When you have sensitive skin, choosing the right beauty products that won't cause irritation or inflammation can be tough. Often it feels like the best approach is trial and error—aka, use a product once and wait with baited breath to see if you turn red, itchy, or irritated.
While there's no perfect formula for every body on the planet, there's increasing evidence that shows that maintaining a healthy skin barrier is key to keeping skin sensitivities from flaring up. One of the best ways to do this? Make sure the products you're using are pH-friendly.
What is pH and what does it have to do with the skin?
Science class is in session! The pH (or potential of hydrogen) scale measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being perfectly neutral (pure water has a pH of 7, for reference). The lower the number on the scale, the more acidic a compound is; the higher the number, the more alkaline, or basic, a compound is. Picture it like this:
- Acidic: Lemon Juice, pH 2
- Neutral: Pure Water, pH 7
- Alkaline: Ammonia, pH 11
Every part of your body has a different ideal pH level at which everything operates as it should:
- Hair - 3.67
- Scalp - 5.5
- Skin - 4.7 to 5.75
- Vagina - 3.5 to 4.7
When we use products that are too acidic or too alkaline, it can throw these pH levels out of whack and disrupt the skin's barrier, which can lead to dryness, irritation, or severe redness. Because most of the body’s ideal pH is slightly acidic at 5.5, choosing a cleanser with a pH of around 5.5 is ideal for helping to maintain the strength of that barrier. Most soaps have a pH of 7 or above, which is why they can feel drying, stripping, or irritating on sensitive skin.
Meet our pH-friendly shower superhero
Our Be Gentle, Be Kind ™ Aloe + Oat Milk Ultra Soothing 3-in-1 Cleansing Bar is a pH-friendly, soap-free cleanser—meaning, it's specially formulated to keep pH levels in balance and won’t disrupt the skin's barrier.
In addition to this power-packed product being dermatologist-tested, ocular-tested, gynecologist-tested, hypoallergenic, and fragrance- and essential oil-free, our magnificent multitasking bar is also going to protect the pH of all your bits—from top to bottom.
