What Goes First: Moisturizer Or Facial Oil?

Last Updated on April 7, 2026 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

Should I apply moisturizer or facial oil first? Do I even need both?! When your skin is feeling dry, you know the answer is moisture, moisture, moisture. But where to get it from? Oils are super moisturising, but take ages to absorb. I don’t want to wait 30 min before putting on moisturiser, so maybe I should apply that last. But then some influencers does the opposite and go with facial oil first and her skin looks amazing. What goes first, moisturiser or facial oil (and does it even matter)?!

What Is A Moisturizer?

While both moisturisers and facial oils deeply moisturise skin, banish dryness, and make skin soft and supple, there are some key differences between them. Let’s start with moisturisers. They contain both humectants (like hyaluronic acid) to attract moisture from the air into your skin, and oils and occlusive humectants to seal it in. Some moisturisers are oil-free, meaning they only contain humectants and skin-identical ingredients, like ceramides and fatty acids, that seal moisture in without adding more oil to it. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, oil-free moisturisers are the way to go.

What Is A Facial Oil?

You could say that a facial oil is a type of moisturizer. Some facial oils are pure, meaning they only contain natural oils. Others contain synthetic ingredients to moisturise skin, thicken texture, preserve the product, etc. Either way, facial oils focus on repairing your skin’s barrier, so that moisture stays in, where it needs to be to make skin softer and suppler. They’re ideal for dry skin that needs more moisture than moisturisers can provide, but can cause breakouts in oily and acne-prone skin.

BEST FACIAL OILS

• Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil ($72.00): A pure marula oil product to deeply moisturise dry skin. Available at Cult Beauty, Sephora, and SpaceNK
• The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil ($10.90): An anti-aging oil suitable for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone. Available at Boots, Cult Beauty, The Ordinary and Ulta

What’s The Difference Between A Moisturizer And A Facial Oil?

First things first. Before you go crazy trying to figure out what goes first, are you sure you need both a moisturizer AND a facial oil? I know that facial oils are all the rage now and you’re feeling like you’re missing out if you don’t use one. But what if I told you that a moisturizer and a facial oil do the same job?

Both moisturizers and facial oils moisturize skin. The main difference is that oils are always occlusive. They create a barrier on the skin that locks water in. Moisturizers come in different forms. Oil-free moisturisers, for example, work thanks to humectants, i.e. clever little molecules that attract water from the air into the skin. For oily skin, they’re the bomb.

But most moisturizers out there do contain a mix of humectants and occlusive oils, so they can attract water into the skin and keep it there. If your moisturizer already has them, do you really need a separate facial oil?

Related: The Complete Guide To Facial Oil: What They Are, What They Do And How To Use Them

Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness and makes your skin supple and dewy? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):

Should I Use A Moisturizer, Facial Oil, Or Both?

That depends on your skin type. 80% of people need only a moisturizer. Let’s see what YOU should be using:

Oily Skin

Oily skin? An oil-free moisturiser is all you need. Thanks to your workaholic sebaceous glands that insist on pumping out more oil than you need, your skin’s protective barrier is intact. You know what that means? You can just add moisture to your skin, and your natural barrier will keep it there. No need for oils.

I’d go as far as to say that oily skin should stay away from oils. Sure, there are oils that are suitable for your skin type, like rosehip and jojoba. But oils tend to clog pores, so be careful when adding them to your skincare routine. If you don’t need them, don’t risk it.

BEST MOISTURIZERS FOR OILY SKIN

• CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion ($19.99): It uses humectants that hyaluronic acid and glycerin to attract water into your skin and ceramides to moisturise skin without adding more oil to it. Available at Beauty Bay, Boots, Cult Beauty, Dermstore, and Ulta.
• Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel ($29.00): A hydrating moisturizer loaded with antioxidants to prevent premature aging. Available at Paula’s Choice.
• COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream ($26.00): Enriched with snail mucin, this super moisturising cream deeply hydrates skin without adding more oil to it. Available at Asos, Beauty Bay, Look Fantastic, Stylevana, Superdrug, Ulta, and Yes Style

Dry And Sensitive Skin?

You need either a moisturiser or a facial oil. Your skin’s protective barrier is damaged. Moisture keeps evaporating through the cracks, turning your skin into a dull, flaky red mess. Ouch. Both a moisturiser and a facial oil can patch up your skin’s protective barrier. One isn’t better than the other. It just depends on personal preference. Oils take longer to absorb and they don’t always layer well under makeup. That makes them a better choice for night time. In the morning, a lightweight moisturizer is the best option.

Keep in mind that if you use a facial oil, you need to slather on a hyaluronic acid serum first. You need to add moisture into your skin if you want oils to trap it in. Hyaluronic acid is great at this. It can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water.

