Won’t oil break me out? The truth about using oil on your skin

One of the biggest skincare myths I still hear daily in clinic is:

“I can’t use oils because my skin is acne prone.”

And honestly, I understand why so many people think this. For years, oily skin was treated as something we needed to fight against. If you were breaking out, the goal was often to strip the skin dry using foaming cleansers, alcohol toners and harsh exfoliants.

But what I have seen after treating thousands of skins over the years is that overly stripping the skin is often one of the worst things we can do for acne prone or reactive skin long term.

Your skin naturally produces oil for a reason.

Sebum is not “bad.” It is part of your skin barrier and plays an essential role in protecting the skin, preventing excessive water loss and maintaining a healthy microbiome. Problems tend to occur when the oil composition becomes altered, inflammation is high or the barrier becomes impaired.

This is why I think the conversation around facial oils needs far more nuance.

Not all oils are equal.

Some oils are thick, highly comedogenic and can absolutely feel too heavy for certain skin types. But other oils are incredibly supportive for acne prone, dehydrated and inflamed skin when formulated properly.

This is exactly why I formulated The Functional Skin’s Grace Face Oil the way I did.

I did not want a heavy, greasy oil that simply sat on top of the skin. I wanted an intelligent formulation that mimicked and supported the skin’s natural lipid barrier while still feeling lightweight and elegant.

The Grace Face Oil contains a blend of barrier supportive oils including sunflower, hemp, camellia, avocado and rosehip oil, alongside ingredients like squalane and caprylic/capric triglycerides which help improve absorption and reduce heaviness on the skin.

Scientifically, this matters.

For example, sunflower oil is rich in linoleic acid, which is incredibly interesting in acne prone skin because research has shown acne sufferers often have lower levels of linoleic acid within their sebum. Low linoleic acid can contribute to impaired barrier function and thicker, stickier oil within pores, increasing congestion potential.

Hemp seed oil is another oil I specifically love for breakout prone skin because it is naturally high in omega fatty acids and has anti inflammatory properties without feeling overly occlusive.

Rosehip oil provides antioxidant support and contains naturally occurring trans retinoic acid derivatives, making it helpful for skin renewal and post inflammatory pigmentation.

Squalane is one of my favourite ingredients in skincare because it closely mimics components naturally found within our own skin lipids. It helps soften and reduce moisture loss without the heavy, suffocating feeling people often fear from oils.

One thing people often do not realise is that dehydrated skin and oily skin commonly exist together. In fact, many acne prone skins are severely dehydrated underneath. When the skin barrier is impaired and lacking water, the skin can compensate by producing more oil while simultaneously becoming inflamed and reactive.

This is why many people are shocked when introducing the correct facial oil actually improves their skin.

Not because oil is “curing acne,” but because the skin barrier is finally receiving support instead of constantly being stripped and inflamed.

I also formulated Grace Face Oil to work beautifully as an oil cleanser. Oil cleansing works through the principle of “like dissolves like.” Oils help break down makeup, sunscreen and excess sebum gently without disrupting the barrier the way harsh surfactants often do.

Of course, every skin is individual, and there are absolutely people who may not tolerate certain oils well. Skincare is never one size fits all. But I think we need to move away from the blanket fear that all oils automatically cause breakouts.

Because sometimes the skin is not asking to be dried out more.

Sometimes it is asking for nourishment, balance and barrier repair instead.