Healthy skin begins with understanding.

Your skin is always changing, and it plays a major role in protecting you from everyday environmental stress. That’s why knowing what it truly needs is essential.

Before adding more products or following trends, it’s absolutely critical to know what your skin truly needs. When we use products that don’t match our skin type, we often see more irritation, clogged pores, or a weakened barrier.

At LuluLab, skincare should be tailored, not trendy. We recognize the profound importance of foundational knowledge, which is why our technology helps you understand your skin clearly.

Our approach combines traditional wisdom with cutting-edge AI-driven insights, ensuring that every product you choose doesn't just treat a symptom but also supports your skin’s natural balance and long-term health. This comprehensive understanding transforms your routine from a hopeful experiment into a targeted, effective regimen.

Your Skin Has Two Stories

Your skin can be understood in two ways: through your traditional skin type and through your LuluTI Skin Type. Both matter, and together they reveal the full picture.

First, your traditional skin type reflects what lies deep beneath, defined by your barrier health, oil balance, and natural hydration.

Second, your LuluTI Skin Type reads what appears on the surface, using AI-powered analysis to turn visible information into meaningful insights about your skin’s condition. It interprets the surface data that traditional typing cannot see, making LuluTI an essential tool for accurate and personalized skin analysis.

Together, they create a complete picture of your skin.

Example:

Imagine your traditional skin type is Dry Sensitive. This means your skin naturally produces less oil and reacts more easily to irritation. But when LuluTI analyzes your face, it might detect visible redness, uneven tone, and increased pigmentation levels.

What does this mean?

Even though your skin is naturally dry and sensitive, your most immediate needs may be calming, brightening, and barrier support—not just heavy moisturizers.

In short:

Traditional typing explains your skin’s nature. AI analysis shows its condition today.

Together, they help you choose what your skin needs right now.

Start with the Basics: The Four Traditional Skin Types

Your traditional skin type reflects how your skin behaves naturally and is largely determined by genetics and barrier function. It generally remains stable over time, though age, hormones, or barrier damage can cause gradual changes. In contrast, LuluTI captures short-term changes in your skin’s condition that traditional skin typing may not fully reflect.

1. Dry Skin

Dry skin is a natural skin type that produces less oil (sebum), which can make it feel tight, rough, or flaky, and can make it appear dull or less radiant. With a compromised lipid matrix and fewer surface lipids, the skin struggles to retain moisture, making it more prone to dehydration and early signs of aging compared to oilier skin types.

It’s important to distinguish this from dryness caused by a damaged skin barrier or high Trans-Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL), which can occur in any skin type. In dry skin, low oil is the root cause of roughness and flakiness, whereas in sensitive skin, a compromised barrier mainly amplifies inflammation and reactivity rather than creating dryness.

→ Needs: Deep hydration and moisture retention to maintain a healthy barrier. Ingredients that help lock in moisture, like emollients and occlusives, are beneficial.

→ Care tip: Look for thicker creams and balms, and consider using humidifiers in your living space during dry seasons or low humidity.

To support your skin even further, visit our detailed guide on caring for dry skin for ingredient insights and practical routines.

2. Oily Skin

Produces excess sebum and may look shiny, especially a few hours after cleansing. This often leads to enlarged pores and a higher predisposition to blackheads and acne due to the oil mixing with dead skin cells. The skin can often feel thicker and more resilient against environmental aggressors, but is highly susceptible to congestion.

→ Needs: Oil balance, gentle exfoliation (BHA/salicylic acid), and lightweight, pore-friendly hydration. Despite being oily, this skin type still requires water-based moisture to maintain cellular function.

→ Care tip: Prioritize gel or fluid lotions over heavy creams and use gentle oil-absorbing ingredients like clay masks sparingly (once or twice a week) to avoid over-drying and subsequent reactive oil production.

3. Combination Skin

The most common type. Oily in the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin), but drier on the cheeks or jawline. This presents a challenge because the two zones have completely different needs, often simultaneously. The T-zone has a higher density of oil glands, while the periphery has fewer.

→ Needs: Hydrate dry areas while keeping the oily T-zone light and clear. Use targeted products or zone-specific applications to treat different areas effectively.

