Maintaining the pH balance of your skin is crucial for optimal skin functionality and appearance. Despite the skin’s ability to resist alkaline or acidic products, consistent use of non-skin-friendly pH products can disturb its delicate balance and result in various skin issues. In this post, we’ll delve into the significance of preserving your skin’s pH balance and utilizing products specially formulated to maintain it.
What is the ideal skin pH?
pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity on a scale of 1 to 14, with pH 7 being neutral. Healthy skin has a slightly acidic pH of around 5, and this level of acidity is important to maintain its barrier function. In fact, the protective mixture of water and oil found on our skin, known as the hydrolipidic film, is also called the acid mantle.
How does pH influence our skin’s microbiome?
It is in this acid mantle and in the other layers of the skin, epidermis, dermis and hypodermis, that a large variety of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms essential for its health and balance are found. This complex ecosystem not only plays an important role in protecting our skin against pathogens, but it also regulates inflammatory processes and neutralises the damaging effect of UV rays, among many other functions.
The delicate balance between these microorganisms is strongly influenced by changes in our skin’s pH. Fluctuations can cause an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria which, in turn, affects how our skin behaves.
What happens exactly?
An unbalanced skin microbiome – when “bad bacteria” take over the “good bacteria” – compromises our skin’s barrier function causing it to become increasingly sensitive and more prone to the appearance of problems such as dryness, tightness, irritation, acne, spots and premature ageing.
For this reason, it is important to choose products formulated with a pH similar to that of the skin, especially for those with already sensitive or redness-prone complexions.
Skin pH & micellar water...
Unlike most skincare products, micellar waters are formulated with a pH similar to that of our tear ducts, which is 7.4, to avoid eye irritation. While this may seem beneficial, the fact that it has a different pH to our skin can cause problems in the long run, especially if you don’t rinse the product off with water.
As each Twelve Beauty product has been formulated with even the most sensitive skins in mind (which means with a pH of around 5), to avoid the problem presented by traditional micellar waters, we developed a milder and more skin-respectful alternative: Dara’s Water. Instead of using a combination of water and surfactants (soap), our non-micellar cleansing water harnesses the power of a unique blend of humectants and polysaccharides capable of removing makeup, impurities and even mineral sunscreen – All with a skin-friendly pH.
In short, maintaining our skin’s natural pH level is key to keeping it as healthy as possible. Choosing skincare products formulated specifically for the skin’s pH is an easy way to help maintain our skin health, its barrier function strong and prevent skin problems such as redness.
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