How do dermatologists describe skin types?

Skin type is a common way to talk about skin. It is not a diagnosis, and the sources below do not agree on one fixed list. This page shows how dermatology bodies describe the terms, and how Poliage uses them.

How the AAD uses the terms

In an article on choosing a moisturizer, the AAD says the right product depends on your skin type and how dry your skin is. A dermatologist quoted there says that for the most precise advice on your skin type, it helps to visit a dermatologist.

The article then groups advice under normal skin, dry skin, oily skin and combination skin. It mentions sensitive skin only in a tip about organic skin care lines. It describes combination skin this way: “your skin is dry in some spots and oily in others,” often in the T-zone, the area covering the forehead, nose and chin.

It gives no test and no cutoffs for any type. The names are used as everyday categories.

Dry skin

DermNet NZ says dry skin “refers to skin that feels dry to touch.” It links this to a lack of moisture in the outer layer of skin. It describes dry skin as having a dull surface with a rough, scaly quality.

An NHS body in England explains that skin produces an oily substance called sebum. It says that if the skin does not have enough sebum, it loses water and feels dry. It also says that for many people dry skin is not a sign of a skin condition.

The same NHS page says that widespread dry, cracked, itchy skin that lasts beyond two weeks should be seen by your GP. If that describes you, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.

Sensitive skin

DermNet NZ says that “Sensitive skin is a lay term rather than a medical diagnosis.” It says the term is generally used for skin with reduced tolerance to cosmetics and personal care products. It adds that in surveys, about 50 percent of women and 40 percent of men may report having sensitive skin.

So sensitive skin is a description people give of their own experience. It is not something a barcode scan can detect.

Oily, normal and combination

The AAD article uses oily, normal and combination as everyday headings and describes only combination skin. The pages checked for this guide do not give a measurement for oily or normal skin. Poliage does not add one.

How Poliage uses skin type

Poliage does not tell you your skin type and does not diagnose anything. A review on Poliage can name the reviewer’s skin type.

Poliage ranks products by skin type only when enough reviews name that type. A skin-type ranking needs 10 reviews that name it.

A review reflects one person’s use. It says nothing about how your skin will react. Product pages in Poliage report what is listed on the label, and a flag is not a judgment.

If you want to test a product

Dermatologists describe a way to try a new product on a small area first. The patch testing guide covers what the AAD, the FDA and DermNet say.

Where this comes from

The terms and the description of combination skin come from an American Academy of Dermatology article on moisturizers. Definitions of sensitive and dry skin come from two DermNet NZ pages. The sebum explanation and the two-week advice come from a patient page published by an NHS body in England. How reviews name a skin type and the 10-review rule come from Poliage’s own product rules.