Skin Type Test
Skin Type Test: What Is My Skin Type?
Every skincare routine starts with one question: is your skin normal, oily, dry, combination, or sensitive? Here are the five types, the classic at-home tests, and a measured 30-second alternative.
- Normal
Balanced oil and hydration with minimal sensitivity.
- Oily
Visible shine, especially in the T-zone.
- Dry
Tightness, dullness, or flaky patches.
- Combination
Oily T-zone with drier cheeks.
- Sensitive
Visible redness or reactivity.
The at-home tests people use
The bare-face test. Cleanse, apply nothing, wait an hour, then look: all-over shine points to oily, tightness or flaking to dry, a shiny T-zone with normal cheeks to combination, and comfortable evenness to normal. Its weakness is the environment — a humid afternoon or an air-conditioned office changes the answer.
The blotting-paper test. Press blotting paper to different areas of your face a few hours after cleansing and hold it to the light. Oil everywhere suggests oily; oil only from the forehead and nose suggests combination; little to none suggests dry or normal. Same caveat: it captures one moment on one day.
Both tests are honest heuristics rather than measurements — useful for a first read, easily skewed by season, stress, and whatever your last product did to your skin.
The 30-second photo test
MoonSkin estimates your skin type from what is actually visible in a quality-gated photo: specular shine on the forehead and nose points to oiliness, dull or flaky texture to dryness, and measurable redness to sensitivity. Because a photo can't capture how your skin feels, the estimate ships with a confidence score — low confidence is reported as such rather than dressed up. The same report includes your measured skin tone, undertone, best dress colours, and a morning and night routine matched to your type. Free, no account.
Take the 30-second photo testSkin type FAQ
What are the five skin types?
Normal (balanced oil and hydration), Oily (visible shine, especially in the T-zone), Dry (tightness, dullness, or flaking), Combination (oily T-zone with drier cheeks), and Sensitive (visible redness or reactivity). Most routines start with knowing which of these you are.
How do I test my skin type at home?
The bare-face test: cleanse gently, apply nothing, and check your skin after about an hour. All-over shine suggests oily; tightness or flaking suggests dry; shine only on the forehead and nose suggests combination; comfortable and even suggests normal. It's a decent heuristic, but a single humid or air-conditioned day can skew it.
Can skin type be estimated from a photo?
Visible evidence of it can. MoonSkin looks for what actually shows in your photo — shine and specular highlights (oiliness), dull or flaky texture (dryness), and redness (sensitivity) — and reports the best-supported type with a confidence score. Some signals, like how your skin feels, don't show in a photo, which is why the confidence score matters.
Does my skin type change?
Yes. Season, humidity, hormones, and your current routine all shift it — many people are oilier in summer and drier in winter. Retesting a few times a year, or after changing your routine, is reasonable. MoonSkin keeps your past reports in your browser so you can compare.
MoonSkin provides cosmetic and styling guidance, not medical advice. For any skin health concern, please consult a qualified dermatologist.