Does Skin’s pH Really matters ?

We often see the term “pH balanced” on various skin care products, but do you know what it actually means?

The pH of a product decides about the level of its acidity or alkalinity. Here five major questions arises:

- What is the pH level?
- What is the level of the skin’s pH?
- What are the types of skin according to pH level?
- What is pH balanced Skincare?
- What to Look for in a Skincare Product for Ph Balance?

To understand all this firstly we need to know more about ‘pH Level’ & ‘skin’s pH Level’.

WHAT IS PH LEVEL?

Technically, pH stands for ‘potential hydrogen’ and it determines the level of acidity or alkalinity of a particular solution.

The range of pH scales from 0 to 14. Any solution with pH 7 is neutral, with pH less than 7 is acidic, and pH greater than 7 is basic (alkaline).

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pH SCALE OF ACID OR ALKALINE LEVEL

pH RANGE(0 to 14)Neutral pH(7)Acidic pH(less than 7)Alkaline pH(more than 7)

WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF SKIN’S PH?

Skin’s pH really matters for healthy skin. Unbalanced skin pH can lead to skin issues like acne, sensitivity or wrinkles. What happens if skin’s pH becomes too acidic or too alkaline?

The skin’s normal pH is 5.5, which is slightly acidic. Our normal skin flora, sebaceous glands and sweat glands maintain the acidity of the skin, which is termed the "acid mantle’.

Acid Mantle (Acts as a skin Barrier) ↓ Sebum (Secretes from Sebaceous Glands) + Lactic & Amino Acid (Obtained from Sweat Gland)

The acid mantle is made up of sebum with lactic and amino acids from sebaceous glands & sweat glands, respectively.

The acid mantle acts as a skin barrier that protects skin from harmful effects of environmental factors such as bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants that might penetrate the skin.

1. Acidic Skin

If the skin pH is less than 5.5, it becomes too acidic. This type of skin is prone to irritation, redness, and inflammation.

Acidic skin restrains the skin’s natural exfoliation & lead to acne due to build-up of dead skin cells, which can clog pores and leads to an increase in acne breakouts.

Skin becomes acidic when its acid mantle is disrupted due to various internal & external factors. For example,

Internal factors

Aging: - As we age, our skin’s pH buffering capacity decreases, so our skin becomes progressively acidic.

Other internal factors are our eating habits, alcohol, smoking, etc.

External factors

Pollution: this external factor disrupts the functioning of the skin’s acid mantle that acts as a skin barrier toward external harmful factors.

Other harmful factors that lead to acidic skin are - smoke, acidic water, harmful sun rays etc.

Some skin care products can also cause Acidic Skin.

For example – products like chemical peels and other acidic products (like AHAs or glycolic acid) have very low pH in order to exfoliate the skin.

However, if not used efficiently & carefully they might disrupt the acid mantle. It’s advisable to follow the instruction on the label carefully in order to get the benefits without harming skin.

Always follow this type of exfoliation with a good moisturizer as a skin barrier & to seal the hydration.

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2. Alkaline Skin

If the skin pH is greater than 5.5, it becomes too alkaline. This type of skin is prone to dryness, sensitivity, inflammation and may even develop eczema.

Inflammation & dryness reduces skin’s ability to produce collagen that causes wrinkle formation & skin sagging.

People with an alkaline skin are more prone to sun damage and develop fine lines and crow’s-feet earlier than people with acidic skin.

pH BALANCED SKINCARE PRODUCTS

Balancing skin’s pH is as important as balancing any other thing in life. Skin with a balanced pH is considered healthy and can manage the daily wear & tear of skin cells easily.

This leads to delaying the process of skin ageing & results in less breakouts or blemishes. Balancing skin’s pH with right products can be a key to healthy radiant skin.

What to Look In a Skincare Product for Ph Balance?

Skin with a balanced pH has its own defense mechanism and barrier toward external & internal harmful factors that cause skin issues.

That’s why it’s necessary to look for pH balanced skin care products. Many products come with the label that says ‘pH balanced’ but if certain products do not say “pH balanced” on the label.

In that case, you can verify the pH of the product by using a home testing kit for checking pH levels.

Ideal Balanced pH of Skincare Products - Skin care products with a pH around 5.5 are balanced since it’s the skin’s normal pH.

Acceptable pH of Skincare Products: – It is okay if the pH is not exactly 5.5. The pH range for skincare products is between 4.5 and 7. Most tear-free shampoos for babies come at a pH level of 6–7 since it matches the pH of our tears.

Skincare Products with pH Exceptions – Some peeling skincare with ingredients like vitamin C, retinol, AHAs, BHAs etc have acidic pH (lower than 5.5) as they need to be formulated at a lower pH for them to work effectively.

pH balanced skin has a healthy glow and a self defense mechanism against any harmful external factors. It also has a self-repair action that prevents skin from sagging & wrinkles.

Skin has its own self repair & defence mechanism that helps in the process of its wear & tear. But, due to ageing or other external or internal factors this mechanism tends to deplete or malfunction.

This also results in the unbalance of skin’s pH level. This can be corrected with use of skincare products with balanced pH levels.

“The most valuable benefit of apple cider vinegar is that it helps to restore your skin’s natural pH balance.”  – Amy Leigh Mercree

By NIDHI GUDWANIAuthor is CEO at SKINAYU ORGANICS

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