How to know your skin type: a simple test and the right care

Published: 29.01.2025 | Updated: 22.10.2026 | Reading time approx. 5 min.

Knowing your skin type is the starting point for any skincare routine. When products don’t suit your skin, you can quickly end up with tightness, shine, breakouts or irritation. In this guide, we show you how to know your skin type with a simple test you can do at home, and how to adjust your routine.

The 4 skin types: how to tell them apart

There are four basic skin types: normal, dry, oily and combination. The easiest way to tell them apart is to notice where your skin gets shiny and where it feels dry.

Normal skin

Skin is smooth, not shiny and not tight. Pores are barely visible, and your face rarely reacts to changes in the weather or a new product.

Dry skin: how to tell if you have dry skin

After cleansing, your skin feels tight. It can be rough and flaky. It produces little sebum, so it is less protected against wind, cold and dry air.

Oily skin: how to tell if you have oily skin

Your whole face gets shiny, especially the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin). Pores are clearly visible and spots appear more often.

Combination skin: how to tell if you have combination skin

The T-zone gets shiny, while your cheeks are normal or dry. It is a very common skin type, because the T-zone has the most oil glands.

Skin type test: the blotting paper test in 3 steps

The simplest way to find out what skin type you have is this test you can do at home:

1. Cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser and pat it dry.
2. Wait about an hour without applying anything.
3. Press a sheet of blotting paper (or a thin tissue) to your forehead, nose, chin and cheeks.

What does the result mean?

• No oil and your skin feels comfortable: normal skin.
• No oil, but your skin feels tight: dry skin.
• Oil from your whole face: oily skin.
• Oil from the T-zone only: combination skin.

Do the test on an ordinary day, without trying new products. Everyday observation helps too. If your skin feels tight in winter, it is probably dry. If it gets shiny quickly in warm weather, it is probably oily or combination.

Sensitive, acne-prone, redness-prone and mature skin: conditions, not types

As well as its type, your skin can have certain tendencies. They can appear with any skin type:

• Sensitive skin reacts easily with redness, stinging or itching to new products, changes in temperature or even tap water.
• Acne-prone skin has spots and blackheads. It doesn’t only affect teenagers – adults get it too.
• Redness-prone skin shows small red thread veins (broken capillaries), mostly on the cheeks and nose. It reacts to heat, cold and wind.
• Mature skin loses firmness and elasticity. Wrinkles appear and skin tone may become less even.

What affects your skin type?

Your basic skin type is inherited, but the condition of your skin changes throughout your life. It is affected by:

• Genes. If your parents had oily skin, yours may be oily too.
• Hormones. During puberty, pregnancy and the menopause, the amount of sebum changes.
• Age. Over time, skin produces less sebum and becomes drier.
• Skincare. Cleansing too harshly and using the wrong products can dry out or irritate your skin.
• Environment. Cold, heat, dry air and pollution.
• Lifestyle. Diet, sleep and how much water you drink all show on your skin.

How to care for your skin type

Whatever your skin type, the basics are the same:

• Cleanse your face morning and evening with a gentle product that doesn’t leave your skin tight. Massage it in for at least 60 seconds – this is the step we most often rush.
• Swap your ‘light cream’ for a facial oil or an anhydrous (water-free) cream. Light creams are mostly water, which evaporates quickly and leaves little nourishment on the skin. You need about three times less oil or anhydrous cream. Warm it between your palms, apply it to slightly damp skin (for example after a thermal water spray) and massage until the water has evaporated. Your skin should look satin, not greasy.
• During the day, protect your skin with SPF.

Normal skin

Keep it balanced: gentle cleansing, a cream or oil with omega-6 fatty acids, and SPF during the day.

Dry skin

• Cleanse with an alcohol-free, allergen-free product.
• Choose rich creams and oils with omega-6.
• If you use a hyaluronic acid serum, always apply an oil or cream on top. It will help hold the water in your skin.

Read more in our article on dry and sensitive skin care.

Oily skin

• Don’t dry it out. Harsh, drying products irritate the skin and don’t solve the shine.
• Cleanse in the morning too, for a full minute. Simply splashing your face with water isn’t enough.
• Choose products with linoleic acid (omega-6). They don’t weigh the skin down and help reduce oiliness.
• Now and then, use a gentle acid exfoliant or a ready-to-use clay mask. Avoid powdered clay unless it contains a preservative, as microorganisms grow easily in it.

Combination skin

You don’t need a different product for each area. Gentle, allergen-free cleansing and an oil or cream with omega-6 all over your face are enough. It won’t weigh down your T-zone and it protects dry cheeks.

Our Pure Raw Rich skincare for every skin type

Our products have short ingredient lists based on unrefined plant ingredients and suit different skin types:

• Gentle Gel is a gentle cleansing gel with prebiotics for everyday cleansing of any skin type.
• Smoothing Cleanser is a cleansing cream that removes excess sebum and gently exfoliates without disrupting the skin barrier. It suits both oily and dry skin.
• Cream is an intensely regenerating cream for the everyday care of normal, oily, dry and acne-prone skin.
• Cream Woody was created for relaxation and facial massage. It has a pleasant scent and leaves skin smooth and soft.
• Serum + Q10 is a serum with coenzyme Q10 for mature and dehydrated skin. It supports skin regeneration and elasticity.

Discover Pure Raw Rich skincare:

Alexandra Kubas Team
Scientific review: Aleksandra Kubas-Maliszewska, cosmetic scientist

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