What is my skin type? Take the 2-minute quiz
Answer eight questions about how your skin behaves on a normal day. You get your type, the reason behind it, and a starter routine. No email, no sign-up.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Your type is the starting point. Your scores are the rest.
Two people with oily skin can have completely different hydration and texture. Gloss scans your face and scores hydration, clarity, texture and radiance so the routine fits you, not your category.
Cosmetic tracking only, not medical advice. Your scan photo is analyzed and discarded, never stored.
The five skin types, in one line each
- Oily: shine returns within a couple of hours of cleansing, pores are visible across the face, breakouts are common.
- Dry: tight after washing, flaky in places, pores are small, makeup clings to patches.
- Combination: oily forehead, nose and chin with normal or dry cheeks. The most common type.
- Normal: not much shine, not much flaking, few reactions. Rare, and mostly about maintenance.
- Sensitive: stings, flushes or goes bumpy with new products. Sits on top of one of the other four.
The bare-face test if you want to double-check
Wash your face with a gentle cleanser, pat dry, and apply nothing. Wait an hour, then look in a mirror in daylight. Shine everywhere means oily. Tight and dull means dry. Shine only down the centre means combination. Nothing much means normal. Do this on a normal day at home, not after a workout or a flight.
Skin type versus skin condition
Your type is mostly genetic and describes how much oil your skin makes. A condition is temporary and can happen to any type: dehydration, a damaged barrier, acne, sun damage. Oily skin can be dehydrated. Dry skin can break out. The quiz finds your type. Whether your skin is currently hydrated, clear, smooth and bright is a separate question, and it changes week to week. That is what a scan measures.
Why one quiz result is not the whole picture
Any quiz, including this one, relies on how you describe your own skin, and most people describe it the same way for years even as it changes. Seasons, hormones, stress, new medications and moving city all shift it. A quick way to catch that drift is to track a few numbers over time rather than re-diagnosing from memory. The Gloss app scores hydration, clarity, texture and radiance from a daily selfie, so you see the change instead of guessing.
Common questions
How do I know my skin type at home?
Cleanse, apply nothing, wait an hour and look in daylight. Shine all over is oily, tightness and dullness is dry, shine only in the T-zone is combination, and no strong signal either way is normal. Stinging or flushing from products on top of any of those means sensitive.
Can my skin type change?
Yes. Oil production drops with age, changes with hormones and medication, and responds to climate. Many people move from oily in their teens to combination in their thirties. Retake the quiz when the season changes or when your usual routine stops feeling right.
What is the most common skin type?
Combination. Most faces produce more oil in the forehead, nose and chin than on the cheeks, because that is where sebaceous glands are densest.
Is dehydrated skin the same as dry skin?
No. Dry skin lacks oil and is a type. Dehydrated skin lacks water and is a temporary condition that can affect oily skin too. If you are oily but also tight and dull, you are likely dehydrated, not dry. Try the dry versus dehydrated quiz on this site.
What routine should I use for combination skin?
A gentle gel cleanser, niacinamide, a light moisturizer in the T-zone and a richer one on the cheeks, and SPF in the morning. In the evening, use salicylic acid on the oily zones only, two or three nights a week.
Gloss and the tools on this site are for cosmetic and general information only. They do not diagnose or treat any condition. If something on your skin is new, changing, painful or worrying, see a dermatologist or doctor.
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