Skin type can be among the most important factors in finding products. While most skincare products have some benefit, finding the right formulations for your skin type can increase efficacy and limit your need for ancillary products. This is especially true for those with sensitive skin who risk more than just a breakout with the wrong skincare routine.
Different Skin Types
For some, determining skin type is easy, while others may be less clear on what their predominant type is. Here are some quick guidelines to know your skin type.
- Oily Skin — People with oily skin have evidence of sebum production. This may mean they find themselves blotting away excess oil, or that makeup or skincare products seem to slip out of place.
- Dry/Dehydrated Skin — While dryness and dehydration are separate issues (dry means less oil, whereas dehydration means less moisture), they often can feel similar. Those with dry skin may feel tight or itchy and skin may be flakey or show fine lines or cracks.
- Combination Skin — If the above two descriptions both matched portions of your skin, you likely have combination skin. Combination skin is most commonly found as an oily T-zone and dry or normal skin elsewhere.
- Sensitive Skin — Sensitive skin can be reactive to harsh ingredients, fragrances or other irritants. If you have sensitive skin, you likely know from the reactions you’ve seen, which can include rashes or bumps, stinging or flaking, or other signs of irritation.
- Mature Skin — Not everyone’s skin ages at the same pace, so while there’s no set number that defines mature skin, there are signs. Mature skin may have more prominent fine lines or wrinkles, dark spots, dullness and dehydration.
- Normal Skin — If none of these quite fit the bill, that likely means you have normal skin. Normal skin doesn’t have any distinct concerns like oil, dryness or fine lines.
Suggested Skincare For Skin Types
Skincare Routine for Oily Skin
Oily skin can handle a wide range of ingredients without concern for irritation or breakouts, but does require special maintenance. People with oily skin should avoid ingredients like mineral oil, petrolatum and alcohol, while embracing non-comedogenic labels and chemical exfoliants. A pitfall many with oily skin fall into is failing to moisturize, which can actually encourage more oil production. Look for oil-free moisturizers and non-drying cleansers.
Recommended Products
Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
Moisturizer is key for dry skin, as is avoiding drying ingredients like alcohols. Those with dry skin may need to tread carefully with chemical exfoliants and treatments like retinol to make sure they don’t further exacerbate flaking or dryness.
Recommended Products
Skincare Routine for Combination Skin
Those with combination skin need to balance recommendations for both oily and dry skin. This may mean using different treatments on different areas of the face while still avoiding alcohols and mineral oils.
Recommended Products
Skincare Routine for Mature Skin
Mature skin needs products designed to help with past and future damage. Some women with mature skin may also be seeing signs of Estrogen Deficient Skin, which requires its own treatment. Those with mature skin should look for anti-aging ingredients like growth factors, retinoids and peptides. For women who are in perimenopause or menopause, MEP Technology is the only ingredient that is clinically proven to help address collagen loss and non-hormonally restore the natural function of Estrogen Deficient Skin.
Recommended Products
Skincare Routine for Sensitive Skin
Because sensitive skin can be caused by genetics, allergies or environmental factors, the most important part of a sensitive skincare routine is to use products that work for you. Conducting patch tests of products may help you determine what will be sure to keep your skin calm. More generally, those with sensitive skin should be careful with strong active ingredients like chemical exfoliants or high concentrations of retinol and instead turn to calming ingredients like growth factors.
Recommended Products
A combination approach to support sensitive skin types. Growth Factor benefits help calm and soothe skin while Retriderm Serum Mild helps support cellular turnover without the irritation commonly associated with retinols. All oil-free formulations.
Other Factors to Consider When Developing a Skincare Routine
Skincare routines shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all, or even five-size-fits-all based on skin type. From age, stage of life, skin texture, lifestyle and skin concerns, there are many considerations to take into account when choosing products.
While a product may be suitable for your skin, it may not be the best choice for a main concern of hyperpigmentation or may be less effective. For skincare recommendations as unique as you are, take the Skincare Quiz.
The quiz takes into account factors such as your:
Age Your skin changes with age just like the rest of you, using the same skincare for different stages of life could be limiting your results
Skin Concern While many products can help with a variety of concerns, some ingredients can help or hinder your goals. Make sure your ingredients are working to your advantage.
Lifestyle The best skincare routine is the one that you like to do, so whether that’s a multi-step mini spa each night or a five-minutes routine, consistency is key
Find your recommendations and take the Skincare Quiz.