How pH Impacts Your Skin Barrier (and What To Do About It)
We’re breaking down what pH really means for your skin, why it matters more than you think, and how a few intentional choices can bring everything back into that calm,...
Sensitive Skin: The Missing Piece No One Talks About
Let’s talk about pH... and why it matters more than you think.
If your skin flares up easily — redness, stinging, burning, tightness, breakouts from products that “shouldn’t” cause breakouts — you’ve probably been told your skin is just sensitive.
And while that might be true, it’s not the full story. There’s a piece of the puzzle that often gets missed. Something most people (and even a lot of brands) never talk about: pH.
And for sensitive skin, it’s one of the most important things to understand — because your skin’s response to pH changes isn’t like everyone else’s.
First things first: What is pH?
Think of your skin like it has a natural “mood”, and that mood is slightly acidic. Usually around 4.7 to 5.5 on the pH scale.
That acidity is intentional. It’s protective. It’s part of something called the acid mantle — a thin, invisible film on the skin’s surface made of fatty acids, sweat, and sebum.
This layer is what helps your skin:
Keep moisture in
Keep irritants and pathogens out
Maintain a healthy microbiome
Calm inflammation before it spirals
When your pH is in the right range, your skin feels balanced. Quiet. Resilient. But when your pH swings too high or too low… that barrier becomes unstable. And for sensitive skin, that shift doesn’t take much.
Why pH matters more for sensitive skin
Here’s the thing most people miss: sensitive skin doesn’t just have a thinner or more fragile barrier — it also has a harder time regulating and recovering when something throws that barrier off.
That means even tiny changes in pH can create outsized reactions.
- More redness
- More stinging
- More dryness
- More inflammation
Your skin isn’t “overreacting” — it’s struggling to rebalance.
So What Throws pH Off? (More Things Than You’d Think)
The biggest culprits aren’t usually serums or “active” products. They’re the everyday, mundane things:
Bar soap
Shampoo running over your face in the shower
Body wash that “accidentally” becomes a face wash
Cleansers that leave you feeling tight or squeaky
Over-exfoliating
Hot water
Harsh scrubs
For someone with resilient skin, these might just cause a little dryness. For sensitive skin, they can be the start of a full-blown flare-up.
How to protect (& rebuild) your skin’s pH balance
You don’t need to obsess over exact numbers, but you do need to be intentional about how your products interact with your skin’s natural state.
Here’s where to start:
1. Use a non-stripping cleanser.
Look for something pH-balanced and barrier-friendly — like our Gentle Foaming Cleanser. If your skin feels tight after cleansing, that’s your cue it’s been pushed too far.
2. Layer carefully — especially with actives.
Retinoids and acids can temporarily lower your skin’s pH. That doesn’t make them bad, but when you stack too many actives at once, especially on sensitive skin, you’re more likely to trigger irritation. Try spacing your actives out — you don’t need to use everything every night.
3. Moisturize immediately after cleansing.
This helps lock in hydration, protect your barrier, and minimize pH disruption while your skin re-stabilizes.
4. Avoid washing your face with bar soap or body wash.
They shift your skin far outside its comfort zone — often leaving it tight, red, or inflamed. Your face isn’t meant to handle the same products as your elbows.
The bottom line?
If your skin feels like it’s always reacting, always sensitive, always a little on edge — it may not be that you're doing something “wrong.”
It may be that your skin is just more sensitive to change.
By protecting your acid mantle and choosing products that support your natural pH, you’re not just calming inflammation in the short term. You’re helping rebuild resilience long-term.
Not sure if your routine is helping or hurting your skin’s balance?
We offer virtual and in-person consults to walk you through what your skin actually needs and how to simplify your routine to support it.
Book your consult here — and let’s take the guesswork (and the flare-ups) out of the equation.
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