How to Determine Your Skin Type and Find the Right Korean Routine

The easiest way to determine your skin type is with two observations: how does your skin feel 30 to 60 minutes after gentle cleansing without any skincare, and where does it shine? If it feels tight everywhere, it is dry; if it shines everywhere, it is oily; if only the T-zone of forehead, nose and chin shines, you have combination skin; if it feels balanced everywhere, it is normal. On top of that come two conditions that can overlay any of these types: sensitivity and dehydration. Only once you know your type and condition can a Korean routine be put together sensibly, and these are exactly the questions our Routine Builder asks at the start.

What is the difference between skin type and skin condition?

Your skin type describes how much sebum your skin naturally produces and how well it holds moisture. It is largely genetic and changes only slowly, for example with age or hormonal changes. The classic classification has four types: normal, dry, oily and combination. Your skin condition, on the other hand, is temporary: dehydrated, sensitive, prone to blemishes or with a weakened barrier. It depends on the season, skincare, stress, sleep and climate and can affect any skin type. Oily skin can be dehydrated, dry skin can have blemishes, and any skin can become sensitive when the barrier is compromised. Dermatological typologies such as Baumann's therefore combine several axes: sebum, sensitivity, pigmentation and tendency to wrinkles.

How do you determine your skin type at home?

Two simple self-tests are enough. It is important to do them on a normal day, not after sun, sport, sauna or a new exfoliant.

The bare-face test

1. Wash your face in the evening or morning with a mild cleanser and lukewarm water, and gently pat dry.
2. Apply nothing: no toner, no cream, no sunscreen.
3. Wait 30 to 60 minutes and pay attention to tightness, shine and how your skin feels.
4. Result: tightness everywhere and matte, possibly flaky patches point to dry skin. Shine across the whole face points to oily skin. Shine only in the T-zone with normal or dry cheeks means combination skin. Neither tightness nor shine: normal skin.

The blotting test

1. After the same waiting time, press a thin blotting paper or a tissue onto your forehead, nose, chin and both cheeks one after the other.
2. Hold it up to the light: oil spots on all five areas mean oily skin, only on forehead, nose and chin combination skin, hardly any or no spots normal or dry skin.

What pores and skin feel reveal

Visibly enlarged pores on nose, cheeks and forehead point to oily skin, fine pores with a feeling of tightness to dry skin. A study from Korea showed, however, that self-assessment is often wrong: many people thought their skin was oily even though their measured sebum production was normal. The bare-face test is therefore more reliable than gut feeling. If the result remains unclear, you probably have normal or combination skin.

How do you recognise the four basic types?

Normal skin

The routine should maintain, not correct: a mild cleanser, a soothing or hydrating toner, a light cream, sunscreen in the morning. A suitable toner is, for example, the Anua Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner, which according to the manufacturer is intended for all skin types; for sun protection, the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics. More in the normal skin collection.

Dry skin

Dry skin produces little sebum and therefore loses water more easily. It needs both: lipids for the barrier and moisture. Building blocks: a creamy or mild gel cleanser (such as the Anua Moisturizing Gentle Gel Cleanser with hyaluronic acid, squalane and ectoin), a toner in two to three layers, a serum with rice or ceramides, a rich cream such as the Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream with rice bran water, ginseng, squalane and ceramides or the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Enrich Cream, and a creamy sunscreen. More in the dry skin collection.

Oily skin

Oily skin needs water but little oil, and regular help against keratinisation. Building blocks: a gel cleanser with a low pH, for example the COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser with Betaine Salicylate and tea tree leaf oil, a BHA or PHA toner on two to three evenings, a niacinamide serum, a gel cream and in the morning a light sunscreen such as the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh. If you are also prone to blemishes, you will find the complete routine in the guide Korean skincare for blemish-prone skin. More in the oily skin collection.

Combination skin

Care for combination skin by zone: light textures everywhere, a second layer or a richer cream on the cheeks if needed, exfoliating pads only on the T-zone. A gel cream such as the COSRX Snail Mucin 92% Face Moisturizer with snail secretion filtrate and sodium hyaluronate usually suits both zones; the sunscreen can be light. More in the combination skin collection.

What does sensitive skin mean?

Sensitive skin is not a type of its own but a condition that can accompany any type. An international expert group defines it as skin that reacts with burning, stinging, itching or tightness to stimuli that normally cause no discomfort, often together with redness. Typical triggers are fragrances, alcohol, acids, changes in temperature and too many products. The routine stays short: a mild cleanser (for example the Anua Hydrating Gentle Foaming Cleanser, fragrance-free according to the manufacturer), a toner or pads with centella and panthenol such as the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pads, a barrier cream with ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids such as the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Soothing Cream, and at most PHA as an exfoliant, such as the Medicube Zero Pore Pad Mild. Try every new product on the jawline for a few days first and introduce only one at a time. More in the sensitive skin collection and in the guide strengthening the skin barrier.

Dehydrated or dry: how can you tell the difference?

Dry skin lacks oil, dehydrated skin lacks water. That sounds similar but needs different care, and oily skin can be dehydrated too. Typical signs of dehydration: the skin feels tight even though it shines; make-up settles into fine crinkly lines; the complexion looks dull; products "disappear" immediately. A hint, not proof: if you gently pinch the skin on your cheek together, a lack of water shows as fine vertical lines that smooth out slowly. The answer is water-binding actives in several light layers: hyaluronic acid, glycerin, betaine, panthenol. The Celimax Dual Barrier Creamy Toner with hyaluronic acid, ceramides and panthenol is suitable for the 7 skin method, with a cream on top that locks in the moisture; for oily, dehydrated skin, a gel cream. More in the hydration collection.

When does skin type change?

• Age: sebum production is highest during puberty and in your twenties and declines afterwards; many people with oily skin develop combination skin from forty, and often dry skin after menopause.
• Season and climate: heated air and cold dry the skin out, heat and humidity increase sebum flow. Many routines need a richer cream in winter than in summer.
• Hormones: the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, contraception or breastfeeding temporarily change sebum and sensitivity.
• Skincare itself: drying cleansers and too many acids make the skin produce more sebum and become more sensitive; this looks like a different skin type but is a condition.
• Medication and medical conditions: here the assessment belongs in dermatological hands.

So check your skin type again about once a season, especially if your skin feels different from usual.

How do you get from skin type to routine?

The Routine Builder puts together a morning and evening routine for you in six questions: skin type, sensitivity, up to three needs such as hydration, pores or glow, ingredients you want to exclude, the number of products you want (3, 5, 7 or 10) and your budget. The results show a suitable product and alternatives for each step; every morning routine includes sun protection. How the steps follow one another is explained in the guide Korean skincare routine: the right order. Start with three steps (cleansing, moisture, sun protection), observe your skin for four weeks and only then add toner, serum or exfoliant for a specific need.