Normal Skin Type and How to Care For It

Written by: Paula's Choice Research Team

Most skincare advice revolves around attempting to fix, minimise, or control whatever skin type or skin concern you’re struggling with. But what if you’re one of those lucky people who have truly normal skin, meaning no apparent skin concerns or problematic skin type to address?

What is a normal skin type?

The best way to think about normal skin type is that it ends up being a subtle matter of degree, preferences, and expectations. In other words, even those with seemingly flawless skin still can feel a bit of dryness or oiliness, or see signs of combination skin with occasional clogged pores. Think about it as mostly normal skin plus a little bit of other minor, barely detectable issues. You also might want to consider your current skincare products which play a big role in maintaining your skin texture too.

If you identify with those kinds of concerns, no matter how minor, that will point you in the direction of what kind of normal skin type products you should consider using. For example, you can use products that are specifically made for normal to dry skin if you are experiencing occasional dryness. For the little bit of oiliness of clogged pores you experience, choose products labelled as being for normal to oily or combination skin instead.

If you have some particular skincare products in mind, you can also use them based on your personal preference. You may like somewhat more enriched or creamy-feeling products while others with a normal skin type may prefer weightless fluid-textured products. Or you may want a lightweight daytime moisturizer but are fine using a richer cream at night. When skin is normal, texture preference is more about options than necessity and you have more flexibility on the products that you choose compared to those skin types on the extreme ends of the spectrum.

Mostly what you want to avoid are products that will cause problems, creating a skin type you don’t want. You are more likely to create damage on your skin when you use skincare products that have irritating ingredients or using scrubs and brushes that can harm your skin. This throws your naturally normal skin into a state of disorder and creates more problems than it solves.

Skincare for normal skin

Having normal skin doesn't mean you don't need a great daily skincare routine. You may not see signs of sun damage from not wearing sunscreen or other long-term effects of air pollution on normal skin, seasonal weather changes, or mid-life changes but they are affecting skin nonetheless. That means a healthy skincare routine is critical for you to start giving to your skin now. As the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention…"

The best possible way to care for normal skin is to follow the basics every skin type needs, including daily use of a gentle, effective cleanser, a non-irritating AHA or BHA exfoliant, sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater, and a beautifully formulated moisturizer with skin-restoring ingredients and skin-soothing ingredients.

It can also help to add an antioxidant serum to your skincare routine since even normal skin still needs a robust amount of antioxidants to keep it defended against the environment. Our Hyaluronic Acid Booster can be a plus to shore up hydration and our 1% Retinol Booster can help maintain the contour of your normal skin. Board-Certified Dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman agrees, “these are the basic components of a skincare regimen focused on prevention and benefit everyone regardless of skin type.”

If your normal skin type leans slightly or occasionally dry, choose our creamy, richer-textured SKIN RECOVERY products; if it leans slightly oily or combination, the lighter weight, more fluid textures of our SKIN BALANCING products will serve you well. If you have normal to dry skin, feel free to use any of your preferred skincare products based on your skin type as mentioned earlier.

Now that you have a good idea of what normal skin really is, how to identify it, and—most important—how to care for it, you'll be able to make the best decisions about which products to buy to keep your skin in top shape. With the products recommended above, you'll be on your way to younger looking skin for as long as possible.

Regardless of how perfect your skin is now, getting older, visible effects from cumulative sun damage from unprotected sun exposure, environmental damage, and mid-life changes to your skin will eventually show up and take a toll. Here at Paula’s Choice, we want you to keep your skin healthy, energised, and vibrant to ward off the signs of aging and other problems as the years roll by.

Learn more about the different skin types.

Check out our range of skincare products online.