The DOI matches its Crossref record; 3 of the 3 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Natural skin surface pH is on average below 5, which is beneficial for its resident flora
Abstract
Synopsis: Variable skin pH values are being reported in literature, all in the acidic range but with a broad range from pH 4.0 to 7.0. In a multicentre study (N = 330), we have assessed the skin surface pH of the volar forearm before and after refraining from showering and cosmetic product application for 24 h. The average pH dropped from 5.12 ± 0.56 to 4.93 ± 0.45. On the basis of this pH drop, it is estimated that the ‘natural’ skin surface pH is on average 4.7, i.e. below 5. This is in line with existing literature, where a relatively large number of reports (c. 50%) actually describes pH values below 5.0; this is in contrast to the general assumption, that skin surface pH is on average between 5.0 and 6.0. Not only prior use of cosmetic products, especially soaps, have profound influence on skin surface pH, but the use of plain tap water, in Europe with a pH value generally around 8.0, will increase skin pH up to 6 h after application before returning to its ‘natural’ value of on average below 5.0. It is demonstrated that skin with pH values below 5.0 is in a better condition than skin with pH values above 5.0, as shown by measuring the biophysical parameters of barrier function, moisturization and scaling. The effect of pH on adhesion of resident skin microflora was also assessed; an acid skin pH (4–4.5) keeps the resident bacterial flora attached to the skin, whereas an alkaline pH (8–9) promotes the dispersal from the skin.
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Citations
Cites
Moisturization and skin barrier function
Rawlings, A. V., & Harding, C. R. (2004) · Dermatologic Therapy · doi:10.1111/j.1396-0296.2004.04s1005.x · Cited by 924
Dermcidin: A novel human antibiotic peptide secreted by sweat glands
Schittek, B., Hipfel, R., Sauer, B., Bauer, J., Kalbacher, H., Stevanovic, S., Schirle, M., Schroeder, K., Blin, N., Meier, F., et al. (2001) · Nature Immunology · doi:10.1038/ni732 · Cited by 730
Krien, P. M., & Kermici, M. (2000) · Journal of Investigative Dermatology · doi:10.1046/j.1523-1747.2000.00083.x · Cited by 151
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The impact of the pH value on skin integrity and cutaneous wound healing
Schreml, S., Szeimies, R., Karrer, S., Heinlin, J., Landthaler, M., & Babilas, P. (2010) · Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology · doi:10.1111/j.1468-3083.2009.03413.x · Cited by 279
Health effects of probiotics on the skin
Roudsari, M. R., Karimi, R., Sohrabvandi, S., & Mortazavian, A. M. (2015) · Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition · doi:10.1080/10408398.2012.680078 · Cited by 113
Sommer, B., Overy, D. P., Haltli, B., & Kerr, R. G. (2016) · Microbiology · doi:10.1099/mic.0.000299 · Cited by 32
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Wallen-Russell, C., Pearlman, N., Wallen-Russell, S., Cretoiu, D., Thompson, D. C., & Voinea, S. C. (2023) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms11112784 · Cited by 14
de Oliveira Bispo, M., Morocho-Jácome, A. L., Escudeiro, C. C., Martinez, R. M., de Oliveira Pinto, C. A. S., Rosado, C., Velasco, M. V. R., & Baby, A. R. (2023) · Cosmetics · doi:10.3390/cosmetics10010011 · Cited by 13
Bassam, S. M., Ali, D. E., Awwad, Z. M., Mahmoud, S. A., & Abou-Taleb, B. A. (2024) · Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology · doi:10.1016/j.jddst.2024.105543 · Cited by 12
Azmin, S. N. H. M., Saidin, Y. N. I., Nor, M. S. M., Abdullah, P. S., & Ywih, C. H. (2022) · AIP Conference Proceedings · doi:10.1063/5.0078489 · Cited by 3
Soyer, P., & Öztürk, A. A. (2026) · Gels · doi:10.3390/gels12090838
Metadata
- Authors
- Lambers, H., Piessens, S., Bloem, A., Pronk, H., & Finkel, P.
- Venue
- International Journal of Cosmetic Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2006-09-19
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 359-370
- ISSN
- 0142-5463 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2494
- OpenAlex
- W2065098180
- Cited by
- 909
- References
- 3
- FWCI
- 4.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
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