Did you guess True? Correct! Skin is actually acidic. Surprised?
There’s a good reason for that. The acidity keeps out harmful microorganisms. So it serves an important protective function.
Our skin pH is approximately 5.5. It’s important we keep it at that pH. When we don’t, we disrupt the protective barrier on our skin, which is called the acid mantle.
Problem is, many skin care products are formulated at a pH that is too acidic or too alkaline for skin. This causes all sorts of problems for skin, including inflammation and dryness.
Skin care products should exist at a pH as close as possible to skin’s natural pH. (Except when there is a specific treatment objective, such as exfoliation by Alpha Hydroxy Acid, in which case an acidic pH is required.)
You can test your products at home using pH litmus strips such as the ones pictured above. These can be purchased at a drugstore.
