How much are your habits helping your skin?
Twelve questions across six domains give a score from 0 to 100, a radar chart and three concrete steps taken from your two weakest domains. Each domain is worth 6 points, so you can see at a glance which two are pulling the score down.
Twelve everyday habits, one score out of 100.
Six domains, two questions each, four answers worth 0 to 3 points: 36 raw points scaled to a score out of 100. Answer for a normal week rather than your best one.
0out of 100
Solid base
The six domains
Three things to change next
How it works.
- Answer twelve questions, one per screen, with a Back button if you want to change an answer.
- Read your score out of 100, the verdict band, the radar chart and the six domain bars, then save the card.
- Work through the three steps from your two weakest domains, and retake the check in 3 months.
What the score measures
Twelve questions, six domains, 36 raw points scaled to a figure out of 100. Every domain carries the same weight, 6 points, which is tidy rather than accurate: of the six, daily sunscreen has by far the strongest evidence behind it. The score describes what you do, not what your skin is. It says nothing about your age, your genetics, your hormones or the sun you had before any of this interested you, so two people with the same score can have very different skin.
Where the six domains come from
Sun: in a randomised trial in Queensland, adults who applied sunscreen every morning showed 24 percent less visible skin ageing after 4.5 years than the group who used it at their own discretion (Hughes et al. 2013, Annals of Internal Medicine). Sleep: poor sleepers show more visible ageing signs and slower barrier recovery after a standard skin stress test, and 7 to 9 hours is the adult range. Habits: reviews link smoking to deeper wrinkles and a duller tone, with the risk rising by pack-years, while picking turns a spot that would fade in 7 to 10 days into a mark that can sit for 3 to 6 months. Food: 5 portions of vegetables and fruit a day, about 80 g each, track with fewer visible ageing signs in observational work, and high-glycaemic patterns are associated with more acne. Movement: 150 minutes a week is the public health target, and exercise raises skin blood flow and improves sleep. Routine holds the two habits that decide how everything else lands: cleansing before bed, and adding one product at a time.
What this tool is not
It does not examine your skin, measure anything or diagnose a condition. Five of the six domains rest on observational research: associations between a habit and an outcome, not proof that one caused the other. Only the sunscreen figure comes from a randomised trial. Every answer comes from you rather than from an instrument, and self-reported habits tend to flatter, so read the score as a rough position rather than a measurement. The three steps are the useful part: how much sunscreen the face needs sets the amount, the barrier guide explains what over-cleansing costs, adult acne covers diet, stress and picking, and purging or a breakout tells you how to read the first 6 weeks of anything new. Retake the check in 3 months.
Frequently asked.
How is the score worked out?
Twelve questions, four answers each, worth 0 to 3 points. That gives 36 raw points, scaled to a score out of 100. All six domains carry the same weight, 6 points each, so the radar shows where the points are missing.
Does a high score mean my skin will look better?
Not on its own. Habits shift the odds over years, not weeks, and genetics, hormones, medication and the sun you had before all sit outside this score. A high score means fewer avoidable stressors, which is what habits can actually change.
Which domain is worth fixing first?
Sun, almost always. It is the only item here backed by a randomised trial: 24 percent less visible ageing over 4.5 years with daily use. The other five rest on observational research, so the effect sizes are less certain.
How often should I retake the check?
Every 3 months is enough. Sleep, stress and the evening routine move within one busy month, food and movement take a season, and smoking status changes rarely.
Why are there only two questions per domain?
Because two questions pick up the habits with the clearest evidence behind them and keep the check under 4 minutes. A longer questionnaire would look more precise without being more accurate, since every answer is self-reported.
What does the tool store?
Only your last score, a number between 0 and 100, in your browser's local storage under the key ga_skin_habits. Your answers are not stored and nothing is sent anywhere; clearing site data removes it.
Guides behind this tool
Skincare
How much sunscreen a face needs: the 2 mg per square centimetre rule
Skincare
A damaged skin barrier: signs, causes and repair
Skincare
Adult acne after 25: why it happens and what works
Skincare
Skin purging or a breakout: how to tell them apartMore tools
The Skin Habits Score is a self-check of twelve everyday habits, scored from your own answers. It does not examine your skin, cannot diagnose anything, and five of the six domains rest on observational research rather than trials. This page is for general information and does not replace advice from a dermatologist, physician or qualified practitioner.