Protect your Oculus Quest 2 from sweat and grime with these face covers
The Oculus Quest 2's absorbent foam pads will become sweat-stained and dirtier the longer you use them. Worse, the foam causes skin irritation, to the point that Oculus recalled the Quest 2 and is offering a replacement silicone cover. While you can get that for free, alternative third-party covers made of leather, silicone, or other more comfortable materials are easier to clean and have better venting to prevent lens fogging. Starting with our personal favorite, the KIWI Design Facial Interface, here are the best Quest 2 face covers when it comes to coziness and cleanliness.
Best overall: KIWI Design Facial Interface
One of the biggest Quest 2 issues is with excess lens fogging. The basic facial interface traps your heat and sweat inside the headset, which inevitably fogs up your POV - especially when playing active games or exercise apps. Thankfully, several third-party replacement covers include vents to allow more air circulation, which daily VR users will find incredibly useful.
Of those alternatives, the KIWI Design Facial Interface wins because it gives you four vents: two pairs each on the top and bottom. This allows cool air to flow in from below and warm air to escape up top. In our tests, it did the best job of preventing fogged-up lenses, no matter the temperature of your room.
Our reviewer found the KIWI face cover padding to be extremely comfortable, but did note that its noseguard does let in some decent light leakage. If that does prove to be an issue, the KIWI Design Facial Interface uses velcro strips that are compatible with other face covers! He used the KIWI interface and added padding from VR Cover - another pick on this list - that helped close the gap.
Pros:- Minimizes lens fogging
- More vents than rivals
- Easy to remove pads for cleaning
- Comfortable PU leather material
- Minor light bleed can be distracting
Banish lens fog
This interface's venting, comfort, and versatility make it the best Quest 2 face cover available today.
Best for venting and light blockage: AMVR Facial Vent and Pads
With a similar price to the KIWI interface, this AMVR accessory is your best bet if you want a face cover with vents that has a more efficient light-blocking nose guard. Rather than relying solely on large vents, the AMVR model has a combination of "ventilation and exhaust holes" to keep the Quest 2 equally fog-free in our tests.
A seven-in-one bundle, the AMVR Facial Vent and Pads have the following: the facial interface bracket; two leather face covers sized 8mm and 12mm; two side foam pads to cushion near the straps; a light-blocking nose pad; and a lens cover to protect it during transit and block harmful sun rays. You'll especially appreciate the multiple face covers, as it'll allow you to pick more or less padding based on your face's size and shape. And the side cushions don't just add comfort; they also prevent light seepage from above your eyes.
Many users even report that the AMVR face cover is especially great for glasses-wearers, as they fit more comfortably than the standard facial interface. We highly recommend this model, though we suggest you skip the orange model instead of the black one. The orange color will catch the light inside the headset and prove distracting, defeating the purpose of its light-blocking parts.
Pros:- Padding all around the front and sides
- Anti-fogging ventilation
- Less light leakage than KIWI cover
- Good for glasses-wearers
- Orange model can be distracting
- Vents aren't as large as KIWI cover's
Take a breather
Another reliable Quest 2 accessory maker, AMVR, made a winner with its vented, padded, and snug face cover bundle.
Best for full-head padding: VR Cover Facial Interface and Foam Pad Replacement
The third in our trifecta of excellent third-party face covers are the VR Cover Facial Interface. Like the AMVR cover, it comes with a gasket replacement and two PU leather pads that are easy to clean or swap, though in this case, they're both the same size. You also get a standard nose guard for blocking light. This face cover is an official Oculus accessory, like the Elite Strap, so you know that it passes Oculus's quality standards at least.
Our reviewer vastly preferred this cover over the base Oculus cover, but did have some issues with it. He found that the repelling leather material caused sweat to drip down your face (unlike the absorbent foam), so you'll want to invest in a bandanna or sweat guard. And like the Kiwi cover, it has some issues with light seepage getting through. Despite that, it remains one of the best Quest 2 face covers, thanks in part to some of the best compatible accessories that go with it.
You can see some of these in our VR Cover accessories round-up. Among these, you'll find special Cool XG Foam Pads that replace the stock leather padding with cooling gel and a layer of memory foam. The XL glasses spacer (only compatible with the VR Cover gasket) protects your lenses from scratches much better than the stock Oculus spacer. And for improved padding around your head, the extremely comfy Head Strap Pad adds padding to the straps, while the Elite Strap Pad cradles the back of your head.