BEST MOISTURIZERS FOR DRY AND SENSITIVE SKIN

• Bioderma Sensibio AR ($32.99): A no-frills cream that moisturises dry skin and soothes redness and irritations. Available at Boots, Dermstore and Target.
• CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion ($19.99): A rare gem that works for all skin types, it repairs your skin’s protective barrier and brings dry skin back to health. Available at Beauty Bay, Boots, Cult Beauty, Dermstore, and Ulta.
• Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturiser ($37.00): A rich moisturiser loaded with ceramides, fatty acids, and natural oils that repair your skin’s protective barrier and make skin softer and smoother. Available at Cult Beauty, Dermstore, Paula’s Choice, and Sephora.

When You Need A Moisturiser AND A Facial Oil

Is your skin so dry, all the moisturisers and facial oils you’ve tried are no match for it? That’s when you need to bring in a facial oil. You have two options here. You could add a few drops of facial oils to your fave moisturiser or you could layer one on top of the other. But, which one goes first, moisturizer or facial oil?

Related: Why Oil-Free Moisturizers Are The Best For Oily Skin

Should You Apply Moisturizer Or Facial Oil First?

As a rule of thumb, you should always apply skincare from the thinner to the thickest to give products the best chance to sink in. Following this rule, moisturizer always goes before facial oil. Here’s why: “Face oils don’t really add hydration to the skin, but they can help support the skin barrier and lock in the hydration that you’d get from a serum or moisturizer,” says NYC dermatologist Elyse Love, MD.

Plus, they take ages to absorb. Who wants to wait 20 minutes for the oils to sink in before slathering on moisturizer? Heck, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably forget to apply moisturizer at all!

Related: How Long Do You Need To Wait Before Applying The Next Skincare Product?

The Exception To The Rule

Have you noticed those new hybrids between a facial oil and a serum? The Ordinary Retinol 1% In Squalane is the perfect example. Retinol is an active that needs to be applied as close to clean skin as possible. The more layers are in the way, the harder it is for it to get through. And if it can’t penetrate your skin, how can it work?

Yet, the base is an occlusive oil. It’s there to counteract the drying effects of retinol and moisturise skin. So, where does it go, before or after moisturizer? Before. If you’re using an oil with active ingredients that need to penetrate skin, apply it as close to the skin as possible.

Then, apply moisturizer on top. It’s not ideal, but you’ll still get some extra hydration. It’s not like moisturizers completely stop working if you use them on top of facial oils…

FAQs

Can I mix facial oil into my moisturizer instead of layering?

Short answer? Yeah, you totally can – and honestly, for a lot of people, it’s the better option.
Think of it like this: layering oil on top of moisturizer is the “textbook” method because oil seals everything in. But in real life? It can feel heavy, greasy, and a bit… extra. Especially if you’re not dealing with Sahara-level dryness.

Mixing a couple of drops of facial oil into your moisturizer turns it into a richer, more nourishing cream without that separate oily layer sitting on your face. Also, you get more control. When you mix, you can adjust how many drops your skin needs that day. The only time layering might be better is if your skin is super dry or compromised, like flaky, irritated, or tight no matter what you do. That’s when the “seal it all in” approach actually helps.

Should I use facial oil in the morning, or only at night?

This one really depends on your lifestyle… and your patience level. Technically, you can use facial oil in the morning. There’s no skincare law against it. But whether you’ll enjoy it is another story. Morning routines are usually about, getting out the door with a full face of makeup and no shine. And facial oils… don’t always play nicely with that.

A lot of oils take their sweet time sinking in. So if you apply one in the morning, you might end up, looking a bit greasy, feeling like your sunscreen is sliding around, or watching your makeup disappear by lunchtime. Not ideal. That’s why for most people, oil is way more of a nighttime thing. At night, it can just do its job:, no rush, no makeup to mess up, no worrying about shine.

That said-there are exceptions. If your skin is really dry, or you live somewhere cold and windy, a tiny amount of oil in the morning (or mixed into your moisturizer) can actually be amazing. The trick is to go light. Like… one drop, not a full dropper situation.

Are there any oils that are truly safe for acne-prone skin?

This is where things get a bit nuanced… and where skincare advice online can be super confusing. You’ve probably heard two extreme takes: “All oils clog pores!! Run!!” and “No oils clog pores, it’s a myth!!” The truth is… it’s somewhere in the middle (annoying, I know).

Some oils are more likely to clog pores. Others are much lighter and less likely to cause issues. But here’s the thing people don’t say enough: acne-prone skin isn’t all the same. What works beautifully for one person might break out someone else instantly. Skin is picky like that. That said, there are oils that tend to be safer bets because they’re lightweight and closer to your skin’s natural oil:

• Rosehip oil: super popular for a reason. It’s lightweight, absorbs quickly, and many acne-prone people tolerate it well.
• Jojoba oil: this one’s interesting because it mimics your skin’s natural sebum, so sometimes it actually helps balance things out.
• Squalane: technically not a traditional oil, but it feels like one. Very lightweight, very unlikely to clog pores, and generally a crowd-pleaser.

The Bottom Line

Most people DON’T need both a moisturizer and a facial oil. If you do, apply the facial oil last. The only exception? Serums disguised as oils. They need to be as close to the skin as possible.