Mad About Skin has looked at more than 20 products for combination skin, and his approval rate sits at 83%. That means he skipped very few of them. But the ones he passed on tell you a lot about what he thinks really matters for this skin type.
What does Mad About Skin recommend for combination skin?
He keeps coming back to products that balance hydration with a light, non-greasy finish. He praised the Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk Toner for smoothing pores gently enough to use every day, and called the Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence his all-time favourite Korean skincare product, singling it out for hydration, plumping and helping with dark spots. For SPF, the Geek & Gorgeous 101 Zero Feel SPF 50 Day Cream earned his approval for delivering a completely matte finish with no irritation. He also rated the Numbuzin No.3 Vitamin Concentrated Serum for packing brightening ingredients into a formula that still feels light on the skin.
Mad About Skin's combination skin picks, in his words
"This is the VT Reedle Shot PDRN Capsule Cream, and it's a relative newcomer to my skincare routine. I first used it maybe two weeks ago, fell in love, and it's one of my favorite products now that I use every morning because it just calms, soothes, and really gives like a burst of hydration and peptide action to the skin. PDRN is one of the biggest trends in skincare right now, and it's a great ingredient to boost collagen and elastin production and firm the skin."
"Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence. I declared this to be my all-time favorite Korean skincare product. [...] Absolutely love it. [...] If you want hydration, if you want plumping, if you want great hyperpigmentation boosting, this is the toner for you. It's inexpensive. It costs like £10 versus it's the dupe for the SK2 essence which is like £100. Same product. I like the rose one. They do a plain one as well. Absolutely love this."
"So if you're a mineral sunscreen fan then I think the Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF 50 should be your summer savior, just such such a nice product."
"The mandelic acid brightening is actually my second favorite product from Allies of Skin because it really does work with hyperpigmentation. Yes, this comes with a high price point, but if you shop smart at the time of this video being filmed you can get two for the price of one kind of products with that mandelic acid treatment and still get 20% off."
"It has a beautiful finish on the skin, this is so lightweight, one of my favorite if not my favorite Korean sunscreens. This also allows itself to be reapplied on top of itself without peeling, which is a huge benefit. It's scent free, there's no artificial fragrance in there but there's also no chemically after scent which some sunscreens can have. It's just genuinely neutral, which is fantastic. There'll be no scent lingering around all day."
"They're a little bit more hydrating than that Face Theory one, however they're not in a gel, they're in a cream. [...] Both super breathable. You put these on the skin and you're getting that dose of hydration but you're not feeling weighed down, which I absolutely love."
How many products has Mad About Skin reviewed for combination skin?
Mad About Skin has reviewed 24 products for combination skin, for an approval rate of 83%. 20 approved, 2 mixed, and 2 skipped.
What has Mad About Skin skipped for combination skin?
He skipped The Ordinary Vitamin C 23% Suspension. His concern was that going that high in strength brings a lot more sensitivity, redness and peeling, and he said people trying it are likely to give up on vitamin C altogether. He also had reservations about The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. Using it daily is the only way to get the collagen benefits, he said, but most people find that too intense to sustain.
"So why do Paula's Choice have a 20% niacinamide? For the tiny cohort of people that might actually be appropriate and beneficial, there's a whole host of people out there using it believing the stronger is better and actually suffering and experiencing a lot of side effects as a result. Not science backed, not appropriate for the mass market."
"That's going to be quite intense for a lot of people. If you have a resilient skin type, then you could go for The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7%. This would be a good option, but a lot of people can't actually tolerate that daily, which is when you have to use it in order to get the best results for pro collagen benefits. So, I personally would stick to using acids as exfoliators, not as collagen boosters."
What should you take from Mad About Skin's picks?
His record on combination skin is one of the more positive ones out there. He sees a lot to like, especially in lightweight Korean and budget-friendly formulas. Where he pulls back, it is almost always because a concentration is high enough to cause real irritation, and he is direct about saying so.
Watch Mad About Skin say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- The Ordinary Rice Lipids + Ectoin Micro EmulsionNamed a winnerWatch at 9:42
- Skin1004 Pore Perfecting Centella AmpouleNamed a winnerWatch at 13:57
- Secret Key Starting Treatment EssenceNamed a winnerWatch at 14:15
- Paula's Choice Niacinamide 20% TreatmentSkipped itWatch at 10:36
- The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning SolutionSkipped itWatch at 9:10
- VT Reedle Shot PDRN Capsule CreamRated itWatch at 5:12
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF 50Rated itWatch at 8:06
- Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night SerumRated itWatch at 13:32
- Jumiso All Day Airy Fit Sunscreen SPF 50Rated itWatch at 14:08
- Krave Beauty Oat So Simple Water CreamRated itWatch at 5:46
- Remedy Gel-to-Foam Cleanser with Salicylic AcidRated itWatch at 3:18
- PSA Skin Heroine Toner 5% NiacinamideRated itWatch at 9:22
- Remedy Barrier Repair Lightweight Gel MoisturizerRated itWatch at 3:05
- Naturium Glycolic Acid Resurfacing Gel 10%Rated itWatch at 6:13
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Capsule AmpouleRated itWatch at 8:22
- Bubble Day Dream Vitamin C + Niacinamide Tone & Texture SerumRated itWatch at 4:21
- Mixsoon Bean EssenceRated itWatch at 5:37
- Pixi Glow TonicRated itWatch at 8:27
- Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin MistRated itWatch at 7:18
- The Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky TonerRated itWatch at 8:46
- Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh Rice Plus B5Rated itWatch at 11:03
- Purito Deep Sea Pure Water CreamRated itWatch at 6:11
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This guide reflects what Mad About Skin said across his videos about 24 products for combination skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products he approved. It is general information, not medical advice.