pH Skincare| Here’s what you need to know

Whether you realise it or not, the pH of your skincare products affects your skin. If you wonder why k-beauty products are the leaders in skincare then this has to do with the special formulation to ensure they are low pH products.

A pH of 7 (water) is considered neutral anything below that is acidic and above is alkaline. Your skin’s natural pH is mildly acidic with a pH between 4.7 – 5.75 pH. Skin pH plays an important role in skin conditions. Natural acidity is key to the skin’s protective barrier. When the skin’s barrier function is compromised it is less resilient and more sensitive to environmental triggers.

Any changes to this can cause harmful bacteria to grow. This bacteriology can cause inflammation, acne, eczema and rosacea (to name a few). Interestingly, with age the acidity in the skin reduces and the skin becomes drier and vulnerable to fine lines and wrinkles. Additionally, oily skin types have a lower, more acidic pH, while dry skin types tend to have a higher, more alkaline pH.

If you’re wondering what it all means then in simple terms, the higher the pH, the more harmful the product to your skin (in the long term).

So, how do you identify pH skincare-friendly products? You can literally test their pH like you would anything else and pick up some strips from Amazon. If that’s not for you then here’s a round-up of some products to start with.

Drunk Elephant

The Drunk Elephant philosophy is to use ingredients which directly benefit the health of the skin and have a range of pH skincare-friendly products. If you are unsure where to start and don’t want to test products yourself, then Drunk Elephant is a good go-to.

It is worth considering that during the Summer when we are generally out more, we are more likely to sweat. The additional sebum can cause a reduction in skin pH and therefore it is worth tailoring your routine depending on the time of year.

Paula’s Choice

Paula’s choice also put the pH skincare at the forefront of their products and has published a full help guide to the common pH ranges for the major categories of our skincare products:

• Cleansers: pH 4.5–7
• Toners: pH 5–7
• Sunscreens: pH 5–7.5
• AHA and BHA Exfoliants: pH 3.2–3.9, with any reading between 3 and 4 considered most effective
• Moisturizers: pH 5–7
• Serums: pH 4–6
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) products: pH 2.6–3.2
• Retinol products: pH 4–6.6

Pixi Beauty

Not only do Pixi Beauty have a vast range of skincare products but they also have the pH skincare conscious pHenomenal Gel. This balances and stabilises your skin’s pH levels while moisturising, soothing, toning and balancing your complexion with Pixi Beauty pHenomenal Gel neutralising moisturiser.

I’ll be testing some of my own skincare products to share with you in a future post.

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