Best Foods for Oily Skin

What oily skin is

Sebum is the oily film that your sebaceous glands release onto the skin. Hormones called androgens drive how much of it the glands produce. It helps your skin hold water and fight germs (Del Rosso and Kircik, 2024).

In a 2019 study that measured forehead sebum in 84 healthy adults aged 19 to 37, a diet heavy in meat, dairy and drinks and light on beans was associated with more oil. Refined carbohydrates and milk trigger the release of insulin and IGF-1, and researchers think both push sebum production up (Lim et al., 2019).

Not sure your skin is really oily? Find your skin type first. The acne plate lives on foods for clear skin.

Oats, beans and barley

Glycemic index (GI) is a scale of how fast a food raises your blood sugar. It runs from 0 to 100, with pure glucose at the top. Foods at 55 or below count as low-GI (MedlinePlus).

In a 2012 trial of 32 people, a low-GI diet for 10 weeks led to fewer spots and smaller oil glands (Kwon et al., 2012). In a 12-week trial of 43 young men, spots fell by 23.5 on a low-GI diet against 12.0 on a control diet. The diet group also lost 2.9 kg (Smith et al., 2007).

In a trial of 66 adults, IGF-1 decreased after 2 weeks on a low-GI diet (Burris et al., 2018). Among 2,467 Thai teens and adults, white rice went with more severe acne (adjusted odds ratio 1.80) (Roengritthidet et al., 2021).

White bread sits at 75. More on whether bread causes acne, and more carb swaps in our low-glycemic guide.

Oily fish

In a case-control study, an Italian team compared 205 people newly diagnosed with moderate to severe acne with 358 who had mild or no acne, 563 people in all. Eating fish was associated with lower odds of the condition, with an odds ratio of 0.68 (Di Landro et al., 2012).

In a 10-week trial of 45 people, 2,000 mg a day of EPA and DHA, the omega-3s in fish, led to fewer inflammatory and non-inflammatory spots (Jung et al., 2014). We found no trial that tested eating fish itself, and the studies disagree: the Thai survey of 2,467 people listed fish among the foods reported with more severe acne. US advice is at least 8 ounces of seafood a week on a 2,000-calorie diet (FDA).

Vegetables

In the Thai survey of 2,467 people, eating vegetables was associated with less severe acne, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.74 (Roengritthidet et al., 2021). We found no trial that has tested vegetables for shine. Greens and other non-starchy vegetables are low-GI (MedlinePlus).

Milk

In a 2021 study of 540 young women, having milk more than 3 times a week went with 63% higher odds of oily skin (odds ratio 1.634). Sweets nearly doubled them (odds ratio 1.970). The women rated their own skin type (Yang et al., 2021).

A 2018 meta-analysis of 14 studies and 78,529 young people associated any milk with higher odds of acne (odds ratio 1.28), and skim milk slightly more (1.32) (Juhl et al., 2018). Skim milk's GI is only 37, so blood sugar is not the likely reason (Atkinson et al., 2008). More on whether dairy causes acne.

Sweets

In the Yang study of 540 women, sweets more than 3 times a week went with nearly double the odds of oily skin (odds ratio 1.970) (Yang et al., 2021).

In a survey of 8,226 Chinese students, drinking soft drinks every day was associated with moderate to severe acne. The association was strongest above 100 g of sugar a day from drinks (Huang et al., 2019). Oily or fried food more than 3 times a week went with more severe acne (adjusted odds ratio 1.84) in the Thai survey of 2,467 people (Roengritthidet et al., 2021). See how sugar affects skin.

Zinc-rich foods

A 2013 review concluded that zinc, taken by mouth or put on the skin, "may decrease sebum production," but it rated the evidence as limited (Brandt, 2013). A 2020 review found people with acne had lower blood zinc, and that zinc treatment reduced inflamed papules (Yee et al., 2020).

Those trials used zinc as a treatment. We found no trial of zinc-rich foods themselves. Adults need 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women. Oysters, beef, seeds and lentils all supply it, although zinc from plant foods is harder to absorb (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health).

Green tea

A 2021 review of 5 trials found that green tea extract reduced inflammatory blemishes by about 11 when applied to the skin, but by only about 1 when taken as capsules (Kim et al., 2021). None of those trials tested the tea you'd brew at home.

In laboratory-grown oil-gland cells, EGCG, the main plant compound in green tea, reduced sebum (Yoon et al., 2013). In the Thai survey, people who drank tea without sugar or milk had milder acne (adjusted odds ratio 0.61). The survey did not name the type of tea (Roengritthidet et al., 2021).

Genes, water and what food cannot do

In the study of 540 young women, a family history in first-degree relatives went with more than three times the odds of oily skin (odds ratio 3.281). A BMI over 24 went with higher odds too (odds ratio 1.677) (Yang et al., 2021).

We found no study that tested water against skin oil. In a 2015 study of 49 women, adding about 2 litres a day for 30 days improved skin hydration, most in those who drank less to start with (Palma et al., 2015).

When the American Academy of Dermatology updated its acne guidelines in 2024, available evidence was insufficient to develop recommendations for dietary changes (AAD, 2024). The 10- and 12-week diet trials still measured smaller oil glands and fewer spots. They did not reclassify anyone's type.