Last Updated: January 16, 2025

Unless you’re regularly checking the chemicals in a pool or hot tub (or you’re, you know, a chemist), pH may never cross your mind. But if a glowing complexion is high on your priority list, understanding—and respecting—your skin’s pH balance is key. The pH level describes how acidic or alkaline your skin is, and along with the strength of its acid mantle (a kind of protective barrier), contributes heavily to the overall health and resilience of your skin. When one or both of these becomes compromised, your skin starts sending up signals—think of them as urgent little SOS signs. By learning how to recognize these signals for what they are, you can take steps to balance both your pH level and your acid mantle for skin that looks and feels healthy—because it is.

What Is Skin pH, And Why Does it Matter?

Good question! The acronym is short for “potential of hydrogen.” Essentially, it’s a measurement of how many hydrogen ions are present in a particular substance—in this case, your skin—which affects how acidic or alkaline (i.e. basic) it is. It’s measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 7 signifying a neutral pH. The lower the pH rating, the more acidic. The higher the rating, the more alkaline. When it comes to skin, the ideal pH isn’t a neutral 7, as you might have assumed. Actually, it’s right around 4.5 to 5.5. That makes it slightly acidic, which supports the acid mantle and defends against harmful bacteria, pollutants and moisture loss.

Here’s the thing—there are countless little ways to disrupt the skin’s pH balance, from the usual suspects, like stress and diet, to the very products you religiously use morning and night to clean and hydrate and tighten and tone. And guess what happens when you inadvertently disrupt your skin’s pH balance? The oh-so-important and delicate acid mantle suffers, leading to dryness, dullness, breakouts and sensitivity. These are the SOS signs your skin is desperately throwing up. Let’s take a closer look.

SOS: Signs Your Skin’s Balance Is Off

• Dry, flay skin. Moisture is one of the first casualties when your skin’s acid mantle weakens. Beyond keeping baddies out, the mix of sebum and amino acids that make up the acid mantle keeps moisture in. It can’t do that if your skin’s pH is too alkaline, and the result is dry, rough skin and very often, visible flakes. You may be familiar with the feeling—tight and uncomfortable, like it’s a size too small. 

• Never-ending breakouts. Hormones aside, an imbalance pH is very often the trigger behind breakouts. Because it creates a hospital environment for harmful bacteria, clogged pores, inflammation and acne aren’t far behind. It gets worse—skin with a disrupted pH also tends to overproduce oil to make up for moisture loss, which further contributes to breakouts.

• Way more sensitivity. A compromised skin barrier is highly susceptible to irritation. Products that you may have used with no issues in the past can trigger burning and redness and general discomfort. In short, everything and anything bothers your skin, which can leave you wondering what the heck to do now.

Gentle Alternatives for Restoring Balance

You know what they say—knowledge is power. Recognizing that dry, sensitized skin and clockwork-like breakouts are signs that your skin’s pH and acid mantle are straight up struggling is half the battle. Step two is taking action to restore balance, and this is a situation where less really is more. Step away from the harsh cleansers and toners. Put down the gritty exfoliators. And turn down the water temperature! Pro tip: hot water damages skin barrier function.

Instead, nourish your skin with gentle, effective alternatives (and lukewarm water!) that work with its preferred pH level and the acid mantle. That includes ingredients like:

• Natural fruit enzymes. Fruit enzymes from sources like papaya gently exfoliate by dissolving dead skin cells. Plus, they brighten and smooth the complexion without stripping the skin’s natural oils, so they’re far less aggressive than traditional chemical peels—and just as effective.

• Plant-based exfoliants. Exfoliating with finely milled ingredients like cornmeal or arrowroot powder sweeps away dead skin without harming the acid mantle. You get the same benefit of smoother, softer skin, without the tightness.

• Vitamin C. Vitamin C truly works wonders on the skin. It acts like a mild exfoliant while simultaneously boosting collagen production and protecting the skin from oxidative stress. It’s the secret to brighter, smoother skin, and it does it all without compromising its natural defenses.

Shimmer Chef actually got its start as a solution to skin imbalances that were wreaking havoc on our founder’s skin. Inspired by Mexican folk medicine and her abuela’s nourishing poultices, she leaned on her expertise as a health-supportive culinary arts chef and certified aesthetician to create a line of plasters and balms created from living foods. Today, she turns fresh, organic superfoods and botanicals into nourishing products that drench the skin with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to restore its natural balance. A proprietary fermenting process loads up the formulas with probiotics and prebiotics to support the skin’s microbiome, which gives our products everything you need—and nothing you don’t. They’re entirely free of preservatives—all they need to stay fresh and active is refrigeration. Another feather in our cap? Shimmer Chef’s products have earned the coveted Made Safe stamp of approval from the Environmental Working Group. In fact, as part of the examination process to earn that certification, we were asked to analyze and submit pH testing for every product in our collection. They range from 4.07 to 5.76, making our formulas pH balanced—exactly what the skin needs (and craves).

Steps To Restore And Maintain Healthy Skin

Your choice of skin care products is one piece of the puzzle. Here’s how to mix and match best practices to restore your skin’s pH level and acid mantle—and keep it that way.

• Choose pH-balanced products. Honestly, we can’t stress this enough. Be choosy about what you put on your skin! The best bets support the skin’s natural acidity to avoid disrupting its balance, so nourish your skin like you do your body. Use the good stuff.

• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The more hydrated the acid mantle, the better able it is to protect against external stressors—and life throws us a lot of those. Hydrate consistently and deeply, and take the opportunity to feed your skin the vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants it deserves.

• Go easy on the exfoliating: Over-exfoliating is easy to do. So many products contain chemical exfoliants, and there’s a good chance you’re stacking exfoliants in your routine without even realizing it. But when you over-exfoliate, you weaken the barrier. Stick to gentle, natural exfoliants to maintain balance.

• Manage stress. It’s been dubbed the silent killer—and it’s terrible for your skin, too. Stress is detrimental to both pH and barrier health (learn more about the brain-gut-skin axis and how stress plays a role here). Incorporating stress-reducing practices into your day-to-day life can benefit your skin and overall well-being, so make it a priority.

The Takeaway

Healthy skin is balanced skin—it’s really as simple as that. Like so many things in our bodies, your skin’s pH balance and its acid mantle are tightly connected. When they’re balanced, they do their job as intended—keeping your skin healthy, protected and radiant. But these delicate systems don’t take much to go awry, and that’s when you find yourself dealing with dryness, sensitivity, dullness, flakes and breakouts. Take these signs for what they are—a cry for help! Supporting your skin with products that promote its natural pH level and protect the acid mantle is the best way to help rebuild its natural defenses. And Shimmer Chef is here to help.

Chef Jennifer Sanford, the visionary behind Shimmer Chef, fuses her talents as a Health Supportive Culinary Arts Chef and licensed esthetician to develop formulas that radically transform your skin, scalp and hair.  Jennifer brings a holistic approach to beauty and wellness,  drawing on the wisdom of Mexican Folk Medicine passed down through her family, as well as studies of the ancient art of Ayurveda through her yoga and meditation certifications.