The answer might surprise you.
A bit of a wild idea but here goes: we’re convinced that the concept of skin types – categories that have long been used to classify skin and skincare products – is more out of date than the bags of baby spinach we keep leaving at the back of the fridge to die.
The problem? These classifications (Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination and Sensitive) are meant to characterise every skin type, but they’re so broadly defined that almost nobody fits neatly into one. If you’re a big skincare fan, you’ll almost certainly have had an experience where a product that’s meant to tick all the boxes for you on paper just doesn’t impress IRL. Maybe your complexion is so dry it makes the Sahara desert look moist (lol), but every time you’ve used a moisturiser made for dry skin, it breaks you out. Or you’re oily or combo, but using a whole routine of products with salicylic or tea tree makes your face feel like it’s gonna peel off.
If you ask Vi, it makes more sense to base your routine around tackling your specific skin concerns than a generalised skin type. Admittedly, depending on what those concerns are, it can take a bit more work – there tends to be a learning curve involved in figuring out what your skin likes and loathes. But once you know what makes your face happy, you can use that info to decipher product labels and make better choices. For example, instead of only using products designed for ‘sensitive’ types, you might focus on finding ingredients that promise to provide barrier support and calm down pissed-off skin (like niacinamide and panthenol). It doesn’t matter if they’re not labelled as ‘for sensitive skin’; you’ll know they’ll work, b*tch. (#britney4eva)
The other thing about ‘skin types’ is all the BS beauty ‘rules’ that have sprung up around them. There’s the assumption that someone with acne might not like a glowy finish. (FYI, we’ve got loads of love letters to our most radiant SKINSCREEN™, Queen Screen, from babes with acne that say otherwise.) On the other hand, we’ve all been told that someone with a condition associated with dryness, like eczema, shouldn’t wear a matte SPF.
Take this post as a permission slip – signed by Vi, obvi – to unsubscribe from these outdated takes. Find out what works best and embrace what actually suits your skin. Maybe it is sticking to that basic AF three step 'system' you got from the local beauty counter as a teen, but maybe it's not.
And either way, wear the SPF you love, whether your ‘skin type’ says it’s the best fit for you or not. Cos life’s too short to follow all the rules.
