Understanding Your Skin Type (And What Actually Helps)

Most skincare advice starts with "know your skin type," and for good reason — the right ingredient on the wrong skin type can do more harm than good, while the right one on the right skin type can be transformative. Here's a genuinely useful breakdown of the main skin types and what tends to help each.

Oily Skin

Oily skin produces excess sebum, often leading to shine, enlarged pores, and a tendency toward breakouts. The instinct is often to strip the skin with harsh cleansers, but this usually backfires — skin compensates by producing even more oil.

What tends to help: Niacinamide is particularly well suited to oily skin, as it can help regulate the look of oiliness over time while also improving the appearance of pores. Lightweight, gel-based hydration (rather than heavy creams) keeps skin balanced without adding excess oil.

Dry Skin

Dry skin often feels tight, can look flaky or dull, and may show fine lines more visibly simply because it lacks the water content to look plump and smooth.

What tends to help: Hyaluronic Acid is one of the most effective ingredients for dry skin, since it can hold significant amounts of water and help skin feel genuinely hydrated rather than just coated. Richer creams and oils, like those built around Argan Oil, help seal that hydration in and support the skin barrier.

Combination Skin

Combination skin is exactly what it sounds like — typically an oilier T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) with drier cheeks. It's one of the more common skin types and can be tricky, because a single product rarely suits the whole face equally.

What tends to help: a balanced approach rather than an extreme one. A Niacinamide-based product can help even out the T-zone, while a Hyaluronic Acid moisturiser keeps drier areas comfortable. Many people with combination skin find that the same routine works fine across the whole face once it's built around balancing, gentle ingredients rather than very rich or very stripping ones.

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin reacts easily — redness, stinging, or irritation from products that other skin types tolerate well. It's less a fixed "type" and more a state that can be triggered by harsh actives, fragrance, or over-exfoliation.

What tends to help: Centella Asiatica is well known for its calming, soothing properties and is a good ingredient to look for if your skin is reactive. Aloe Vera offers similar comfort. If you want to introduce an active like Glycolic Acid, start slowly — a lower frequency at first, always with a patch test — rather than adding it to a full daily routine right away.

A Note on "Type" vs. "Concern"

Skin type (oily, dry, combination, sensitive) is about how your skin generally behaves. Skin concern (acne, hyperpigmentation, ageing) is about a specific issue you're trying to address, and can show up in any skin type. The two work together: your skin type tells you what textures and bases will feel comfortable, while your concern tells you which active ingredients to look for. Knowing both is the fastest way to stop guessing and start building a routine that actually works for you.