SKIN TYPE

What is my skin type? The simple test that ends the guessing

Almost every skincare mistake starts with the wrong skin type: a rich cream on congested skin, a harsh cleanser on skin that was only dehydrated. Here is how to identify your type at home in a few minutes — and how to confirm it objectively.

Start my free skin analysis

Free · 1 analysis per week · no commitment

The bare-face test, step by step

Cleanse with a gentle cleanser and pat dry.
Apply nothing at all — no serum, no cream.
Wait two hours without touching your face.
Look in daylight and note each zone: forehead, nose, cheeks, chin.

Reading your result

Dry: tightness, rough patches, sometimes flaking. Needs lipids and a rich moisturiser.
Oily: shine across the whole face, visible pores, frequent blackheads. Needs light hydration, not stripping.
Combination: oily T-zone, normal to dry cheeks. Often benefits from zone-specific care.
Normal: comfortable, even, few reactions. Maintain with hydration and daily SPF.
Sensitive: stinging, flushing, reactive to new products. Keep routines short and fragrance-free.

Dry or dehydrated? The distinction that changes everything

Dry skin lacks lipids: it is a type, and it stays with you. Dehydrated skin lacks water: it is a condition, and it comes and goes. Oily skin can be dehydrated too — and when it is, it often produces more oil to compensate. Treating dehydration with a heavier cream instead of water-based hydration is one of the most common mistakes.

Confirm it with a scan instead of guessing

The bare-face test gives you a direction; a scan gives you numbers. Yepoyo's AI analysis scores hydration, oiliness, pores, texture and redness separately, so you can see whether you are truly dry, only dehydrated, or combination — and follow how that evolves as your routine changes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know my skin type at home?

Cleanse with a gentle cleanser, apply nothing, then look at your skin after two hours. Tight and rough all over means dry; shiny all over means oily; shiny T-zone with comfortable cheeks means combination; comfortable everywhere means normal.

Can my skin type change?

Your baseline type is largely genetic, but its expression shifts with season, hormones, climate, stress and the products you use. Oily skin in summer can behave like combination skin in winter, which is why re-checking a few times a year is useful.

What is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin?

Dry skin lacks lipids and is a type. Dehydrated skin lacks water and is a temporary condition — oily skin can absolutely be dehydrated at the same time, which often makes it produce even more oil.

Is sensitive skin a type?

Sensitive is a reactivity state that can sit on top of any type: skin that stings, flushes or reacts to new products. It calls for short, fragrance-free routines and one new product at a time.