How to find your skin type without a quiz
Wash, wait an hour, look. The bare-face test is still the most honest read you can get at home.
By the Beauty Sassy editors1 min read
Most skin type quizzes ask how your skin feels. Feel is unreliable: it changes with the weather, your cleanser and how much sleep you got. Looking is better.
The bare-face test
Wash with a gentle cleanser, pat dry, apply nothing, and wait an hour. Then look in daylight.
- Shine across the forehead, nose and cheeks: oily.
- Shine only down the centre: combination.
- Tight, flaky or dull everywhere: dry.
- None of the above: normal, or close to it.
Skin type is not skin tone
The Fitzpatrick scale describes how skin reacts to sun, not how oily or dry it is. You need both: type decides texture of product, tone and sun response decide how seriously to take SPF.
Repeat the test in a different season. Many people are drier in winter and more combination in summer, and the routine should follow.
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