Combination Skin

Combination skin occurs when you have persistent oiliness over your forehead, nose, and chin (aka your “T-zone”) and dry skin in other areas. Armed with Paula’s Choice Skincare’s research-backed methods for balancing combination skin, you can gain control over this complicated skin type.

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How to Treat Combination Skin

Pale cream skin care formula swatch with liquid droplet swatch atop It takes some experimenting to find the perfect combination skin care routine, but the simplest approach is to opt for lightweight treatment products in a liquid, gel or thin lotion texture that you can apply all over your face, and then layer a richer hydrator just over the dry areas. This way your entire face reaps the benefits of the superstar ingredients of your treatment products, and your skin gets extra hydration where you need it most.

Another way to treat combination skin is to apply different products on your oily zones versus dry parts of your skin. Specifically, using oil-absorbing, matte-finish formulas on the oily areas and richer moisturizing formulas in the drier areas. A great example of this is “multi-masking” by using an oil-absorbing charcoal mask over your shine-prone areas and a moisturizing mask over the dry parts of your face.

A Combination Skin Care Routine

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all combination skin care routine, but here’s a simple guideline of what types of products to use.

Start with a gentle, water-soluble, combination skin cleanser. The key is to find one that effectively removes impurities, debris, and makeup without leaving skin feeling tight or dry, such as our SKIN BALANCING Oil-Reducing Cleanser.

Follow up with a replenishing toner filled with a healthy amount of soothing ingredients and antioxidants. Our SKIN BALANCING Pore-Reducing Toner helps nourish dry skin and minimize oiliness and enlarged pores at the same time—it’s a simple step that makes a huge difference.

Person squeezing Paula's Choice RESIST Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 out of the packaging in front of a light blue background Exfoliate with a liquid or gel BHA (beta hydroxy acid) exfoliant. BHA helps unclog pores and gently smooths rough, dry, flaky skin. It also has hydrating properties to revive your combination skin’s healthy glow.

During the day, end your routine with a combination skin moisturizer that contains sunscreen. Everyone needs a broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater to help prevent the signs of sun damage and skin aging now and into the future. For your drier areas, apply your normal moisturizer first, and then layer a feather-light moisturizer with sunscreen, like our RESIST Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, all over, including the oily areas (don’t forget your neck and chest, too!).

At night, apply your regular moisturizer to just the dry areas or try a lightweight moisturizer that you can use all over. A gel or light cream works best to balance combination skin.