You may be wondering what to use if you don’t have dry skin but still want to give your normal or oily skin such all-important ingredients as antioxidants, skin-identical ingredients, and cell-communicating ingredients. Products (moisturizers) in cream, balm, thick lotion, or ointment form are bound to be problematic if you have any degree of oiliness. Even many lighter-weight lotions can be too emollient for someone with oily skin. What works instead is to look for water-based or very light fluid or serum-type products that are loaded with antioxidants, skin identical ingredients, and cell communicating ingredients. These include well-formulated toners—which are all I use because of my oily skin. Using products with a light, fluid texture will give your skin what it needs without layering on emollients, thickeners, or other heavier ingredients that are fundamental for dealing with dry skin but often spell trouble for combination or oily skin.
If you have combination skin but suffer from very dry areas, you will want to be sure the cleanser and toner you are using are not the cause of your dry skin, owing to the irritation and dehydration many formulations can cause. If the dryness is not from the products you are using, you may have no choice but to address the dryness with a more emollient moisturizer. The key is to only apply it to the dry areas and make sure it doesn’t migrate to oily zones.
What about sunscreen? Great question, because this is a daily essential for every skin type! Because most sunscreen formulations apply and perform best when formulated in lotion – or cream-based emulsions, this can be a tricky area to navigate for someone with oily skin or oily areas. The good news is that silicone technology has made it possible to create ultralight sunscreens that allow the active ingredients to remain suspended and spread easily (and uniformly) over skin. They aren’t as prevalent as standard sunscreen creams and lotions, but such products are available from most of the major skin-care companies. You can also opt to use a well-formulated toner and then wear a foundation with sunscreen. That way you get the benefit of the antioxidants, skin-identical ingredients, and cell-communicating ingredients as well as sunscreen without layering products that feel heavy or too emollient on your skin.
(Sources: Current Molecular Medicine, March 2005, pages 171-177; Dermatology, February 2005, pages 128-134; Skin Research and Technology, November 2003, pages 306-311; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, March 2003, pages 352-358; Applied Spectroscopy, July 1998, pages 1001-1007; and Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, November-December 1999, pages 344-351.)