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Our 10 Best Matte Face Moisturisers to Help You Glow Without the Grease

Maddie Felton (she/her)
by Maddie Felton (she/her)
Updated:
12 Nov 2024
I've been in the beauty industry for 4+ years now, although my background is originally in fine arts. In between researching and publishing our guides, I’m usually snacking and making spontaneous (and somewhat chaotic) choices about what to do with my hair.
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Finding a formula that doesn’t strip your skin or clog your pores can seem like the quest for the Holy Grail. 
Though you might feel tempted to give up the moisturiser altogether, the reality is, oily skin needs moisture as much as dry skin, just a different kind.
When your skin is dry, it tends to produce more oil to overcompensate for what it’s lacking.
This can lead to acne and dull, lifeless looking skin.
What you need is a moisturiser that combats clogged pores, mattifies the skin and keeps you hydrated without the excess shine. 
When picking a matte face moisturiser you want to choose a formula that strikes the balance between hydrating, smoothing and mattifying.
Avoid the heavy emollients and opt for lightweight hydrate that help to boost your barrier function.
We've rounded up just a few of our favourite moisturisers for oily skin to make finding that Holy Grail mattifying moisturiser that much easier.

Shanthi and Hannah share some of their favourite oily skin products for minimising the appearance of pores in the YouTube video below....

What Is a Matte Moisturiser?

A matte moisturiser has been specifically designed to stop your skin from looking shiny and feeling oily.
Absorbing excess oil and helping to fight breakouts, the best matte moisturiser often includes ingredients such as Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide, Licorice Root and Green Tea, to keep your complexion clear and shine free. 
If you suffer from frustrating shiny patches and imperfections, you also might want to try a tinted moisturiser matte finish formula.
It will help keep shine at bay and offer your skin a touch of colour, which will help even out your complexion. 

What Are the Best Matte Face Moisturisers?

