Gleam, glisten, or shimmer—these are not the words anyone with an oily skin type would like to be used to describe their skin (because the concept of shine for oily skin peeps is a total nightmare!). But thankfully, things have changed, and you can count on the best highlighters for oily skin to give you the dewy radiance of your dreams without making you look like a grease ball.

A highlighter typically comes in a liquid, cream, or powder formula and highlights or accentuates certain facial features. It is strategically added to high points of the face, aka the areas that naturally catch the light, such as the forehead, top of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, etc., to create natural-looking depth, dimension, and luminosity. But when you have an oily T-zone, a forever home to shine, you cannot afford to look luminous.

So, here comes the solution, a highlighter for oily skin, that will instantly add a glow to your skin while minimizing the greasy slick. It will make your skin look plump, hydrated, and dewy, but without the crazy mess of oiliness. It becomes a savior for people with oily and oily to combination skin types. Since there is a plethora of options in the market today, you might feel overwhelmed while trying to find your ideal highlighter match. This is why our team of experts put several products to the test. We analyzed them based on their ingredients, formula, texture, shade range, and longevity to round up these top picks. Get ready to keep the glow and kick the oil away!  

• 1
  Best Lightweight

  Perricone MD Highlighter

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Unveil your natural radiance with Perricone MD No Makeup Gel Highlighter, tailored for oily skin. This lightweight formula delivers a luminous glow without adding unwanted shine. Perfect for oily skin types, it effortlessly blends to enhance your features, imparting a subtle, dewy finish. Infused with skincare benefits, it refines texture and minimizes the appearance of pores. Experience a natural, oil-free glow that lasts all day, offering a fresh, radiant complexion without compromise. Enjoy the confidence of a highlighter designed specifically for oily skin, emphasizing your best features without the excess shine.

2

wet n wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder

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Get an unmatched glow with the wet n wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder. As the name suggests, it is a highly pigmented popular highlighter that offers a dazzling glow. It has a baked formula infused with micro-fine pearls and comes with the goodness of skin-friendly ingredients like Macadamia seed oil, vitamin E, murumuru seed butter, shea butter, and argan oil. It has a silky smooth finish that will glide on against your skin during application and works well for combination skin types. Drawing from our experience, we suggest using this highlighter sparingly. Start with a little and build up the finish as needed for a natural-looking finish.

3

Best Metallic Finish

Maybelline New York Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter

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Go big and go bold, but not home with this award-winning metallic highlighter from Maybelline New York. You will be turning heads with this highlighter which is a class apart from other highlighters in the market, thanks to its molten metal-like brilliant finish. Available in 4 incredible shades, it is a seamless blend of pearl pigments that will leave you with an illuminating glow and chrome finish. As indicated by our tests, it is one of the best highlighters for olive skin and won't cause breakouts in oily skin types.

4

Best for Oily Skin

TEMPTU Highlighter

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Elevate your glow with TEMPTU S/B Silicone-Based Airbrush Highlighter, a game-changer for oily skin. Experience a weightless, buildable formula that imparts natural luminosity without excess shine. Perfect for oily skin, this long-lasting highlighter delivers light-reflecting shimmer in a layerable finish. Achieve a radiant, oil-free glow that lasts, blending seamlessly and enhancing your features. This airbrush highlighter offers a sophisticated, natural-looking sheen, allowing oily-skinned users to revel in a luminous complexion, free from the worries of excessive shine.

5

NICEFACE Shimmer Stick

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This is the best strobing highlighter for oily skin types, particularly those who love a minimal makeup look with a subtle natural-looking sheen. The NICEFACE Shimmer Stick has a sheer luminescent finish that you will fall in love with. It comes in two different shades, Shimmery Yellow and Frosty Pink, which work for all skin tones. You may use the stick directly, or use your fingers to dab the highlighter for a more seamless finish. Our team discovered through using this product that it is a great option for everyday wear.

6

Best for Everyday Wear

essence Cosmetics Pure Nude Highlighter

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Your search for the best illuminator for face must end with this powder highlighter from Essence Cosmetics. Dab it on and get ready to slay with its marble-like sheen. It is a good color pay-off, but it is as subtle as a highlighter can get. It adds a very natural-looking glow to the skin. It melts so flawlessly into your skin that it looks like you are not wearing anything. After putting it to the test, we found that it has an easy-to-blend formula and leaves oily skin with a gorgeous glow.

7

Best Drugstore Highlighter

L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Shimmerista Highlighting Powder

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This drugstore highlighter for oily skin from L’Oréal Paris is a holy grail for many makeup enthusiasts who have to combat a shiny T-zone day and night. It is a finely milled loose powder with a nice amount of shimmer that can be used on the top of cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, and other high points, as well as on top of your lids. Based on our firsthand experience, this product requires you to be careful with precision as it is very easy to go overboard with this one.

8

Best Natural-looking Glow

Milani Illuminating Face Powder

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The beautiful roses will attract you at first sight and its performance will keep you hooked to this best face illuminator for oily skin from Milani. It is a multi-purpose makeup product that offers a subtle yet shiny finish for your whole face. It provides a multi-colored palette to fulfill all your blush, bronzer, and highlighter needs. Available in 3 different shades, it is quite a favorite of many makeup enthusiasts. Our investigation demonstrated that it is an ideal highlighter for those who want a lit-from-within look.

