Skin microbiome analysis has shown that 63% of women are wrong about their skin type.
Skin that was perceived to be oily was the most commonly misidentified with 19% misidentifying their oily skin as ‘balanced’ and 18% calling it ‘dry’.
The research, conducted by Skin Trust Club, indicates that many women may be buying unsuitable skin care products and could be inadvertently damaging their skin.
Scientists at Skin Trust Club analysed a dataset of 1,446 women living in the UK aged between 27 and 47 who used its consumer skin health tracking service between January and March this year.
When using the at home test kit, the women filled in a questionnaire on the Skin Trust Club app before swabbing their skin for genome sequence testing.
The Skin Trust Club app then asked the women to describe their health, indicate age, list medications and generally, outline lifestyle.
They were also asked to describe their skin type.
Dr David Caballero-Lima, Chief Scientist at Skin Trust Club, said: “The majority are buying – much of it very expensive – skin care products that are not suitable for their skin type.
“Those with dry skin who believe they have oily skin buy products that make the skin more oily, creating an environment that promotes acne.
“If a person believes they have dry skin when it is actually oily they create skin care routines with products that make their skin drier, promoting skin conditions such as dermatitis.”
