If you want to build a skin care routine that actually works for your skin, the first step is not choosing a cleanser, moisturizer, serum, or sunscreen. The first step is knowing which of the 16 Baumann Skin Types you are.

In this guide, you will learn the basic skin care routine steps, how your skin type changes the products that go into each step, and how to get a personalized skincare routine built for your skin type.

You should know your Baumann Skin Type before you buy any products or build a skin care routine. But first, here are the basic skin care routine steps. The order of the steps stays the same for almost everyone. What changes is which product goes into each step, and that depends on your Baumann Skin Type.

1. Cleanser: Cleansing removes oil, sweat, and leftover products and prepares your skin for the steps that follow. Oily skin types may need a cleanser that efficiently removes sebum, while Dry skin types need a gentle cleanser that preserves the skin barrier.
2. Eye cream, toner, or essence when needed: An eye cream protects the delicate eye area from the treatment products that follow. Toners and essences go on clean skin and are only used when your skin type needs them.
3. Treatment serum or treatment product: This step holds your active ingredients, such as antioxidants, skin lighteners, or acne treatments. Resistant skin types can often tolerate stronger treatment products, while Sensitive skin types may need to calm inflammation first.
4. Moisturizer: A moisturizer hydrates, protects the skin barrier, and helps the treatment product penetrate. Dry skin types need barrier repair ingredients, while Oily skin types need moisturizers that will not feel heavy or sticky on the skin. Acne prone skin types need moisturizers that won't clog pores.
5. Sunscreen: Sunscreen always goes last in the morning to protect your skin and your skin care products from UV radiation and light.

1. Cleanser: The evening cleanser removes makeup, sunscreen, oil, and dirt, so it is often stronger than the morning cleanser. Many skin types need two different cleansers for morning and night.
2. Eye cream when needed: Products get on your pillowcase at night and can irritate the eye area, so an eye cream protects this delicate skin.
3. Treatment serum or medication: Repair processes are active at night, so this is the time for ingredients that help repair the skin. Prescription medications also go in this step.
4. Moisturizer: The moisturizer seals in the treatment product and supports the skin barrier while you sleep.
5. Retinoid or other nighttime treatment when appropriate: Retinoids help with aging, uneven pigmentation, and acne. When you are just starting a retinoid, apply it after your moisturizer. How often you use it depends on how sensitive your skin is.

Not everyone needs five products morning and night. Some skin types can use a much simpler routine - it depends upon how many skin concerns you need to treat. A DSPW (Dry, Sensitive, Pigmented, and Wrinkle-prone) needs more products than a DRNT which only needs to treat dehydration.

 The basic goals of every skin care routine are to cleanse, protect, and repair. How we accomplish those goals depends upon your Baumann Skin Type.

Most people have more than one skin concern, but most skin care routines only target one, such as acne. Your routine should target all of your barriers to skin health. Someone with acne may also have dehydration, redness, dark spots, or early wrinkles. Knowing your Baumann Skin Type helps you choose the right serums and treatment products for every concern, without wasting money or routine space on products you do not need.

Knowing your skin type starts with whether you are oily or dry. This determines your best cleanser, moisturizer, and even sunscreen. Most people guess wrong and use products that actually make their skin worse!.

Next is whether you have sensitive skin.

There are four sensitive skin subtypes: 

• Acne
• Rosacea (redness)
• Stinging
• Allergic

You can have one or several, such as allergic and acne-prone, or redness-prone and stinging. A product that helps one subtype can make another worse, so the more subtypes you have, the harder it is to design a routine that works. 

You also need to consider if you have dark spots you want to lighten and your tendency toward wrinkles. This is why skincare advice should not begin with a list of popular products. A dermatologist, skincare professional, influencer, Reddit user, online routine builder, or AI should first know which of the 16 Baumann Skin Types you are and which sensitive skin subtypes you have before giving skin care advice.

However, there is only one place to get the Validated Skin Type Quiz that dermatologists use. You can access the quiz at the link below.

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Two people who both want to treat wrinkles may need very different skincare routines. Someone with dry, sensitive, pigmented, wrinkle-prone (DSPW) skin needs to repair the skin barrier and calm inflammation before using strong anti-aging ingredients, and also needs to treat unwanted pigmentation. Someone with oily, resistant, non-pigmented, wrinkle-prone (ORNW) skin can tolerate stronger products, and the DSPW products may be too heavy or not potent enough. This is why asking "What is the best retinol?" is not enough. The better question is "What is the best retinol for my Baumann Skin Type?"

If your skin type contains an S, you also need to know your sensitive skin subtypes, because a product labeled "for sensitive skin" is not right for every type of sensitive skin. Acne-prone skin needs products that will not clog pores. Rosacea-prone skin needs products that decrease inflammation and avoid rosacea triggers. Stinging skin may not tolerate low-pH acids. Allergic skin needs to avoid ingredients that trigger allergic contact dermatitis. Many people have more than one subtype, which makes choosing products even more complicated.

