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What does pH-Balanced mean?

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‘pH’ refers to how acidic or basic a substance is, while ‘pH balanced’ refers to maintaining an appropriate level of acidity or alkalinity in a substance or environment. In other words, when we talk about the human body, we say that the organ is at a normal or physiological pH.

In this article, we will cover the details of what pH is, the meaning of ‘pH balanced’, and how it can affect our skin.

Ph balanced meaning and the skin ph.

What does pH stand for?

The term pH stands for “potential hydrogen”. It is defined as the negative logarithm (base ten) of the concentration of free hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution.

In simple words, when we decrease the pH of a solution by 1 point, the acidity increases 10 times.

Similarly, if we compare two products, one at pH 5 and the other at pH 6, the product at pH 5 is ten times more acidic than the one at pH 6.

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being the neutral point. Anything below 7 is considered acidic and above 7 is alkaline.

pH scale showing skin ph.

The lower the pH number, the more acidic a substance is, while a higher pH indicates a more alkaline substance.

Extremes on both ends of the pH scale can be harmful and may cause burns or serious skin damage. For example, drain cleaner, which has a pH of 13 to 14, can cause burns.

pH of Skin

The top layer of our skin contains a fine layer known as the acid mantle, which gives our skin its acidic pH. This acid mantle is formed by a mixture of lipids from our sebum and components of sweat.

As we move from the top layer of the skin to the deeper layers, the pH gradually increases.

If you read any research article on skin pH measurement, you’ll notice some variance in the reported values. This disparity arises because the pH value is dependent on both the methodology employed and the instrument used in the study.

Taking all these studies into consideration, it’s suggested that our skin pH is somewhere between 5.4 to 5.9.

What is pH balanced?

The term ‘pH balanced’ refers to maintaining an optimal level of acidity or alkalinity to ensure proper physiological function.

When we say our skin pH is balanced, it implies that the pH of our skin surface closely matches its normal, physiological, acidic pH, which is typically around 5.5.

If a skincare product is labeled as ‘pH balanced,’ it signifies that the product has been formulated with an acidic pH closely aligned with that of the skin, typically around 5.5.

In today’s beauty industry, the pH of the skin is considered crucial. Therefore, you will find that most skincare products are pH balanced.

So, even if a brand doesn’t explicitly state that its product is pH balanced, there’s a high chance it is. It ultimately depends on each brand’s marketing strategy.

Factors that affect our skin pH

The pH of the skin varies among individuals and across different areas of the skin. It can be influenced by a number of factors, which can be divided into two categories: endogenous and exogenous factors.

Endogenous factors include:

  • Age 
  • Body site 
  • Genetics
  • Ethnic differences 
  • Sebum 
  • Skin moisture 
  • Sweat

Exogenous factors include:

  • Detergents 
  • Beauty products like cleansers
  • Occlusive dressings
  • Skin irritants
  • Topical antibacterials 

Let’s talk about some of these factors in detail.

1. Age

The skin pH can vary depending on age. 

  • Newborns are born with a neutral pH and as they grow older, the pH becomes more acidic. 
  • With aging, our skin pH increases.

2. Sex

There can be differences in skin pH between men and women. Research suggests that men usually have a pH below 5 and women above 5.

3. Body site

Depending on the body site, skin pH can vary, especially in areas with higher moisture content, which usually exhibit a slightly elevated pH. Such areas include:

  • The axilla (underarm area)
  • The inguinal region (groin area)
  • The area under the breasts
  • The spaces between fingers

A higher pH in the axilla is thought to provide an ideal environment for odor-producing bacteria such as Propionibacteria and Staphylococci. 

4. Skin tone

People with darker skin tones have a lower skin surface pH than people with lighter skin tones.

5. Cleansers and soaps

Cleansers can significantly affect our skin’s pH. Non-soap cleansers or syndet bars typically have a neutral to acidic pH, while soaps have a considerably higher pH of 8-9.

Cleansers can impact the skin immediately, and their effects can last for up to two hours. Furthermore, even washing our face just twice a day can result in long-term effects on the skin.

The change in skin pH is directly proportional to the pH of the cleanser. So, the higher the pH of the cleanser, the greater the alteration in skin pH will be.

Even using simple tap water, which has a pH of around 8, can increase the skin’s pH.

Why is pH balance important?

For some time, it was thought that acidic pH could just act as an antimicrobial barrier, meaning it would prevent the growth of harmful microbes – bacteria, and fungi. But research has shown that it is more than that.

We know how important our skin barrier is and it is closely related to acidic pH. Our skin barrier is dependent on lipids/ceramides and their proper arrangement.  

The synthesis of ceramides involves multiple enzymes which are dependent on pH. For example, the two main enzymes: β-glucocerebrosidase works best at 5.6 and sphingomyelinase works best at 4.5. 

