So why is pH-balanced skincare so key to healthy skin?
The acid mantle is a thin surface layer of sebum and perspiration that regulates the pH of the skin. As the skin is exposed to everyday aggressors, the acid mantle acts as a barrier and helps to maintain a healthy pH equilibrium. When the skin is exposed to pH extremes, such as very acidic or very basic, the skin’s normal pH and protective barrier against moisture loss, infections, and irritants may be compromised. Your skin will appear dry, irritated flaky or red if your pH balance is too alkaline. It’s also susceptible to eczema, acne, and other inflammatory skin problems. That’s why it’s so important to ensure you are using a pH-balanced skincare range.
You may have heard the chemistry term pH. You may even know that anything below a pH scale of 7 is termed ‘acidic’, while anything above 7 is termed ‘alkaline’. But what does pH mean when it comes to your favourite cleanser, toner, and moisturiser, and more importantly, why does skin pH matter?
If you’re searching for a solution to your skincare woes, an excellent place to start would be swapping out your skincare products for something more pH-friendly. Here’s why:
A mini refresher
Simply put, pH stands for the ‘potential of hydrogen’ and measures how concentrated hydrogen ions are in a solution. In even simpler terms – and for those of us who failed science :p – it measures how ‘acidic a substance is compared to distilled water (which has a neutral pH of 7.0). Anything below a pH of 7.0 is considered an acid, and anything above a pH of 7.0 is regarded as an alkaline. If you’re still confused, now would be an excellent time to turn to your sense of taste for help. Generally speaking, acids (like lemon) taste sour, and alkalines (like baking soda) taste bitter. Makes sense now?
What is the typical pH of skin?
Dermatologists all agree – your skin pH rings up at between 4.7 to 5.5 on the pH scale. This is just slightly acidic. According to this article in pubmed.gov, “…It is demonstrated that skin with pH values below 5.0 is in a better condition than skin with pH values above 5.0. This is shown by measuring the biophysical parameters of barrier function, moisturization and scaling. The effect of pH on adhesion of resident skin microflora was also assessed; An acid skin pH (4-4.5) keeps the resident bacterial flora attached to the skin. Whereas an alkaline pH (8-9) promotes the dispersal from the skin.”.
Some beauty brands use wording like ‘pH balanced skincare’ when describing the pH of their products. Why is pH important in the world of skincare? Because when skincare products deviate from the skin’s natural pH balance, harmful bacteria could grow. This in turn can trigger inflammation and skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and rosacea.
The highs of pH
Products with high pH (8 to 14) interfere with your skin’s natural pH and acid mantle. This is a protective barrier on the surface of your skin composed of sweat, skin oils, and dead skin cells. High pH skin products can make your skin feel squeaky clean – at first. Then leave your skin feeling rough, red, scaly, inflamed, and dry. Your skin might even suffer angry breakouts and even age faster (gulp). This could result in making you more prone to fine lines, crow’s feet, and sun damage! Soap bars are often the biggest culprits when it comes to high pH. While the goal is to cleanse your skin, your cleanser mustn’t over-strip the skin of its natural oils. Cleansing oils are 100% natural and naturally pH-balanced skincare to ensure sebum and acid mantle equilibrium.
The lows of pH
At the other end of the spectrum is low pH. While not as damaging as high pH products, low pH (1 to 6) products also negatively affect your skin, stripping away your natural oils and causing irritation. If you are unsure of the pH of your favourite skin-care product, you can check by pH-testing them with litmus paper. If you don’t have litmus paper lying around, look at the bottle. Most high-quality skincare products will list the exact pH levels. Therefore you can judge immediately if you’re getting pH-balanced skincare or not. Ironically, some over-the-counter skincare products recommended for sensitive skin have a considerable irritation effect related to the pH of the product. It’s best to always err on the side of caution when choosing OTC products punted for sensitive skin.
A word on toners
Guess what? Toners were originally intended to minimise high pH detergents’ harsh effects by dropping the skin pH back down to a healthy equilibrium. However, since the discovery of the ill effects harsh alkaline cleansers have, companies have been formulating their cleaners with lower pHs to do the work a toner is supposed to. If you’re following the guidelines outlined here and use pH-balanced skincare (as you should), toner isn’t always necessary.
The perfect pH-balanced skincare act
To maintain a healthy balance in the skin, it’s best to avoid harsh skincare products with an alkaline or acidic pH instead of pH-balanced products. Cherish Beauty offers a wide range of pH-balanced cleansers, moisturisers, serums, face masks, and toners. All our products boast a blend of certified organic ingredients explicitly created to nourish your skin, without nasty additives, preservatives, or colourants. Because let’s face it, while life is a balancing act in itself – your skincare shouldn’t be!
Click here to discover our favourite skincare must-haves that will benefit your skin’s natural pH.