To build a routine for your skin type, you need to know all four letters of your Baumann Skin Type and any sensitive skin subtypes you have.

I originally developed this skincare routine algorithm at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for the dermatologists there. It was used and tested by more than 100 dermatologists for a decade before it became available online. Today, anyone can use the free online skin type quiz to build a routine for their skin type.

After you take the 16 Skin Type Quiz here at SkinTypeSolutions.com, the algorithm I developed uses your answers to customize your skincare routine. Your four-letter Baumann Skin Type is the foundation, but it is not the only information used. Your quiz answers provide additional information that can affect product selection, including factors such as your:

• Age
• Gender
• Skin concerns
• Sensitive skin subtype
• Allergies
• Lifestyle habits
• Sun exposure
• Skincare habits
• Product preferences

This additional information is important because even two people with the same Baumann Skin Type do not necessarily need exactly the same skincare products. There are more than 40,000 skincare routine templates in the Skin Type Solutions algorithm. The appropriate template and products are selected according to your skin type and the information you provide in the quiz.

You can then personalize the routine even further. For each skincare routine step, you can scroll through products that are appropriate for your skin type and choose among recommended options based on considerations such as brand, price, and personal preferences. In other words, the algorithm determines which types of products and ingredients are appropriate for your skin, but you still have choices.

This is one of the most important concepts to understand when learning how to build a skincare routine. Almost everyone needs cleansing, protection, and repair. But the cleanser, treatment product, moisturizer, and sunscreen should not be the same for everyone.

For example, an oily skin type may need a cleanser that efficiently removes sebum, while that same cleanser could worsen dryness and barrier damage in a dry skin type. A barrier-repair moisturizer that is extremely helpful for a Dry Baumann Skin Type might feel too heavy or contribute to clogged pores in some Oily Baumann Skin Types.

A Resistant skin type may tolerate stronger treatment products, while a Sensitive skin type may become red, inflamed, sting, or develop acne when using the same ingredients. A Pigmented skin type needs special attention to preventing and treating unwanted pigmentation, while a Non-Pigmented skin type does not have the same tendency to develop uneven pigmentation.

This is why skincare routine order alone is not enough. You need the correct products in the correct order for your skin type.

A skincare routine is also more than a collection of individually good products. Products interact with one another on your skin. Cleansers can affect skin pH and the penetration of products applied afterward. Moisturizers can increase or decrease penetration depending upon their formulation and where they are placed in the routine. Some active ingredients can become more irritating when combined with other products.

This means that five excellent skincare products do not necessarily make an excellent five-step skincare routine. The products need to be chosen as a regimen. That is one reason I developed the skincare routine algorithm around complete routine templates rather than simply generating a list of highly rated products.

AI can be very useful for explaining skincare ingredients and helping organize a routine, but there is an important limitation. An AI agent does not have enough information to give truly personalized skincare advice if it does not know your Baumann Skin Type and Sensitivity subtypes.  Skin type diagnosis must come before product recommendations.

You do not need to memorize skincare chemistry or figure all of this out yourself. Start by taking the 16 Skin Type Quiz (Baumann Skin Type Indicator) at SkinTypeSolutions.com. Once you complete the quiz:

1. You will learn which of the 16 Baumann Skin Types you are.
2. Your quiz answers help identify additional concerns, including your sensitive skin subtype when applicable.
3. You will receive a personalized morning and evening skincare routine.
4. You can see which types of products belong in each skincare routine step.
5. You can scroll through appropriate products and customize your routine according to brand, price, and other preferences.
6. You can retake the quiz as your skin changes and receive updated recommendations.

There are more than 40,000 routine templates in this scientific algorithm because building a skincare routine requires much more information than simply knowing whether someone thinks her skin is "dry," "oily," or "sensitive."

The best way to build a skincare routine is to identify your skin type before choosing products. There are 16 Baumann Skin Types, and Sensitive skin can be further characterized by acne, rosacea, stinging, and allergic sensitive skin subtypes. These differences affect which cleansers, treatment products, moisturizers, sunscreens, retinoids, exfoliants, and other products are appropriate for your skin.

The general skincare routine steps may remain similar, but the products used in those steps can be completely different depending on your skin type, sensitive skin subtype, age, habits, preferences, allergies, and other information provided in the quiz. Do not guess your skin type, especially whether you are oily or dry. Take the skin type quiz that dermatologists use to determine your Baumann Skin Type and receive a personalized skincare routine. Further customize your recommended products according to your preferences.

And remember: your skin type can change. Retake the quiz every six months, or whenever your skin, hormones, environment, or skincare needs change, so that your skincare routine continues to match the skin you have today.

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