Marcie Mom from EczemaBlues.com interviews Laura, CEO of VMV Hypoallergenics, to find out more about product claims and why they’re important when choosing your skin care…particularly if you or your child have eczema.

pH

Q: Is pH important in skincare for eczema? What does it mean if something says that it is “pH-balanced?”
A: pH-balanced is an interesting term because it could mean a completely neutral pH, which may or may not be ideal for a formulation. It is not a regulated term but a product’s pH is an important consideration for dry skin, skin with eczema, and skin undergoing active treatments.
The skin’s natural pH is actually slightly more acidic (5.5-6.5) than neutral (which is 7). Bar soaps, because of the way they are made, intrinsically tend to have a more basic or higher pH (some going as high as 10). This can, on its own, be quite denaturing and very drying to skin. Importantly, high-pH soaps and products can impair the skin’s barrier function further, which is the last thing you want for eczema.
Most of our products for very dry, sensitive, atopic skin skew towards the skin’s natural pH as much as possible, or even slightly lower.
 

This article was originally published in eczemablues.com as one of a multi-part series focused on understanding and using products for sensitive skin. Inspired by her daughter Marcie who had eczema from two weeks old, Mei (aka MarcieMom) started EczemaBlues.com with the mission to turn eczema blues to bliss. In this series of interviews, MarcieMom interviews Laura, CEO of VMV Hypoallergenics, to learn more about product claims when choosing products to care for skin with eczema.