Altogether, these accessories add up to something quite expensive and probably will make your headset a bit bulkier. But the total package will probably make your Quest 2 more comfortable than it's ever been!
Pros:- Two swappable, hygenic face covers
- Standard nose guard and venting
- Tons of cozy pad add-ons
- Multiple color options
- Causes sweat to drip
- Still some light seepage
Chill out in VR
An official Oculus Quest 2 accessory, the VR Cover facial interface is a major improvement on the stock foam interface.
Best for affordability and ease of installation: VR Cover Silicone Covers
Leather replacement covers typically win the day for comfort and require taking apart your headset to install a new gasket, and removing the leather covers to clean them can be tricky. So you may want to invest in a few silicone covers instead. They slide directly over the stock Quest 2 foam interface, then come off in a flash when you want to wipe off sweat and germs from your intense Beat Saber session.
Another reliable VR Cover accessory, these silicone covers will provide a cool, sweat-wicking surface for playing active games. In our tests, they stayed secure on your face when moving around fast, so you don't have to readjust your headset constantly.
You can buy three of these for the same price as any of the above options and swap between them after every session, so you're confident it's thoroughly sanitized. Or you can buy these *, in addition* to any of the above picks; a silicone cover will slide over a leather cover in a pinch.
If silicone covers have a downside, it's that their sweat-repelling material will cause sweat to drip down your face into the headset. So as we mentioned before, you'll want to pair this with some absorbent headband and other Quest 2 workout accessories. But overall, there's very little downside to stocking up on a few of these. You can even change up the headset color to match your mood!
Pros:- Affordable
- Comfortably cool on forehead
- Sweat-repelling
- Can go on top of other padding
- Easy to clean
- Not as padded as other alternatives
- Will cause sweat drip
- No venting or light blockage
Anti-sweat, anti-slip
Your Quest 2 is likely a breeding ground for germs and grime, so use these easily removable silicone covers to stay hygienic.
Free face cover: Quest 2 Silicone Cover
As we mentioned above, you can request a free Quest 2 silicone cover from Oculus as part of its voluntary recall. If it weren't free, we wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Unfortunately, it takes about a month to arrive, is rather flimsily made, and some users say it's a struggle to get it to stick on top of the foam interface. After about five minutes, we got our free copy on, slowly molding it to fit the gasket, but it seems to be extremely prone to little scratches and scuff marks at the slightest provocation.
On the other hand, it's free! You can never have too many silicone covers, making this the perfect backup when your other covers are sweat-stained, and you don't want to wash them right away. It'll slide right over the foam interface and give you the basic protection you need, even if it isn't as colorful or well-molded as the VR Cover silicone covers.
Pros:- Won't cost you a dime
- Easy to install
- Well suited for workouts
- Takes a long time to ship
- Only comes in black
- Not the best material
Why not?
Take up Oculus on its offer and snag a generic silicone cover from Oculus's voluntary recall for free.
Bottom lineThe best Quest 2 face covers aren't just for people who regularly play hardcore exercise VR games. Pressed tight against your skin for hours, the Quest 2 facial interface is bound to absorb sweat, dirt, and bacteria. Oculus' official cleaning guide suggests non-abrasive antibacterial wipes, but those may only get what's on the immediate surface, not what has seeped into the stock foam. That's why you'll want a PU leather or silicone cover that doesn't absorb anything so that you can wipe bacteria away.
If you want to pick just one cover that won't let you down, try the KIWI Design facial interface. Its padding will envelop you in a way that'll make the Quest 2 feel much more natural. Pair it with a Quest 2 head strap replacement, and your headset will become even more comfortable for long sessions.
Credits - The team that worked on this guide
Michael Hicks has dealt with motion sickness since he starting trying out VR in 2016, but likes it too much to stop. When he's not rocking his Quest 2, Michael covers everything from laptops to soundbars, home security to fitness watches.
Nick Sutrich started with DOS and NES and uses those fond memories of floppy disks and cartridges to fuel his opinions on modern tech. Whether it's VR, smart home gadgets, or something else that beeps and boops, he's been writing about it since 2011. Reach him on Twitter or Instagram @Gwanatu