Skincare Geek Lesson #1 - The Acid Mantle

The Acid Mantle

A Peek At Our Natural Skin Barrier

What Is It?

To put it simply, the acid mantle is a naturally acidic (pH 5.5) protective film that, that covers our skin’s surface. It is excreted by the sebaceous and sweat glands and consists of acids, water and amino acids.

-

Key functions of the acid mantle include:

~ Skin pH regulation: An important factor in healthy skin appearance and function.

~ Normalizes skin moisture levels: Via oil and water balance and prevention of moisture evaporation.

~ Protection against bacteria: When at a normal acidity level the acid mantle provides natural defense against bacteria, viral and fungal infections.

-

Why Is It Relevant?

It is relevant to know because it could be an easy mistake you are making in your skin care routine that may be contributing to skin imbalances, therefore skin sensitivity, dryness  and break outs. There are many products out there that are detergent (sodium laurel sulphate) based and / or alcohol based, that work so strongly that they can disrupt your skins acid mantle. Other factors that can affect your acid mantle include steam, UV rays, wind, and pH disturbances of the skin.

-

Things To Consider

Following are factors that may have an unwanted effect on your acid mantle and may be causing symptoms that you are trying to avoid.

~ Do you use cosmetic products with a strong foaming action?

~ Do you use cosmetic products that contain sodium laurel sulphate, acetone, or benzyl peroxide?

~ Are you over cleansing? Don’t over-do it with your cleansing regime, washing your skin one to two times daily is all you need to remove surface dirt and pollution.

Our products are designed with such factors in mind, hence why our Purifying Cream Cleanser is completely free of such ingredients and designed to clean the skin whilst being as gentle as possible.