Almost every skincare decision follows from your skin type, and a great many people have it wrong — usually because they diagnosed themselves while using products that were changing the answer.
The test
Do it on a day you are staying in.
- Wash your face with a mild cleanser
- Apply nothing afterwards. No moisturiser, no serum, no SPF
- Wait one hour
- Look in daylight and press a tissue to your forehead, nose, cheeks and chin
Read the result:
- Shine everywhere, tissue marked all over → oily
- Shine on forehead and nose only, cheeks matte or tight → combination
- No shine, feels tight or looks flaky → dry
- Comfortable, slight shine on the nose at most → normal
- Redness, stinging or itching → sensitive, which sits on top of one of the above rather than replacing it
Why people get it wrong
Over-cleansing makes oily skin look drier. Stripped skin often produces more oil in response, so a harsh routine can make you read as combination when you are oily, or the reverse.
Dehydration is mistaken for dryness. Dry skin lacks oil, a permanent trait. Dehydrated skin lacks water, a temporary state that any type can have — including oily. If your skin is shiny and feels tight, you are oily and dehydrated, not combination.
Skin type changes. With season, climate, age and hormones. Retest twice a year rather than deciding once at twenty.
What each result means
Oily — light gel textures, thorough but gentle cleansing, and moisturiser you should not skip. Skipping it makes oil production worse.
Dry — richer creams, especially at night, and gentle non-foaming cleansers.
Combination — the most common. Treat the zones differently rather than compromising on one product for the whole face.
Normal — the widest choice; maintain rather than fix.
Sensitive — introduce one product at a time, always, so you know what caused a reaction.
The one thing that applies to everyone
Daily sun protection, regardless of type. It does more for how skin ages than any other product in a routine.
For type-specific routines, see the skincare section.