9

Best Overall

Revlon SkinLights Prismatic Highlighter

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Glisten like never before with this popular highlighter for oily skin from Revlon. From day to night, its silky soft texture imparts a stunning radiance, letting you become the talk of every event and occasion that too without going over the top. Available in 3 shades, it has a powdery formula blended with refined pearls and saturated pigments for a multi-dimensional sheer finish. When we trialed this product, we discovered it is formulated without any fragrance, making it suitable even for sensitive skin types.

10

Best in Versatility

COVER FX Custom Enhancer Drops

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Create a nice, natural glow with this liquid highlighter for oily skin from COVER FX.  Use it directly on your cheekbones to illuminate your face, or mix it with your foundation for an overall radiance, blend it on your eyelids for a shimmery shadow look, or add to your body lotion for gorgeous glittery legs–the possibilities are endless with this one. We have found from using this product that it works for all age groups, meaning it is suitable to use even for mature skin.

11

Best Matte Finish

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

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Take your makeup game to a whole new level with this highlighter from Hourglass. It is actually a one-of-its-kind highlighter palette that contains three soft, finely-milled finishing powders. You can use these powders individually to accentuate different facial features or layer them together to create a multidimensional glow you have never seen before but only dreamed of. Available in three different volumes of shades, this is the best matte highlighter for oily skin you can get your hands on. Our findings show that it gives an incredibly flawless and airbrushed look that doesn’t look artificial.

12

Best Dewy Finish

Benefit Watt's Up Soft Focus Highlighter for Face

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Fake that healthy skin-like radiant glow with the Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter for oily skin. It is a cult favorite for a reason. When applied, it leaves a beautiful golden champagne glow that shines a little bit silvery in light. It works for almost all skin tones, particularly medium and olive skin tones. Dab it on and smudge using your fingers for a seamless look. Finish up with a powder on top, if you don’t want a dewy finish. Based on our observations, it looks incredibly gorgeous when applied under a blush.

There are several good face highlighters for people with combination and oily skin types. And selecting the perfect one is easier than ever with our comprehensive guide that will help you make a well-rounded and informed decision. Here are some key factors you must consider while choosing the best highlighter for oily skin:

Ingredients

Look for oily skin-friendly ingredients like niacinamide, kaolin clay, silica, vitamin E, and zinc oxide, to name a few. Choose an oil-free formula if you have very oily and acne-prone skin. Combination skin type and moderately oily skin type can look for jojoba oil or squalane in the formulation.

Non-comedogenic

Ensure that your choice of highlighter is non-comedogenic i.e., it won't clog pores. You can find this out by reading the brand's claims and the ingredient label.

Texture

While highlighters are available in different textures, the best one for oily skin types is the powdery one. It gives a smooth finish and also helps absorb excess oil.

Finish

Choose a highlighter with a sheer and matte finish. Buildable coverage is ideal for oily skin types. Choose something with a subtle sheen since too much glittery action can work against you. 

Other Features

Make sure it is lightweight, long-lasting, smudge-proof, and transfer-proof.

Customer Reviews

Don’t forget to check out the highlighter reviews on various online platforms to get insights into the performance of the highlighter of your choice via real-life experiences of real people. You may also ask your friends and family members with oily or combination skin type for their recommendations, reviews, and suggestions. 

Using a highlighter on oily skin is not rocket science, but with the correct form of application, it can be a game changer for you. You can achieve a radiant glow without exacerbating oiliness. Just follow our step-by-step guide and look forward to an oil-free luminous glow:

• Begin with a clean and well-moisturized face. You can add a hydrating serum or toner to get that plump look.
• Apply an oil-free primer followed by an oil-free matte foundation to create a uniform base. It will also help you keep excess oil at bay.
• Always opt for a powder highlighter with a subtle to medium shimmer. 
• Use your fingers or a fan brush to apply the highlighter on the top of your cheekbones, the inner corner of the eyes, and Cupid's bow. Avoid placing it on your T-zone, particularly your forehead and chin, if you tend to get overly oily during the day.
• Start with a little amount of product and go in with a very light hand. When it comes to highlighters for oily skin, a little goes a long way. Add more product only if needed. 
• You may also use the highlighter directly on your face without applying the foundation. Ensure you are using one with a very subtle finish for a natural-looking radiance. 
• Finish off with a translucent powder and/or setting spray to lock in the makeup look.

Conclusion

When makeup looks with a luminous natural-looking glow are topping the trends, it might seem like a non-achievable challenge for those with oily skin type. However, with the best highlighters for oily skin, they can easily achieve a non-greasy radiance. With oil-free formulas in a matte yet shimmery finish, these highlighters will be your ally in your fight against excess oil and shiny T-zone. They will absorb the excess sebum and minimize the appearance of pores while enhancing your facial features. Take your pick from our carefully curated selection and get ready to show off an illuminated, long-lasting glow that is the perfect blend of matte and dewy.