From a matte gel moisturiser to the best moisturiser for oily skin and open pores, you can help control the slick and shine with a mattifying moisturiser.
Whether you’re looking for the best matte moisturiser for dry skin or a matte moisturiser with SPF, we’ve found the formulas that will help your skin stay healthy, hydrated and shine free. Before we continue, remember, SPF is only one part of sun protection, and whilst moisturisers that contain SPF are great, they may not provide full protection. prolonged sun exposure should be avoided and frequent re-application is necessary in accordance of the products directions to ensure effective sun protection.
Boost Your Skin With a Blend of Antioxidant Ingredients
Oily, patchy skin can often react negatively in the heat. From shiny patches to sudden breakouts, a change in climate could be bad news for your skin. Perfect for oily, combination and normal skin types, the Aesops B Triple Facial Balancing Gel 60ml works to leave your skin feeling cooled and matte. A lightly hydrating moisturiser that boosts the skin with one part Vitamin B and three parts Vitamin C, this formula helps keep shine at bay.
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Help Prevent Shine With This Mattifying Moisturiser
When it comes to skincare, the French really know what they’re doing. If you’ve ever had the luxury of wandering around a French Pharmacy, you’ll know how serious they are when it comes to skincare. This La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat Anti-Acne Moisturiser 40ml has been designed with expertly blended ingredients and a soft, light touch. Crafted to help prevent shine and reduce the size of your pores, this formula can be used daily to keep matte skin hydrated.
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The Best Oil Control Mattifying Moisturiser
If you suffer with pimples, blemishes and other imperfections, you might have combination or oily skin. The new Dermalogica Clear Start Oil Clearing Matte Moisturizer 60ml gets to work, reducing shine and minimising the appearance of your imperfections as soon as you begin using it. With a power-fresh, matte finish, this unique formula will help you beat the midday oily patches that tend to pop up on your skin. A lightweight formula that helps balance out your skin, it’s the perfect blend for those with oily skin.
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Give Your Skin a Little Lift With This Anti-Ageing Treatment
If your skin is starting to look a little tired, you might want to try giving it a little lift with the Clarins Extra-Firming Day Wrinkle Lifting Cream for all skin types 50ml. The revolutionary treatment has been proven to firm, lift and tone ageing skin in just four weeks. With a blend of powerful botanicals and key hydrating ingredients, this formula gives the skin a more even tone and a more youthful appearance. Working to rebuild the bonds between collagen, elastin and skin cells, this formula helps strengthen the skin and keep everything taut and smooth. This is also a holy grail moisturiser for dry skin.
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How To Keep Your Face Matte Without Makeup
When you travel, you don’t want to lug about heavy bottles of your favourite skincare products. A cult classic that’s now available in a travel size, the Benefit THEPOREfessional Matte Rescue helps keep oily patches under control, so your skin stays powder-fresh all day long. Working to reduce shine and keep your skin feeling hydrated and comfortable, this moisturizing matte primer covers the skin weightlessly and sinks in without making your skin look clogged. Lightweight and easy to apply, if you're struggling for time in the morning, this is the one product that will give your skin that nourishing, shine free look.
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Control Shine and Minimise Pores With This Lightweight Lotion
When you have oily, patchy, uneven skin, you don’t want to apply a moisturiser that will leave your skin looking and feeling greasy. The Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Stay-Matte Hydrator is a lightweight lotion that gently works to control shine for a matte look. Designed specifically to reduce any excess oil that’s built up on the skin, this formula immediately tackles shiny patches and brings your skin back into balance. Hydrating tender skin and strengthening the skin’s natural barrier, this formula keeps skin oil-free as you move through your day.
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If you need a mattifying moisturiser for combination skin, you need a formula that reduces shine while keeping you healthy and hydrated. The Cosmedix Shineless Oil-Free Moisturiser is the perfect moisturiser for those that suffer from both dry and frustrating oily patches. Brightening skin and helping to smooth out uneven patches, this formula will help you feel good about your skin. The innovative blend promotes firm, smooth, radiant skin and helps keep shine and imperfections away.
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Protect Your Skin From the Sun and Keep It Shine Free With This Moisturiser
If you suffer with oily patches and shiny skin, you might exacerbate the situation as soon as you step out into the sun. We all know UVA and UVB rays can cause premature ageing and serious skin complaints, but it’s also easy to forget the sunscreen every morning. With a multipurpose approach, the Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF50+ is a vegan, Australia made formula that provides broad-spectrum sun protection.
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Even Out Your Skin’s Tone With This Mattifying Tinted Moisturiser
There’s no doubt about it, breakouts can be super frustrating. From causing redness and making you feel uncomfortable to denting your confidence, when you’re suffering with imperfections, you might feel like hiding away. WIth the Avène Antirougeurs UNIFY SPF30 moisturiser, you won’t want to hide. A tinted moisturiser that works to eliminate the appearance of blemishes and redness, your skin will appear healthy and more even after every application. An oil-free cream that easily melts into your complexion, you’ll be left feeling hydrated, matte and soft.
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Strengthen Your Skin With This Moisturiser Especially Designed for Men
Men’s skin goes through a lot. Though generally tougher than women’s skin, it often has to withstand constant shaving and less hydration. Of course, oily skin can plague anyone of any gender, so it’s important you employ the help of a matte finish men’s moisturizer to help keep your skin in the best shape possible. With a lightweight touch, the Clinique For Men Oil Control Mattifying Moisturizer 100ml offers the skin comfortable hydration. Designed to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier, this non-greasy formula won’t leave an uncomfortable residue.
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So, Why Choose a Matte Moisturiser? 

A mattifying moisturiser tends to be more lightweight than a normal moisturiser, which means it won’t clog your pores, cause blackheads or create more shine.
Though you want to cut down on the oily patches, it’s important you keep your face hydrated and nourished. 
Crafted to help tone down oily skin and still give your complexion room to breathe, a matte formula will help keep your make-up in place as the day wears on.
Shiny skin doesn't have to ruin your day, help get things under control with a mattifying formula you can rely on.
From imperfections to a T-zone that shines, invest in a matte face moisturiser that truly compliments your complexion.
You can watch Hannah share her skincare routine for Oily & Acne Prone Skin in the YouTube video below...



Brand and product inclusions are at the sole discretion of Adore Beauty. We do not seek or accept payment from brands or individuals listed in our guides.





Maddie Felton (she/her)

Adore Beauty Acknowledges the Woiwurrung language group of the Eastern Kulin Nations as the Traditional Owners of the land our Customer Fulfillment Center and Head Office conduct our business operations on. We would like to extend that Acknowledgement and Respect to all First Nations People and Elders across Australia as our parcels travel across their land, air and water. We recognise First Nations Peoples continuous relationship and connection to Country and at Adore Beauty we commit to treading lightly on the land our parcels travel. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.

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