The Simple Science Behind Beautiful Skin

Read Time: 2-3 Minutes

Image via Vogue India

To stay radiant and healthy, our skin must maintain a complex system of defenses to protect it from a range of damaging factors, including sun exposure, free radicals, and environmental pollutants. Our skin’s pH level — the balance of acid to alkaline — keeps this defense system strong. Several factors can throw our pH out of whack though, leading to irritation and dryness, so it’s important to understand your skin’s specific needs and how to best maintain your ideal acid-to-alkaline balance.

What exactly is pH?

pH, which stands for “potential hydrogen” or “power of hydrogen,” is a scale used to measure acidity and alkalinity, ranging from zero (most acidic), to 14 (most alkaline), with 7 considered neutral. To better visualize this, lemon juice has a pH level of 2,  water has a pH level of 7 - 8, and most bar soaps range anywhere from 8-11.

How acidic should my skin be?  

To keep your skin healthy, an ideal balance of acidity and alkalinity must be maintained. The skin is naturally acidic — falling between 4 and 6.5 on the pH scale, with an average of 4.7. This acidity allows for the growth of healthy bacteria that boost the skin’s immune system, protecting against fungi and harmful bacteria. Products with too much alkalinity, higher than 8 or pH level below 2.5 (highly acidic) cause distruptions to skin and make it vulnerable leading to dryness, breakouts and inflammation. 

Understanding your ideal pH level can truly revolutionize your skin care process. MŪN’s founder, Munemi Imai, struggled for years to find the right products for what she thought was her dry skin, layering rich Japanese toners and creams to combat dryness during New York’s harsh winters. She eventually realized that even the gentlest foaming cleansers she could find then were actually stripping her skin’s natural oils, leaving it feeling dry and throwing off her pH balance. Once she switched to a DIY natural plant-based oil cleanser, however, her dryness went away.

What type of cleanser should I be using?

Because our skin is naturally acidic, cleansers should work in tandem with our natural pH level, not against it. Rather than going back and forth between moisturizing and astringent products in an attempt to achieve equilibrium, stick to a gentle cleanser that effectively balances your skin’s pH level. pH-balanced cleansers allow your skin to keep up its defenses while preventing irritation. And to prevent dryness, stick with non-foaming formulas. 

To maintain, or restore your skin’s barrier functions, try our gentle and pH balanced, Akwi Purifying Cleanser. This oil-based all-natural cream cleanser removes impurities and unclogs pores without stripping your skin’s barrier, and contains powerful but gentle ingredients: detoxifying and moisturizing Castor Oil, antioxidant-rich Rice Bran oil, and nourishing Argan Oil.