Facial Oils Vs Moisturisers: What’s The Difference? (Glowy Skin)
Here’s a question that sounds simple.
Is a facial oil just a moisturiser in a smaller, prettier bottle?
It isn’t. But the beauty aisle loves to blur the line, and that’s how people end up with three products doing the same job and nothing doing the job their skin actually needs.
I’m sure you’ll agree that this is annoying when you’re paying for every bottle.
Some skin feels tight by lunchtime even after a rich cream. Some skin turns shiny by 2pm after “just a couple of drops” of oil.
Same skin, same effort, very different results. The reason comes down to what each product is made of and what it can actually do.
Let’s sort it out.
I’m Patri Hernández, a certified organic skincare formulator and dermocosmetic technician with a background in health coaching. I specialise in natural skincare, botanical ingredients and practical, evidence-informed ways of looking after your skin.
Some links here may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what I recommend, and I only mention products or ingredients I genuinely think could be useful.
What a moisturiser actually does
A moisturiser is nearly always an emulsion: oil and water blended together with the help of an emulsifier so the two phases don’t separate. That water content is a big part of why a cream or lotion feels instantly comforting the moment it goes on.
Most moisturisers lean on three types of ingredients working as a team:
- Humectants, which pull water into the outer layer of skin
- Emollients, which soften and smooth the surface
- Occlusives, which slow down water escaping through the skin
Dermatology research describes this exact combination, humectancy, emolliency and occlusion, as the three principles that drive moisturiser formulation (Rawlings, Canestrari & Dobkowski, 2004). A well-balanced moisturiser usually has a bit of all three, in proportions suited to the skin type it’s designed for.
What a facial oil actually does
A facial oil, in most cases, is exactly what the label says. Oil, and nothing else. No water, no humectants.
That single fact changes everything about what it can and can’t do. An oil can soften skin, smooth the surface, and slow how quickly water leaves through the top layer. What it can’t do is add water to skin that doesn’t have any there to begin with.
Think of a facial oil as a lid on a pot, not the water inside it.
Oils also carry plant compounds beyond their fatty acid content: antioxidants, small amounts of vitamin E, depending on the source. It’s worth being honest about what the evidence actually supports, though. Most claims about an oil “repairing” or “healing” skin come from tradition and small studies rather than large clinical trials, so I’d treat those claims with a healthy dose of scepticism rather than as settled fact.
Humectants, emollients and occlusives, in plain English
These three words get thrown around constantly in skincare marketing, but they’re genuinely simple once you see them side by side.
| Type | What it does | Common examples |
|---|---|---|
| Humectant | Draws water into the outer skin layer | Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, urea |
| Emollient | Softens and smooths the surface | Plant oils, squalane, butters |
| Occlusive | Forms a layer that slows water loss | Petrolatum, beeswax, shea butter, dimethicone |
Plenty of ingredients do more than one job at once. Shea butter, for instance, works as both an emollient and an occlusive, which is part of why it turns up in so many rich creams and balms.
Here’s the detail most people miss: a facial oil is mainly an emollient with some mild occlusive action. It has no humectant activity of its own. Without water already present in the skin, oil has nothing left to seal in.
A well-studied example of pure occlusion in action: petrolatum has an immediate barrier-repairing effect on skin that’s had its lipids stripped away (Lodén, 2003). Unglamorous, but genuinely effective at holding moisture in.
Can facial oil replace a moisturiser?
Sometimes, but not as often as the marketing around “oil cleansing” and “oil-only” routines would have you believe.
If your skin sits somewhere between normal and mildly dry, and you like a pared-back routine, you can get away with a hydrating serum or toner followed by an oil. The serum supplies the water; the oil helps hold onto it.
Skip the water-based step and go straight to oil, though, and you’re really only sealing in whatever moisture your skin already had, which on a dry day might not be much.
Oil alone tends to fall short when:
- Your skin feels tight or looks slightly crinkly rather than shiny
- You spend most of your day somewhere dry, air-conditioned, or heated
- Your skin barrier is compromised, irritated, or reactive at the moment
When to use both
For a lot of people, using both is genuinely the better approach, not a compromise. A moisturiser handles hydration and day-to-day comfort. A few drops of oil on top add slip, softness, and an extra layer of sealing.
This combination earns its place especially at night, through the colder months, or whenever your skin is dealing with something else: a new active ingredient, wind exposure, recovering from a facial treatment.
Facial oil before or after moisturiser?
The general formulator’s logic here is straightforward: go from thinnest to thickest, and from water-based to oil-based.
In practice, that gives you this order:
- Cleanse
- Water-based serum or toner
- Moisturiser
- Facial oil, a few drops, pressed rather than rubbed in
The reasoning is simple. Oil doesn’t mix well with water-based products. Apply it first and it can sit on the surface like a barrier, stopping whatever you put on afterwards from spreading properly or absorbing at all.
Worth knowing: this ordering comes from sound formulation logic rather than head-to-head clinical trials comparing sequence. If your own skin genuinely prefers a different order, there’s no harm in following what works for you.
Best choices for dry skin
One distinction clears up a lot of confusion here. Dry skin lacks oil. Dehydrated skin lacks water. They’re not the same thing, and dehydration can affect any skin type, oily skin included.
Genuinely dry skin usually benefits from addressing both sides: a richer moisturiser plus an oil layered on top.
