How to Determine Your Skin Type in 4 Easy Steps

Most skincare professionals will tell you that knowing your skin type is the most important factor in determining what skincare products will work best for you. When you understand your “true skin type,” (not the one you think you have) then you can confidently select the best skincare regime that caters to your specific needs. For example, the ingredients that go into treating dry skin are often different from those that are formulated for oily skin. Treating the wrong skin type may negatively impact results, while choosing the correct skin care routine for your skin type can be beneficial in making your skin appear healthy and feel the best. Here’s how to avoid any skincare disasters by understanding your skin type in four easy steps.

Using your pores as a guide follow these steps to determine your skin type:

Step 1: Take a look at the skin on your jawline. See how it’s smooth and relatively pore-free? This is your baseline for measuring the size of your pores.  

Step 2: Compare that to the skin next to your nose. Do the pores look bigger or the same?         

Step 3: Now examine other areas of the face. Are your pores bigger or smaller than what’s on your jawline? Don’t pay attention to your nose—this area generally has larger pores, no matter the skin type. 

Step 4: Now determine your skin type based on the first three steps. Our professional guide offers helpful diagrams to assist you in this process. Here’s an overview of our product lines based on skin type:                                                                                                                                                            

Dry Skin = Moisture Line: If you have smaller pores on most of your face, with larger pores near the sides of your nose, you should focus on nourishing and hydrating the skin that help restore the lipid barrier. We like to call it our own “rule of thumb:” if you can cover your large pores with your thumb, your skin type is dry.                                                                                                          

Combo/Oily Skin = Balance Line: If you are seeing larger pores in the T-zone area of your face? Balance things out by minimizing enlarged pores while controlling excess oil and absorbing shine. This area can include your cheeks and forehead or your cheeks and chin for combo skin. Oily skin will have larger pores on the cheeks, chin and forehead.                                                              

Reactive Skin = Calm Line: Does your skin react to products or weather or food or touch? Do you develop rashes, itchiness or bumps using products? This is likely reactive skin and your goal is to reduce redness, soothe irritation and restore the skin’s natural defenses with products designed just for this skin type.                  

Acne Skin = Detox Line: Anything goes here…dry, combo, oily or reactive skin with chronic breakouts. The Detox products are focused on controlling bacteria and clearing existing blemishes while preventing future breakouts.       

Mature Skin = Rescue Line: Just like acne skin, mature skin can be a combination of issues. Due to loss of collagen and elastin, mature skin needs stimulation with anti-aging products.