SKIN PROFILE CHECK

Whenever you have a couple hours to spare, while you’re unwinding at home, try taking this simple test to determine your skin type. Clean your face with your regular cleanser, dry with a soft towel/face cloth and don’t touch your face for the next three hours. No product should be applied on your skin during this duration (moisturizers etc. nothing at all). Towards the end of those three hours you’ll have a clear sense of your skin type:

Dry Skin: Uncomfortable, flaky, cracked.
Oily Skin: Shiny, greasy appearance, enlarged pores.
Combination Skin: Oily in some places, dry in some areas.
Normal Skin: Overall comfortable, neither dry nor oil, smooth surface.
Sensitive Skin: Not an actual skin type but a condition, may burn or itch, blushed/flushed easily.
Blemish/Acne prone Skin: Clogged pores, Redness and irritation, large pores on nose and inner cheeks. Again not a specific skin type as any other skin types can be acne/blemish-prone (although those with oily skin are more likely to struggle with this condition). Rosacea Skin and sometimes even Aging skin can be blemish prone.

1. Dry Skin Profile

What might cause this?

Over Exfoliation
Long, hot baths and/or showers
Pollution; harsh wind; smoking; excessive sun exposure
Chlorine water
Lack of shower filter
Foaming cleansers
Clay or charcoal masks
Lack of gel/creamy cleansers with rich facial oils
Chemical ingredients and harsh preservatives (parabens, sodium benzoate, benzyl alcohol, formaldehyde, SLS, artificial colorants)
Certain soaps with surfactants
Products high in alcohol content
Synthetic fragrances

2. Oily Skin Profile

What might cause this?

Over Exfoliation
Long, hot baths and/or showers
Pollution; harsh wind; smoking; excessive sun exposure
Warmer weather, humidity
Stress
Hormonal fluctuations
Routine that lacks lightweight gel moisturizers, salicylic acid products, mattifying powders
Chlorine water
Lack of shower filter
Certain soaps with surfactants
Synthetic fragrances
Chemical ingredients and harsh preservatives (parabens, sodium benzoate, benzyl alcohol, formaldehyde, SLS, artificial colorants)
Strong Cleansers
Alcohol-based toners
Heavy facial oils and/or oil-based creams

3. Combination Skin Profile

What might cause this?

Over Exfoliation
Long, hot baths and/or showers
Pollution; harsh wind; smoking; excessive sun exposure
Certain soaps with surfactants
Synthetic fragrances
Chemical ingredients and harsh preservatives (parabens, sodium benzoate, benzyl alcohol, formaldehyde, SLS, artificial colorants)
Chlorine water
Lack of shower filter
Winter weather
Not getting enough sleep
Alcohol-based toners
Harsh, foaming cleansers and scrubs
Rich, heavy moisturizers
Chemical peels, strong acne treatments, clay masks

4. Normal Skin Profile

What might cause this?

Chemical ingredients
Over Exfoliation
Long, hot baths and/or showers
Pollution; harsh wind; smoking; excessive sun exposure
Certain soaps with surfactants
Synthetic fragrances
Harsh preservatives (parabens, sodium benzoate, benzyl alcohol, formaldehyde, SLS, artificial colorants)
Chlorine water
Lack of shower filter
Artificial colorants
Alcohol-based toners
Poor food diet (example, consumption of white flour, white sugar, processed foods, alcohol and the likes)
Hereditary factors

5. Sensitive Skin Profile

What might cause this?

Alcohol-based toners
Antibiotics
NSAIDs (anti-inflammatory medication)
Chemical ingredients
Over Exfoliation
Long, hot baths and/or showers
Pollution; harsh wind; smoking; excessive sun exposure
Certain soaps with surfactants
Synthetic fragrances
Harsh preservatives (parabens, sodium benzoate, benzyl alcohol, formaldehyde, SLS, artificial colorants)
Chlorine water
Lack of shower filter

6. Blemish/Acne-Prone Skin Profile

What might cause this?

Chemical ingredients
Over Exfoliation
Long, hot baths and/or showers
Pollution; harsh wind; smoking; excessive sun exposure
Certain soaps with surfactants
Synthetic fragrances
Harsh preservatives (parabens, sodium benzoate, benzyl alcohol, formaldehyde, SLS, artificial colorants)
Chlorine water
Lack of shower filter
Alcohol-based toners
Imbalance in hormones
Physical exfoliation (scrubs, cloths, electric facial brushes)
Picking or squeezing your skin
Using too many acne treatments at once
Poor food diet (example, consumption of white flour, white sugar, processed foods, alcohol and the likes)
Stress
Harsh cleansers