For the proper arrangement of these lipids, an acidic pH is important. 

In addition, the differentiation of our skin cells and their shedding or desquamation is also dependent on pH. 

How to know if your skin pH balance is off?

From the above discussion we know that acidic skin pH is important for:

  • Normal functioning of our skin barrier: If our skin barrier is intact, it means outside irritants won’t get into our skin, there will be less transepidermal water loss and our skin will be hydrated.
  • In addition, our skin will normally shed dead skin cells. So, we won’t have scaliness or flakiness.
  • Acidic pH is important for our skin’s antimicrobial barrier: This is what will protect our skin from the growth of pathogenic microbes, in simple words “bad bacteria and fungi”.

If this skin pH balance is not maintained or altered:

  • Our skin barrier won’t function well – leading to dry, irritated, and sensitive skin.
  • The dead skin cells on the top of the skin won’t shed properly leading to scaly and flaky skin.
  • Our skin will be vulnerable and bad bacteria and fungi can grow on the skin. This can lead to skin infections.

It is believed that this is the reason why various inflammatory and infectious skin conditions have a higher skin pH. 

Some of the skin conditions linked with higher skin pH include:

  • Atopic dermatitis
  • Irritant contact dermatitis
  • Psoriasis
  • Ichthyosis
  • Eczema
  • Fungal infections
  • Acne 
  • Rosacea

Research shows that Cutibacterium acnes (bacteria that can cause acne) can grow well at a higher pH (between 6 and 6.5). In fact, their growth is markedly reduced below the pH value of 6. So, someone with a balanced skin pH is less likely to have acne breakouts due to Cutibacterium acnes.

A study from 2017, found that patients with acne had a higher pH (>6) in comparison to those without acne (<5.5). 

In addition, it has been seen in studies that antibiotics like erythromycin and other anti-acne topicals like salicylic acid benefit acne treatment by decreasing skin surface pH.

Balance your skin pH

Being gentle with the skin is important for maintaining a balanced skin pH. It starts right from the beginning of our skincare routine.

1. Cleansing

  • Choose your cleanser carefully. Use a soap-free cleanser or syndet soap. These are much more gentle and won’t alter the pH of the skin drastically as compared to bar soaps. 
  • If you have dry or sensitive skin, you may not need a morning cleanse.
  • Cleansers with salicylic acid can benefit by lowering skin pH, especially in acne-prone skin.
  • Even water alters the pH of the skin, so don’t splash water on your skin multiple times a day for no reason. 
  • Use lukewarm water to cleanse your face.

2. Acidic products

One can benefit from the use of acidic products like ones with salicylic acid, lactic acid, and glycolic acid. They can lower the pH of our skin.

An older study from 1996 shows that lactic acid can increase the synthesis of ceramides in our skin, enhance our skin barrier, and reduce sensitivity.

One can also use essences that have ferments and are at an acidic pH.

But don’t overdo this when using exfoliating acids:

  • Don’t use high concentrations of exfoliating acids
  • Don’t use acidic products with exfoliating acids every day (over-exfoliation can also disrupt the skin barrier and alter our skin pH)

3. Moisturizer

A moisturizer can replenish our skin with lost lipids. In addition, several barrier repair moisturizers are formulated at a pH of around 5.5 which can create an acidic environment. 

Every skin type can benefit from using a well-formulated moisturizer (yes, even oily skin).

4. Sun protection

Environmental factors like sun exposure can also affect our skin pH. It is important to protect our skin from the sun by using sunscreen and protective clothing. 

5. Keep your skin folds dry

Keep your skin folds dry as moisture in these areas can increase skin pH making them more vulnerable to infections.

6. Avoid DIY skincare

Many DIY skincare recipes involve using lemon and baking soda. If you look at the scale above, they are far from our skin’s pH. They can alter the pH of our skin significantly making it irritated and sensitive.

Summary

A pH balance refers to maintaining an optimal level of pH for the proper functioning of the human body.

Our skin has an acidic pH which is important for the proper functioning of our skin barrier, normal desquamation or shedding of dead skin cells, and warding off infections. The skin pH may be influenced by several external or internal factors. 

When we say that our skin pH is balanced, it means our skin has an acidic pH, somewhere around 5.5. In skin care, pH balance means that the product is formulated at a pH close to skin pH, which is acidic (usually around 5.5).

If this pH balance is altered, our skin can become dry, scaly, flaky, and vulnerable to infections. There are several skin conditions associated with a higher skin pH.

A gentle skincare regimen, acidic products, and sun protection can help us maintain an acidic skin pH.

References

Disclaimer: This blog post is for information purposes only and does not replace medical advice.

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