By: Team NewsdayExpress | Posted: Jan 19, 2021
New Delhi. Some recent soap commercials have attracted public attention, in which they have raised some questions, asking whether there is a right pH product for human skin? What characteristics define a good soap? Let’s start from the beginning. pH (potential hydrogen) is defined as the concentration of hydrogen ions in a concentration. The pH value ranges from 0 to 14. There are 7 neutral points, 0 is the most acidic and 14 is the most basic.
More importantly, your skin isn’t exactly pH 5.5. It falls in the range of 4.0 to 7.0 depending on everyone’s body part as diverse as age, genetics, ethnicity, environmental conditions.
So, are products formulated at pH 5.5 perfect for skin? The short answer is: no. Firstly, parameters such as surfactant, texture and other ingredients indicate the quality of a cleanser, which is much better than pH alone.
Second, the pH of the skin rises slightly immediately after rinsing even with plain water, changing to its mildly acidic pH within an hour. Healthy skin quickly regenerates the acid mantle, a protective layer on the skin and remains unaffected for a long time by the pH of the cleanser. The skin regulates pH, allowing skin products to act not only at different pH levels, but also in combination with the overall formula. So why is the market telling pH 5.5 products to be correct? Well, for certain skin types (such as oily skin) and certain skin conditions (such as acne), an increase in pH can exacerbate these skin conditions. A proper explanation of the product being at a pH of 5.5 for better cleaning of these.
The Bureau of Indian Standards’ mandatory guideline for soap also excludes pH, indicating that the composition is more relevant to safety and mildness. Even the BIS approves the use of a soap for baby’s skin, which reduces their safety under normal use conditions.
Commenting on the issue, Dr. Aparna Santhanam (MD, DNB) Consulting Dermatologist, Consultant and author said, Recent scientific advances have brought to the fore the importance of the acid mantle in skin health. However, the pH of a product is just one of the important factors affecting the skin. There are many other factors, including pre-existing skin conditions, water quality, correct use and contact time, that contribute to the acid mantle after using a product. The skin also undergoes repair and restorative mechanisms to bring the pH back to physiological levels after exposure to all or any of these factors. As such it is important to understand all of these factors, rather than just one of them.
Skincare experts across the country have expressed skepticism on the issue of pH judging product safety and acid mantle protection on a single scale based on multiple factors, as even plain water can contribute to it, which is among the many factors involved. Is. So, can we view this ideal pH as the only ideal measurement of a cleaning product? The answer is, we should look beyond just pH.
(IANS)
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