→ Care tip: Apply a light, universal serum all over, but use a richer, ceramide-heavy moisturizer only on the dry zones, or use a gentle gel moisturizer for the T-zone and a cream for the cheeks.

To get expert serum recommendations, see our blog on the best Korean serums for every skin concern.

4. Sensitive Skin

Easily irritated or inflamed, often linked to a genetically thinner or damaged skin barrier. It may react quickly to fragrance, high concentrations of active ingredients, extreme temperatures, or environmental pollutants. Symptoms include redness (erythema), stinging, itching, and flushing. This condition can be correlated with conditions like rosacea or eczema.

→ Needs: Soothing, anti-inflammatory care with barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides, niacinamide, and panthenol. Avoid physical exfoliation.

→ Care tip: Always introduce a single new product at a time and stop use immediately if tingling or burning occurs. Look for products labeled "hypoallergenic" and "fragrance-free."

To better understand sensitive skin, read our full guide with soothing routines, gentle ingredient recommendations, and expert-backed advice.

These skin types are a starting point, not strict definitions. LuluLab identifies six traditional combinations to provide a more precise framework:

• Oily Sensitive
• Oily Resistant
• Dry Sensitive
• Dry Resistant
• Combination Sensitive
• Combination Resistant

While your overall skin type remains fairly consistent, its condition can gradually shift with age, lifestyle, or barrier health. This is why AI Skin Analysis is indispensable, offering objective insights that traditional observation alone may miss.

From Surface to Insight: What LuluTI Reveals

Your skin communicates most of its clues on the surface (micro-texture, the depth of fine lines, subtle differences in pigmentation). LuluTI uses AI-powered analysis to interpret these visible details and provide meaningful insights into your skin’s condition that traditional typing alone may not capture.

Note: Results can vary depending on factors such as lighting, image quality, or angle. While LuluTI provides a consistent, objective perspective, it’s best used as a guide alongside professional advice and your own observations.

LuluTI’s AI skin analysis goes beyond basic visual inspection by using advanced computer vision and deep learning algorithms to measure and quantify nine key indicators of skin health and overall condition.

The system analyzes visible skin details and detects subtle patterns that traditional observation alone may miss. Using AI-powered analysis, LuluTI provides meaningful insights into your skin’s current condition.

→ AI skin analysis measures nine key indicators of skin health, including: Wrinkles, Elasticity (Firmness), Acne, Texture, Pigmentation, Pores, Dark Circles, Redness, and Radiance.

→ Alongside these, the analysis also identifies your traditional skin type, showing how your skin behaves day to day: Oily Sensitive, Oily Resistant, Dry Sensitive, Dry Resistant, Combination Sensitive, Combination Resistant.

From this comprehensive analysis, you’ll see your LuluTI Skin Type- a personalized, four-letter code that translates your skin’s unique data into clear, easy-to-understand insights.

The Personalized Code:

Each letter represents a primary area of concern or focus:

Example: WATP

This skin code shows that the user's skin profile includes concerns with Wrinkles, Acne, Texture/Pores, and Pigmentation.

This code acts as a priority guide for your targeted skincare regimen and helps determine which active ingredients to focus on. The AI-driven analysis also provides insights into the complex interactions between these concerns.

The AI-driven analysis also provides insights into the complex interactions between these concerns:

• A+T: Enlarged pores may result from inflammation related to acne and increased sebum secretion, though other factors can also contribute.
• W+T: Pores may look stretched from collagen loss and reduced elasticity, while dead skin cell buildup and excess oil are common causes of rougher skin texture.

Your LuluTI Skin Type doesn’t replace your traditional skin type — it complements it.

Together, they create your complete, dual-layered skin profile, giving you the power of both traditional wisdom and future-forward technology.

Match Products to What Your Skin Really Needs

Once you know both your traditional skin type (your skin's baseline) and your LuluTI skin type (your skin's current priorities), choosing products becomes simple- and infinitely smarter.

Oily Skin

Goal: Balance oil, unclog pores, and maintain hydration.

Look for: Niacinamide, salicylic acid, clay, lightweight gel textures.

Avoid Heavy creams, mineral oil, and alcohol-heavy formulas.

Dry Skin

Goal: Replenish and lock in moisture.

