oily skin routine: a gentle gel cleanser morning and night, a lightweight oil-free moisturiser, and a broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning. Do not skip moisturiser - stripped skin often looks oilier.

Written by the Saundarya AI team. General cosmetic guidance; not reviewed by a doctor and not medical advice. How we write our guides

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Signs your skin is oily

Oily skin shows up as shine across the forehead, nose and chin within a few hours of washing, enlarged-looking pores, frequent blackheads and makeup that slides by midday. If several of these sound familiar, a gentle, oil-controlling routine that still includes moisturiser and sunscreen is the right place to start.

  • Shine across the forehead, nose and chin within a few hours of washing
  • Visible, enlarged pores, especially around the nose
  • Makeup that slides or separates by midday
  • Frequent blackheads or whiteheads

Morning routine

For oily skin in the morning, use a gentle gel cleanser, an optional lightweight serum such as niacinamide, an oil-free non-comedogenic moisturiser, and a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen with a matte finish. Do not skip moisturiser: dehydrated skin can look even oilier.

  1. 1Cleanse with a gentle, foaming or gel cleanser
  2. 2Optional: a lightweight serum such as niacinamide, which is commonly used for oil and the look of pores
  3. 3Moisturise with an oil-free, non-comedogenic gel or lotion
  4. 4Apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen with a matte or gel finish

Night routine

At night, cleanse again, twice if you wore sunscreen or makeup, then use a salicylic acid (BHA) product two or three nights a week because it works inside pores. Finish with the same lightweight moisturiser, and add only one new active at a time.

  1. 1Cleanse again; if you wore sunscreen or makeup, cleanse twice
  2. 2Two or three nights a week: a salicylic acid (BHA) product, which works inside pores
  3. 3Finish with the same lightweight moisturiser

What to avoid

With oily skin, avoid harsh scrubs and over-washing, which irritate skin and can leave it oilier, heavy creams and oils made for dry skin, and adding several new actives in the same week. Gentle, consistent care works better than aggressive treatment.

  • Harsh scrubs and over-washing - both can leave skin irritated and oilier
  • Heavy creams and oils labelled for dry skin
  • Introducing several new actives in the same week

Get a routine for your own skin

Saundarya AI is an AI skin analysis and grooming app that reads a single selfie and returns a personalised report: face shape, skin type, detected skin concerns with the visual evidence behind them, a morning and night skincare routine, product picks at three budgets, and an 8-week improvement plan.

Generic advice is a starting point. A scan reads oiliness and pores on your own face, shows the visual evidence and a confidence score, and builds a morning and night routine around it. The first full analysis is free.

This is general cosmetic guidance, not medical advice. See a dermatologist for skin that is painful, spreading, scarring or not improving after 8-12 weeks.

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