Happiness is adding new skin care products to your bathroom cabinets. However, it is worth noting if pH levels of your skin care products are falling into a healthy range. Are you also confused about what has pH to do with your skin? Sincerely, healthy skin pH plays a big role to save your skin from being damaged. When your skin's pH balance is off, it results in many unexpected skin concerns like acne, wrinkles, and atopic dermatitis. A research study published in Current Problems in Dermatology has evaluated the effects of cosmetic products on the pH of human skin. The use of skin care products like soaps, cleansers, lotions is found to induce significant changes in skin surface pH. This further may give rise to impaired barrier functions along with disturbing the microflora of your skin. The function of microflora is to maintain healthy skin by protecting your skin from pathogens.
What is skin pH?
The pH of the skin indicates how acidic or alkaline your skin is. pH scale ranges from 0-14 where 7 is a neutral value. Anything below 7 is considered acidic and above 7 is considered alkaline. The ideal pH skin is considered acidic that lies between the range of 4.5 and 5.5. The acidic nature of the skin is due to the presence of a very thin film called acid mantle on the outermost layer (stratum corneum) of your skin. Skin's acid mantle is composed of natural lipids that help to create a healthy skin barrier meanwhile restricting the entry of microbes and environmental contaminants penetrating your skin.
Why is pH important in skincare?
To have youthful and flawless skin, it becomes very important to maintain a healthy pH of your skin. Too alkaline pH levels of skin destroy the lipid layer of your skin which leads to chronic dryness and increased skin sensitivity. A research study published in the British Journal of Dermatology has figured out that women with extra dry and alkaline stratum corneum experienced the earlier signs of aging than those with acidic skin. Similarly, when your skin's pH is too acidic, you are more prone to inflammatory skin conditions like acne, eczema, or atopic dermatitis.
What is the pH of skin care products?
Board-certified dermatologists explain that ingredients used in the formulation of your skin care products are responsible for disturbing your skin's natural pH. That's why it is very important to use pH-balanced skin care products. Irrespective of your skin type i.e. oily, dry, or combination, you should aim for choosing your cleansers, moisturizers, lotions, toners, etc with a healthy pH range. Here is the ideal pH range of common skin and hair care products.
Face cleansers - 5.0-5.5
Toners - 4.0-5.0
Sunscreen - 5.0-6.0
Moisturizers - 5.5-6.5
Shampoos - 5.5-6.5
Hair conditioners - 4.5-5.5
Conclusion
Your skin is the largest organ of your body which shields you from injury, infection, and pollution. When it comes to caring for your skin, you should opt for skin care products that have balanced pH levels. The long-term daily use of personal care products whose pH is too high or too low can lead to irreversible skin damage. For that dewy-looking skin, start rebalancing your skin pH with the right skin care products.
