The Secret to Clear Skin – Balancing Your pH

You might be confused. What is skin pH? You may have heard of low pH cleansers, so know that it's good for you, but what does that actually mean? Simply put, it’s a measure of acidity, which directly measures little acid molecules (denoted as H+. This gives it the name pH). The thing that's important is that every cell in your body and enzymes used to maintain health rely on having the right acid environment. If you have an imbalance, your immune function, health and body starts to break down. 

Bacteria (such as those that cause acne) actually use this effect to cause worsening infections and irritation, releasing chemicals that douse the acid and create a ‘neutral’ environment. This allows them to fester and irritate your skin, leading to blemishes, whiteheads and open infection. 

Healthy pH is typically between 4.5-5.5 for women and 4-5.5 for men. This is also the pH that most ‘low pH’ cleansers aim between too, meaning they’re actually not even acidic to your skin, they’re just matching the pH your skin already is. This helps keep your skin balanced, however, making sure your enzymes are working and the natural flora on your skin is kept healthy.

If your pH is chronically higher, you are at risk of chronic acne outbreaks, irritation and an overactive inflammatory response.  

So, you want to balance your pH? There’s a few ingredients to avoid in your skincare routine to prevent your skin environment from becoming unbalanced. There’s a few that are routinely used in cosmetics that are actually shocking – as there’s almost no benefits to your skin and they really should have been phased out years ago: 

Baking Soda: this is a favourite in cleansers, because they create a soft gummy and foamy feel. Although your skin might feel soft, it’s an immediate cause of acne outbreaks and inflammation. Struggling with spots? Check your cleanser for baking soda (i.e. sodium bicarbonate) as it should be your number 1 suspect. 

Coconut Oil: this popular skin additive has a pH of 7-8 and a strong ability to ‘neutralize’ acids, which can make it amazing in a spicy curry, but not so great for acne-prone skin! It can be wonderfully moisturizing for very dry skin, but if you’re struggling with acne and an imbalanced pH, this can be a terrible addition to your routine. 

Shea butter: this nourishing and fatty acid rich addition to moisturizers can be great for dry and cracked skin, but without pH balancing in its formula can quickly worsen acne and enhance bacterial growth. It’s pH is between 6-7, but it can be balanced with other ingredients. 

SLS/SLES: known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfates these are harsh and thick foaming cleansers that were commonly used in a variety of skincare products (until the anti-sulfate movement began). With a pH of 7.0-9.5, these cleansers also are known to disrupt your natural biome, stripping oils and leaving your skin barrier exposed. They are rarely used in Korean beauty for this reason. 

Zinc Oxide: this is commonly used in mineral sunscreens to provide strong SPF+ coverage, but it also has a high pH (7.2-9.0) which makes it a poor addition to an acne-prone routine. Do you find that sunscreens cause breakouts? It might just be this culprit. Although a lot of formulas try to rebalance the pH, be cautious about any high-concentration zinc oxide if you are struggling with outbreaks. 

So, now that we’ve removed ingredients that are likely to irritate your skin – let's get everything back into balance. It’s important to select products that are low pH, from cleansers to serums and follow with a gentle barrier cream. This trio will help rebalance your skin, set expectations and improve healing:

Best Low pH Cleansers in K-Beauty 
(1) Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel [pH 5.5] 
(2) Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser [pH 5.5] 
(3) Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Low pH Gel Cleanser [pH 5.5] 

Best Rebalancing Acid Serums in K-Beauty 
(1) Nineless A-Control 10% Azelaic Acid Serum [pH 4.5 to 5.5] 
(2) Medicube Red Succinic Acid Clarifying Serum [~pH 5.5] 
(3) The Skin BHA+ Pore Zero Serum [pH 5] 

The vital ingredients you should be looking for is exfoliating acids (think AHA, BHA or azelaic acid) as well as niacinamide, TXA, vitamin C serums and allantoin. When using these brightening and refreshing serums, you’ll start to see an improvement in acne too; and this is due to action of slowly rebalancing your pH. But not only are these agents rebalancing your pH, a large number of them work hard to even skin texture, reduce acne scars and spots – which will help clear your skin over time.  

For active acne outbreaks, I really recommend azelaic acid and AHA/BHA agents to help cool active inflammation and reduce active spots (although take care as AHA/BHA can be irritating on new spots). 
 
For clearing previous acne scars and dark spots niacinamide, TXA, vitamin C and allantoin are amazing additions to help even rough spots, uneven textures and give you the smooth, clear skin of your dreams. 
 

It’s not enough to treat active acne outbreaks, you need to keep that new balance stable. It’s vital to introduce probiotics back into your skin biome, to stop pathogens from being able to attack your skin. Not only that, but a healthy flora on your skin will also naturally produce acids themselves, improving your skin resilience for the long-term.

Keep an eye out for fermented products that will be rich in healing probiotics, which can be used as a topical treatment opposite to your acne-treatments (i.e. if you are using retinol in the evening, add some probiotics to your AM routine to maintain balance).

Rich Probiotic Treatments for Acne-Prone Skin 
(1) Purcell Pixcell Biom 2 Billiom/Ml Treatment  
(2) Mixsoon Bifida Ferment Essence 
(3) Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier 2% NAD+ Serum Mist 
 
Seal everything with a refreshing barrier cream or moisturizer to keep your skin balanced and in check. This prevents loss of hydration overnight, helps keep skin soft and (if well balanced with pH) will give your skin the deep relief it needs.

Best Moisturizers to Maintain Clear Skin 
(1) Dr Althea 345 Barrier Relief Cream 
(2) Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Enrich Cream 
(3) Purito Seoul Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream 

Although your routine doesn’t have to be extensive or complex, thinking deeply of what pH your skin might be sitting at is an important part of beating acne and clearing your skin. Be very wary of ingredients that may be causing harm and consider what you can add to bring a little more acid to your life. There’s a reason the best acne treatments are high-acidity ( from exfoliating acids to vitamin C to retinol) and it’s vital to keep your skin biome clear and balanced. 

Shop Korean beauty that makes a difference with authentic Korean beauty available on Arktastic. Bringing you the clear skin of your dreams ♡

Excited for more skincare tips? Check out our pics for the best acne treatments in Korean beauty. Or check out our guide to acne moisturizers to keep hydrated (and spot free!)

Top 10 Acne Treatments in K-Beauty 

Best Acne-Friendly Moisturizers to Hydrate