Look for: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, squalane, glycerin.

Avoid: Products that strip moisture, like harsh cleansers or alcohol-based formulations.

Combination Skin

Goal: Balance oil and moisture in different zones.

Look for: Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, lightweight emollients.

Tip: Use lighter formulas on oily areas and richer creams where skin feels dry.

Sensitive Skin (including acne-prone)

Goal: Soothe irritation and strengthen the barrier.

Look for: Centella asiatica, oat extract, aloe vera, ceramides.

Avoid: Fragrance, essential oils, strong acids.

Follow the Right Routine - and Stay Consistent

Healthy skin responds best to steady, predictable care. The structure of your routine is designed to layer ingredients effectively, starting with the thinnest consistency and ending with the thickest, most occlusive product.

Stick to this basic order:

1. Cleanser: Removes surface impurities, dirt, and makeup without stripping the skin.
2. Toner: Rebalances the skin's pH and prepares it for active ingredients.
3. Serum (Actives): The most concentrated step, targeting your LuluTI concerns (W, A, T, or P) with specific ingredients (e.g., Vitamin C in AM, Retinoid in PM).
4. Moisturizer: Seals in hydration and active ingredients, providing barrier support.
5. Sunscreen (AM Only): The most crucial step for every skin type and concern, preventing UV-related aging (W) and pigmentation (P).

Consistency matters more than complexity. You don’t need 10 products- you need the right two or three targeted ones, used regularly. A simple, consistent routine outperforms a complex, sporadic one every single time.

Listen to Your Skin and Adjust Over Time

Your skin is always communicating its needs through subtle signals. Learning to read these signals, in conjunction with your objective LuluTI data, is the pinnacle of personalized skincare.

Tips for safe adjustments:

→ Patch-test: Apply a small amount for several days and watch for irritation.

→ One product at a time: Wait two weeks before adding another active.

→ Seasonal & hormonal adjustments: Use richer creams in winter, gels in summer, BHA during hormonal breakouts.

→ Avoid too many actives: Alternate acids, retinoids, and Vitamin C between AM/PM or days.

→ Seek help if needed: Persistent issues should be checked by a dermatologist.

Conclusion

Every skin story is personal.

And every story deserves care that’s precise and kind.

By understanding both your traditional skin type and your objective LuluTI skin analysis, you unlock the full picture of what your skin truly needs. This dual approach removes the guesswork that plagues most generic skincare routines.

At LuluLab, we combine intelligence and empathy to help you care for your skin with confidence, not by guessing, but by understanding the unique, ever-evolving language of your skin. This scientific clarity empowers you to make informed decisions that ensure long-term skin health and radiance.

FAQs

1. Can AI predict future skin problems?

Not exactly. It identifies early signs now that could lead to issues later, allowing preventive care.

2. How often should I recheck my AI skin analysis?

Every 1–3 months, or after seasonal, hormonal, or lifestyle changes.

3. Are AI skin analysis results 100% accurate?

Highly objective, but not infallible. Combine with personal observation and professional advice.

4. Can AI analysis tell if a product is suitable for me?

Lululab’s Skin Analysis delivers personalized skincare recommendations based on your Traditional and LuluTI skin types, providing a curated list of products tailored to your skin concerns. Our AI helps you discover suitable options so you can choose the ones that work best for you.

5. Is AI skin analysis safe for sensitive skin?

Yes. Lululab's AI Skin Analysis uses a contactless analysis that evaluates visible skin data.

6. Do I need to avoid certain ingredients based on AI results?

Only if your AI highlights a concern that would react poorly (e.g., inflammation). Otherwise, use as tolerated.

7. Can AI analysis replace a dermatologist?

No. It complements professional advice and provides data-driven insights for daily care.

8. Does lighting or makeup affect AI results?

They can, but our technology uses advanced image analysis to reduce the impact of inconsistencies and traces of makeup. Still, for the highest level of accuracy, it’s best to capture your scan in good lighting and on a clean, makeup-free face.

9. Can AI track improvements over time?

Yes. By comparing previous analyses, you can see measurable changes in your skin concerns.

10. Is AI analysis suitable for all ages?

Yes. It adapts to all skin types and ages, highlighting the most relevant concerns at each stage.