Thayers Hydrating Milky Cleanser for oily skin
Hyaluronic Acid
Tremella Fuciformis
Shea Butter
Coconut Oil
Aloe BarbadensisAverage
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate suitability for oily skin, as glycerin and hyaluronic acid provide humectant action to hydrate without exacerbating oiliness, though it lacks sufficient ingredients for strong seboregulation to address your main goal of reducing oily shine.
- The cleanser provides general skincare benefits like soothing and hydration from aloe barbadensis leaf juice and chamomile extract, which are supportive but not directly targeted at managing excess oil.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use your cleanser AM and PM every day to keep your skin fresh. Always make sure to follow with a good SPF in the morning.
- Apply your cleanser as the first step in the morning or the second step in the evening before your toner.
- Gently massage a small amount onto your face using circular motions, then rinse well with water .
- You can apply this cleanser safely on damp skin for a refreshing and easy wash.
- Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes and stop use if irritation occurs.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 1000+ reviewsThis cleanser is widely praised as a gentle, non-foaming option that excels for dry, sensitive, and winter-ravaged skin by leaving the moisture barrier intact. While users love its soothing, "lotion-like" feel, many note it struggles to remove heavy makeup on its own and is best used as a morning cleanse or second step in a double-cleansing routine.
Highlights
Extremely hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “leaves skin soft and cushioned”
- “perfect for winter dryness”
- “skin feels plump”
- “doesn't strip moisture”
Gentle & soothing Often Mentioned
- “calms my redness”
- “no stinging or irritation”
- “great for sensitive skin”
- “very mild formula”
Poor makeup removal Often Mentioned
- “leaves makeup residue”
- “struggles with mascara”
- “need to double cleanse”
- “doesn't remove foundation well”
Improves skin barrier Sometimes Noted
- “healed my moisture barrier”
- “stopped my flaking”
- “skin feels stronger”
- “less tight after washing”
Pleasant milky texture Sometimes Noted
- “feels like a cloud”
- “smooth milky consistency”
- “creamy and cushioning”
- “glides over skin”
Leaves a film Sometimes Noted
- “leaves a filmy layer”
- “feels slightly sticky”
- “hard to rinse off completely”
- “residue sits on skin”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “gave me closed comedones”
- “caused small bumps”
- “broke me out”
- “too heavy for acne-prone skin”
Lack of lather Rarely Noted
- “doesn't foam at all”
- “feels like washing with lotion”
- “miss the bubbles”
- “hard to tell if it's working”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, thayers.com, target.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Thayers Hydrating Milky Cleanser work for oily skin?
Thayers Hydrating Milky Cleanser works moderately well for oily skin, as its hyaluronic acid and glycerin hydrate without adding extra oil. It is safe and soothing, but lacks strong oil-controlling ingredients to reduce shiny skin. To better manage oily skin, a cleanser of this type needs ingredients that specifically target oiliness and impurities while maintaining a clear complexion.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily skin?
Glycerin and hyaluronic acid make this cleanser work for oily skin by providing hydration without adding extra oil. Because it lacks ingredients to manage excess oil, this skin type needs a cleanser with oil-controlling and pore-clearing ingredients to keep shine in check.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps oily skin by reducing extra oil and sebum production without causing irritation. Clinical studies show it successfully balances oil levels while keeping the skin comfortable.
What does Tremella Mushroom do for oily skin?
Tremella Mushroom helps hydrate oily skin without feeling heavy or greasy because it holds a lot of moisture while staying lightweight. This ingredient is unlikely to clog pores, leaving your face feeling smooth and balanced.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This cleanser fits into both your morning and evening routines as the first step after removing makeup at night. It safely hydrates oily skin without causing irritation, though a cleanser for this skin also needs ingredients that manage excess oil and reduce shine.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in your routine before applying retinol, as its gentle ingredients are unlikely to cause irritation. To properly fit oily skin, this type of product also needs ingredients that help balance excess oil and shine.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in the morning and evening as part of your routine. It is safe for oily skin and provides gentle hydration and soothing benefits without causing irritation.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause irritation on oily skin, but review complaints show a low chance of breakouts. Oily skin needs a cleanser with ingredients that help balance excess oil and shine.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this cleanser safely around the eyes and on the body because it is gentle and free of harsh ingredients, though oily skin on the face also needs specific balancing ingredients to control shine.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Snow mushroom alcohol-based hand rub gel significantly improved skin moisture better than the placebo through 180 minutes while maintaining comparable antiseptic efficacy in 20 human volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Tremella fuciformis extract demonstrates potential cutaneous benefits including skin antiaging, photoprotection, wound healing, and barrier protection based on in vitro and animal models.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2023Tremella fuciformis inhibits melanogenesis by decreasing melanin content and tyrosinase expression in B16F10 cells while promoting wound healing in human HaCaT keratinocytes and Detroit 551 fibroblasts.
In Vivo, 2022A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Overnight virgin coconut oil application provides a skin protective effect against damage and increased TEWL from frequent alcohol-based hand sanitizer usage in 60 volunteers, resulting in a 25% increase in perceived moisture content compared to the control group.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010Formulations containing 0.10%, 0.25%, and 0.50% freeze-dried Aloe vera extract increased stratum corneum water content compared with the vehicle in 20 female subjects, while transepidermal water loss was not modified.
Skin Research and Technology, 2006
Why other cleansers fit oily skin better
A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Combined ascorbyl palmitate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate treatment significantly reduced facial sebum secretions in healthy female volunteers compared to a placebo control over 90 days.
Drug Research, 2017
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.