不同的美容产品会针对不同类型肌肤而设，所以在选择美容产品前，必须了解自己的皮肤属于什么类型，美容顾问会问你：Which skin type are you?（你的皮肤是什么类型呢？）皮肤可分为：干性(dry skin) / 中性(normal skin) / 油性(oily skin) / 混合性 (combination skin)。有些产品则适合任何肌肤 (Suitable for all skin types)。
对 话
Katherine: I need to buy some sun-protection products. Can you help me?
Candice: Certainly. Now, which skin type are you?
Katherine: What do you mean?
Candice: Well is your skin dry, oily or combination?
Katherine: All of them. It's dry in the sun, oily when I put lotion on it and combination when it gets wet. Silly question.
凯思莲: 我需要买些防晒产品，你可以帮忙吗？
坎蒂斯: 当然可以，你的皮肤是什么类型呢？
凯思莲: 你是什么意思？
坎蒂斯: 你的皮肤是干性、油性还是混合性呢？
凯思莲: 全部都是，太阳晒的时候会干，涂了润肤露会油，湿的时候便是混合性，无聊问题。
凯思莲想买防晒产品，坎蒂斯问：Which skin type are you?（你的皮肤是什么类型？）皮肤类型，叫skin type或type of skin，例如：When buying skin care products, you must know what type of skin you have.（买护肤产品，必须知道自己的皮肤是什么类型）。皮肤类型大致可分五种：Oily skin is characterized by a lot of shine and enlarged pores; dry skin, by a dull appearance and fine pores; combination skin, by an oily T zone but dry or normal skin everywhere else, normal skin, by small pores and a healthy appearance; and sensitive skin, by extreme sensitivity to the sun and a lot of cosmetics.（油性皮肤多光泽，毛孔较大；干性皮肤看来枯槁，而毛孔细密；综合性皮肤多是额头、鼻子以至下巴属油性，其它地方则属干性或中性；中性皮肤毛孔小，看来健康；敏感皮肤则对太阳和不少化妆品都有过敏反应）。面孔由额头经鼻子至下巴部份，状如英文字母‘T’，所以叫T zone。
医学上，‘敏感’叫allergy，例如：I have an allergy to perfumes (= I am allergic to perfumes). They make me sneeze（我对香水有敏感，闻到就打喷嚏）。皮肤敏感的人，买护肤品必须格外留神：I would like non-allergic skin care products.（我要不会引起敏感的护肤品）。
凯思莲要买防晒产品，即英文sunscreen或sunblock。I did not wear any sunscreen, and got badly burned by the sun即‘我没有擦防晒油所以被给太阳晒伤了’。
