Part 1
Dry skin
Dry skin lacks oil, so it loses the water you add. The fix is not a heavier cream alone but more hydrating layers held in by an occlusive final step. Choose shittori-labelled lotions, add a second layer rather than a thicker one, and avoid high-foam cleansers that strip what little oil there is.
- Two thin lotion layers beat one thick cream.
- Cream or milk cleansers rather than strong foams.
- Look for ceramides, squalane and camellia oil in the final step.
Part 2
Oily and combination skin
Oily skin often over-produces because it is dehydrated, so stripping it makes the problem worse. Keep the hydration steps and lighten the textures: sappari lotions, gel emulsions and a fluid sunscreen. Combination skin usually needs two textures applied to different zones rather than one compromise product.
- Light, fresh textures, not fewer steps.
- Gel emulsions instead of creams in humid months.
- Combination skin: richer texture on cheeks, lighter on the T-zone.
Part 3
Sensitive and reactive skin
Sensitivity is a reason to simplify, not to buy more. Keep the routine to cleanser, lotion, moisturiser and sunscreen, choose fragrance-free versions where they exist, and add nothing new for at least two weeks after a reaction settles. Mineral sunscreens are often easier for reactive skin than chemical ones.
- Four steps only until the skin is calm.
- Fragrance-free and alcohol-light formulas where available.
- Patch test on the jaw for three days before full use.
Part 4
Concerns: pigmentation, texture and ageing
Concerns sit on top of type rather than replacing it. Brightening care targets uneven tone, anti-ageing care targets firmness and fine lines, and both depend entirely on daily sunscreen to hold their results. Add one concern-focused product to a stable routine rather than rebuilding around it.
- Sunscreen is the foundation of any brightening or anti-ageing result.
- Add one targeted product at a time to a routine that already works.
- Give any concern product eight to twelve weeks before judging it.