The Acid Advantage: How Balanced pH Promotes Radiant Skin and Slows Aging

Whenever we meet with new clients, we start with this crucial question: What is their skin’s pH? This is one of the most overlooked and under-discussed topics when it comes to skin health.

The signs of imbalance are clear:

• “I feel consistently dehydrated no matter what or how much product I use…”

• “If I touch my face or don’t wash my pillowcase, I will break out…”

• “The days of wearing a mask are long gone, but my perioral dermatitis just won’t go away!”

These complaints point to one common, underlying issue: the skin’s acidity is off balance. So let’s explore why pH balance is so crucial to skin health, and what we can do about it.

Understanding the Basics of pH

The skin contains a protective layer made up of sebum, sweat, amino acids, and other elements that the body continuously supplies—this is known as the acid mantle. When functioning properly, it regulates the skin’s pH balance, which, for optimal health, needs to be slightly acidic, typically around 4.5-5.5. (If you’re curious what pH means: pH stands for "potential of hydrogen.” It is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is and it ranges from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline). A pH of 7 is considered neutral, less than 7 is acidic, and higher than 7 is alkaline. Our skin naturally tries and wants to keep our skin at the proper pH level—it's fluctuating all the time.

The Skin is Your Shield

One of the major functions of the skin is to serve as a protective barrier against infection and external threats. Consider the magnitude of this concept: the skin is the line of defense between the external world and our internal body, and it is consistently facing a barrage of threats. This protective role relies heavily on maintaining proper acidity, which controls what can exist on the skin—whether it's bacteria, viruses, or fungi—and what may enter the body. It also helps delay the aging process! Given that the skin is the only organ that faces the external world and serves such a tremendous role in maintaining health, our priority should always be to support it by compensating for the unavoidable factors in our daily lives.

We often hear about the skin microbiome and how certain bacteria contribute to skin health, while others cause unwanted conditions like breakouts, dermatitis, and eczema. Interestingly, the bacteria responsible for many of these conditions—like C. acnes and Staph aureus—thrive in a neutral pH (around 7). Water, with its pH of 7, is thus readily contaminated. In product formulations, water is the biggest source of contamination, which explains why products with a high water content require more preservatives.

The Effects of Imbalance

When the skin’s pH balance shifts toward neutral or becomes too alkaline, its ability to regulate hydration, maintain water balance, and manage inflammation diminishes. The microbiome shifts in the direction of dysbiosis, sebaceous activity may alter, and ultimately the skin's protective barrier becomes compromised. This can often lead to unwanted symptoms and conditions related to inflammation.

This imbalance happens at the acid mantle, but other factors such as UV exposure, pollution, high elevation, and dry climates also contribute to impaired barrier function. Products with high pH levels (too alkaline), harsh exfoliants, excessive preservatives, and fragrances can all disrupt the skin’s barrier layer, alter the skin’s acid mantle, and make it more vulnerable to irritation and environmental stressors. This, in turn, disrupts the pH regulation system, which can result in skin that is either too acidic or too alkaline, leading to the symptoms listed above.

The Connection Between pH and Aging

One last detail to explain in relation to pH levels and the skin is age delay. Acidic skin ages slower than alkaline skin. Yep, you heard it here, and you better believe it! Inflammation, the true root of aging, is moderated when the skin’s pH is optimal, whereas alkaline skin is prone to dryness, irritation, microbial dysbiosis, leaky junctions, and collagen breakdown—leading to premature signs of aging.

Restoring and Maintaining Healthy pH

Now that we understand the importance of this piece of skin health, what can we do about it? The good news is, a lot. A well-thought-out skincare regimen takes this delicate foundational layer into account every step of the way. Not only does it restore this critical balance, but it also helps the skin regulate it on its own. 

All of our products are strategically designed to be within a pH range that will be beneficial for the skin and provide the necessary therapeutic benefits they were designed for (aside from our oils, which don’t have a pH because they contain no water). Each product layers and supports every subsystem of the skin, ultimately strengthening our largest protective barrier.

Bottom line: by simply using the products and following our system, you can trust that you will be doing the right thing to bolster your skin’s innate functions.

Here are a few tips and product suggestions if you are feeling any of the symptoms listed in the opening paragraph:

1. Swap cold water for hot water when rinsing your face. 
2. Ditch any of your products with fragrances or long lists of preservatives. Here is a cheat sheet of what to look for: Parfum, Parabens, Phthalates, Formaldehyde, Triclosan, Sulfates, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl alcohol, Diethanolamine (DEA), Ethylhexylglycerin. Siloxanes. 
3. Limit abrasive exfoliants or excessive exfoliation. A good cadence for a gentle lactic refinement is once a week for most skin types. Probiotic + Exfoliation Mask has a pH of 3.5-4.0 and will gently encourage a shift in acidity while boosting hydration, which is very helpful when the skin is feeling dry and alkaline, or dull! 
4. Always include a proper and thorough application of Balancing Hypotonic prior to any serums, oils, or emulsions. Post exfoliation, laser, peel, this should be your first product to reinstate pH of 4.5 and resupply the acid mantle with everything it needs. 
5. Apply Barrier Restore Serum twice a day under your oil/moisturizer. Be consistent.

If your skin is oily/greasy: Balancing Hypotonic, Treatment Serum, Treatment Oil

For dermatitis/breakouts: Balancing Hypotonic, Soothing B3 Serum, Barrier Restore Serum

For dry skin on the body: Massage The Everywhere pH Body Wash over the entire body in the shower, rinse with cool water, pat dry, and massage Body Barrier Emulsion over damp skin. 

Key Things to Remember

We know all the theory and science can feel like a lot to take in, but our goal is always to help you understand the fundamentals so you can make better choices when it comes to your skin, and to support you with the best quality products available. Here are the essential points to remember:

• The skin is our ONLY protective barrier between a world of harm and our delicate internal system.

• One important aspect of this protective barrier is the pH (aim towards a range of 4.5 to 5.5). Women tend to have a lower pH than men.

• Many things in our environment and self-care products break down and damage the skin by altering the pH level, weakening its ability to protect us.

• Using products that strategically address individual components of the skin and are formulated to consider pH is essential for healthy, comfortable skin.

• Keeping your skin more acidic is one way you can slow the aging process, as acidic skin is under less stress than it is in the alkaline range.

Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.