Mad About Skin has looked at more than 20 products for combination skin, and his approval rate sits at 85%. 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.
In his words
"This is the Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk. It uses enzyme exfoliation to smooth out the skin and minimize the appearance of pores, but in a super gentle way. I absolutely love this. It's amazing, absolutely amazing at smoothing out the skin and refining the pores, super gentle. And it also has ceramides, so it's all around hydrating and exfoliating toner. You can use this daily, it's gentle enough to do that. I absolutely love it."
"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."
"You can get that next level protection without having to worry about irritation, prickling, watery eyes. It's just amazing. It's also dead matte, which I love. If you're somebody that wants matte, you don't want any dewiness, you don't want any gloss to the skin, you want a sunscreen that is dead matte, this is the closest to zero like shine you will ever ever get. Stunning."
"You've got your vitamin C, your glutathione, you've got a plethora of hyperpigmentation fighting ingredients. Got hydratants to hydrate. It's almost like a skin care routine in a bottle, which I really like. Great for streamlining. And it's not super heavy. It doesn't weigh down the skin. I've recommended this so many times on the channel and every time I do I'm flooded with comments of people saying yes I bought it on your recommendation and it really does work."
"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."
How many products has Mad About Skin reviewed for combination skin?
Mad About Skin has reviewed 27 products for combination skin, for an approval rate of 85%. 23 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.
"You're not going to get a whole lot more in terms of benefits with using one of these versus say a 15 or a 20 strength, but you're going to get an awful lot more sensitivity and irritation. People reaching for products like this with strengths like these are going to conclude that vitamin C just isn't for them. They've reached for a product from a trusted brand and it sensitizes the skin given the redness, peeling, and irritation."
"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
- Allies of Skin One SPF 50 Invisible Sunscreen GelNamed a winnerWatch at 11:20
- Geek & Gorgeous 101 Zero Feel SPF 50 Day CreamNamed a winnerWatch at 10:22
- Secret Key Starting Treatment EssenceNamed a winnerWatch at 14:15
- The Ordinary Vitamin C 23% SuspensionSkipped itWatch at 3:52
- The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning SolutionSkipped itWatch at 9:10
- Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk TonerRated itWatch at 7:57
- VT Reedle Shot PDRN Capsule CreamRated itWatch at 5:12
- Numbuzin No.3 Vitamin Concentrated SerumRated itWatch at 5:55
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF 50Rated itWatch at 8:06
- Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideRated itWatch at 11:43
- Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV Sunscreen SPF50 ClearRated itWatch at 12:04
- 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
- Geek & Gorgeous Hydration Station MoisturizerRated itWatch at 3:36
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++Rated itWatch at 7:00
- Mixsoon Bean EssenceRated itWatch at 5:37
- Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin MistRated itWatch at 7:18
- Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh Rice Plus B5Rated itWatch at 11:03
About this expert
See everything Mad About Skin has reviewed
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This guide reflects what Mad About Skin said across his videos about 27 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.