Skincare Tips by Skin Type — Dry, Oily, Combination, Sensitive, Acne-Prone

The exact same product can behave completely differently depending on your skin type, so knowing yours precisely is what lets you pick the right ingredients and textures. A simple way to check: cleanse your face, apply nothing, and wait 20–30 minutes — how your skin behaves during that window is a pretty good indicator.

Dry Skin

Often feels tight right after cleansing, with flaking or fine lines that stand out more than usual. Ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol — which add both moisture and oil — tend to work well. Look for a gentle cream or milk cleanser over a foaming one, and finish with a richer cream rather than a lightweight lotion.

Oily Skin

Tends to look shiny again soon after cleansing, often with visibly enlarged pores. Ingredients like niacinamide, salicylic acid (BHA), and green tea extract help with oil control and pore care. Favor lighter gels or lotions over heavy, oil-rich creams, and look for products labeled non-comedogenic.

Combination Skin

A mix of both — shiny in the T-zone (forehead, nose) but dry around the cheeks and jaw. "Multi-masking," using different products on different areas, works well here: a gentle base product all over, with an oil-controlling product layered on the T-zone and a more hydrating one on the cheeks.

Sensitive Skin

If new products regularly bring on redness, stinging, or itching, that points to sensitive skin. Proven calming ingredients like centella asiatica (cica), panthenol, and aloe tend to help, and it's safer to avoid products with fragrance or alcohol. Patch-test anything new on your jawline or inner arm before applying it to your whole face.

Acne-Prone Skin

If you break out often, ingredients like salicylic acid (BHA), tea tree, and benzoyl peroxide can help. That said, over-exfoliating or over-cleansing acne-prone skin can actually trigger more oil production, so balancing active treatment with hydration and calming care matters. If breakouts are severe or persistent, it's worth pairing this with a dermatologist visit.

Skin type can shift with the seasons

It's common for the same person to run oilier in summer and drier in winter. Adjusting your products with the seasons — rather than sticking to one fixed routine year-round — is usually the healthier approach.