Look for:
- A moisturiser containing glycerin, hyaluronic acid, urea, or ceramides
- A nourishing facial oil such as sunflower seed oil, squalane, jojoba, or rosehip
- A richer cream or balm for evenings, when skin has time to absorb it undisturbed
Not every natural oil behaves the same way on skin, and this is a good example of where “natural” doesn’t automatically mean gentle. In a small study of 19 adults, topical olive oil damaged the skin barrier and caused mild redness over several weeks of use, while sunflower seed oil applied to the same volunteers’ other arm preserved the barrier and improved hydration (Danby et al., 2013). It’s a small study, so I wouldn’t treat it as the final word, but it’s a useful reminder to look past an ingredient’s reputation and check the actual evidence.
Best choices for combination skin
Combination skin is awkward precisely because different areas of your face genuinely want different things. An oily T-zone and drier cheeks won’t respond well to identical treatment.
You don’t have to pick one approach for the whole face:
- Use a lightweight gel-cream or lotion everywhere
- Add a few drops of a lighter oil only where things feel dry, usually cheeks, jawline, or around the eyes
- Leave the T-zone alone unless it genuinely feels tight, not just shiny
- Lighter oils such as squalane, jojoba, or hemp seed tend to suit combination skin better than heavier ones, though this varies from person to person
Common misconceptions worth clearing up
“Oil makes oily skin worse.” Not necessarily, and this is one I hear constantly. Some skin that looks oily is actually dehydrated and overproducing sebum to compensate. Lightweight oils can genuinely suit some oily or combination skin, though everyone’s skin reacts differently, so introduce anything new gradually.
“Oil is basically a moisturiser.” As covered above, it’s an emollient and mild occlusive. It softens beautifully. It doesn’t supply water on its own.
“More expensive automatically means better.” A straightforward, well-formulated cream with glycerin plus a decent facial oil frequently outperforms an expensive product with an elaborate marketing story behind it.
“If it’s natural, it’s automatically safe.” Plants cause allergic reactions and irritation just as readily as synthetic ingredients, sometimes more so. Nut-derived oils in particular are worth checking carefully if anyone using the product has a nut allergy.
“Emulsifiers in moisturisers are always a problem.” Not quite. Research has noted that emulsifiers may weaken the skin barrier under some circumstances (Lodén, 2003), but a well-formulated moisturiser needs emulsifiers to hold its water and oil phases together at all. It comes down to the whole formulation, not one ingredient in isolation.
As a formulator, this is where I’d gently push back on a lot of what circulates online. Plenty of bloggers and content creators repeat these ideas without the training, credentials or time to actually check the underlying research, so a claim that sounds confident isn’t always one that’s been verified.
Simple routines to try
Dry skin
Morning: gentle cleanse, hydrating serum, moisturiser, sunscreen.
Evening: cleanse, hydrating serum, moisturiser, three to four drops of facial oil.
Combination skin
Morning: gentle cleanse, lightweight moisturiser, sunscreen.
Evening: cleanse, lightweight moisturiser, a drop or two of oil on the drier areas only.
Minimal routine
Morning: splash or gentle cleanse, sunscreen.
Evening: cleanse, hydrating toner or serum on slightly damp skin, oil pressed in to seal.
A few practical safety notes
- Patch test any new oil or moisturiser on your inner forearm for a couple of days before using it on your face
- Oils do go rancid: if a bottle smells sharp, like crayons or old paint, it’s had it
- Store oils somewhere cool and dark, away from direct sunlight, with the lid properly closed
- Check ingredient lists for nut derivatives if you have a nut allergy
- See a doctor or dermatologist for persistent redness, eczema, or a rash that isn’t settling on its own
Frequently asked questions
Is facial oil the same as moisturiser?
No. A moisturiser typically contains water along with humectants and oils. A facial oil is mostly oil and works mainly by softening skin and slowing water loss, rather than adding water itself.
Can I use facial oil on oily skin?
Some people can, particularly with lighter oils used sparingly. Start with one or two drops in the evening and watch how your skin responds over a couple of weeks before deciding whether it’s a good fit.
Do I need both a moisturiser and a facial oil?
Not necessarily. Plenty of people do perfectly well with a moisturiser alone. An oil is a useful addition if your skin runs dry, feels stressed, or needs extra help through certain seasons.
Should facial oil go on damp or dry skin?
Either works, but applying it to slightly damp skin tends to help it spread more evenly and lets it seal in the water already sitting on the surface.
Can facial oil clog pores?
Some oils can, depending on the individual oil and your own skin. Comedogenicity ratings found online are based on limited testing and don’t always match real-world results, so a patch test on a small area tells you more than a chart will.
How many drops of facial oil should I use?
Two to four drops across the whole face is plenty for most people. Anything beyond that usually just sits on the surface and feels greasy rather than doing anything extra.
The bottom line
Strip away the marketing and it comes down to this: moisturisers bring water to the skin and help keep it there. Facial oils soften the surface and help seal in whatever water is already present.
You don’t have to choose a side permanently. The right approach for you depends on what your skin needs on any given day, and that can genuinely change with the seasons, your environment, and what else you’re using in your routine.
Start with one change at a time, give your skin a couple of weeks to show you how it responds, and let that response guide the next decision rather than whatever’s trending at the time.
References
- Danby SG et al. Effect of olive and sunflower seed oil on the adult skin barrier. Pediatric Dermatology, 2013 (PubMed)
- Rawlings AV, Harding CR. Moisturization and skin barrier function. Dermatologic Therapy, 2004 (PubMed)
- Rawlings AV, Canestrari DA, Dobkowski B. Moisturizer technology versus clinical performance. Dermatologic Therapy, 2004
- Lodén M. Role of topical emollients and moisturizers in the treatment of dry skin barrier disorders. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2003 (PubMed)
Love, Patri xx
