Disparities in Objective and Subjective Skin Types: Only Oiliness Shows Consistent Correlation

Background: The use of cosmeceuticals, cosmetics that are medically proven to improve certain skin qualities, has been generalized to the public. While they were invented to selectively enhance targeted biophysical skin qualities, product selection is highly dependent on subjective perceptions rather than objective assessments. Objective: To evaluate whether subjective perceptions can accurately characterize one's skin condition, especially in the Korean population, which shows a high interest in cosmetics and skin conditions. Methods: Biophysical parameter measurements were obtained from the 2018 International Skin Characteristics Data Bank Project conducted by the Foundation of the Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute. Participants were 220 healthy South Korean adults. Each participant was asked to evaluate their own skin type in terms of sensitivity, hydration, oiliness, roughness, and thickness. The same subjects were objectively examined using bioengineering devices for the related biophysical parameters. Significance was evaluated using the chi-squared test. Results: Oiliness showed a significant correlation between subjective and objective skin assessments. Although sensitivity, hydration, roughness, and thickness showed positive relationships, none were statistically significant. Interestingly, self-perceived skin texture was highly dependent on pore-induced bumpiness rather than intricate skin surface topology. Also, uneven skin texture tended to be perceived as thick skin. Conclusion: Subjectively assessed skin types may limit the precise characterization of the skin's properties. Therefore, biophysical measurements should be used to assess skin types, particularly with regard to sensitivity, hydration, roughness, and thickness. This Korean population showed no superiority at perceiving skin types compared to subjects of previous studies. (Korean J Dermatol 2022;60(8):491~498).