A combination skin care routine for Bangladesh's weather

What combination skin is

Combination skin has two kinds of skin on one face. The T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) makes more oil and shines by midday, while the cheeks stay normal, or feel tight and dry. It is the most common skin type among the people who take our skin type test: 44% of them in September 2026.

The mistake most people make is treating the whole face as oily. A strong oil-control wash clears the shine for an hour, strips the cheeks, and the T-zone answers by making even more oil. The goal is balance, not dryness.

Morning routine

1. Gentle cleanser. A low-pH gel such as COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser cleans without leaving the cheeks tight. On a very sweaty day, rinsing with plain water in the morning is enough.
2. Hydrating layer. A watery essence like COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence gives the cheeks water without weighing down the T-zone.
3. Light moisturiser. A gel-cream such as COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream. Use a thin layer on the T-zone and a little more on the cheeks.
4. Sunscreen, every day. A light, non-greasy SPF 50 such as SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum or Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics. Two finger-lengths for the face and neck.

Night routine

1. Cleanse. If you wore sunscreen or makeup, start with a cleansing oil such as KOSE Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil on dry skin, then follow with your gentle gel cleanser. On other nights the gel cleanser alone is fine. If your T-zone is very oily, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser is a good evening wash: it foams but contains ceramides, so it is kinder to the cheeks than most.
2. Treatment. A niacinamide serum such as Anua Peach 70 Niacin Serum helps with T-zone oil, the look of pores and dark spots, and it is gentle enough for the cheeks.
3. Moisturiser. The same gel-cream as the morning, or a slightly thicker layer on the cheeks.

Twice a week: treat the zones

• T-zone: a clay mask such as Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask on the forehead, nose and chin only, for 10 to 15 minutes. Leave it off the cheeks.
• Exfoliation: COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner on a cotton pad, mostly over the T-zone, two or three evenings a week. Not on the same night as the clay mask.

Adjust with the season

• Monsoon and summer: keep layers thin, let the essence do most of the hydrating, and carry blotting paper rather than washing your face again.
• Winter (mid-November to mid-February): your cheeks will want more. Add a richer cream on the cheeks at night, such as Dr.Althea 345 Relief Cream, and cut exfoliation to once a week.
• Air-conditioned office: AC dries the cheeks even in summer. A second thin layer of essence at lunch helps.

Do

• Wash twice a day at most, with lukewarm water.
• Apply moisturiser to slightly damp skin, within a minute of washing.
• Introduce one new product at a time, and give it two weeks.
• Wear sunscreen every day, indoors near windows too.

Don't

• Don't use a harsh scrub or a strong foaming wash on the whole face.
• Don't use alcohol-heavy toners: they sting dry cheeks and make the T-zone rebound.
• Don't skip moisturiser because your forehead is oily.
• Don't pile on several actives (acids, vitamin C, retinol) at once.

Not sure you are combination? The bare-face check takes an hour, and our skin test takes two minutes.