AHAs/BHAs and Niacinamide: The Impact on Skin pH
Maintaining your skin’s pH balance is a great way to ensure healthy skin overall, and certain products can impact your skin’s natural pH.
Read on to learn about AHAs/BHAs and niacinamide and their impact on your skin.What is skin pH?
The skin has a pH balance that can be impacted by factors like your environment, overall health and even the skin care products you use.
On the pH scale from 1-14, 7 is considered neutral. Anything above 7 is more basic and anything below 7 is considered acidic.
The natural pH for human skin rests at about 5.5 on the scale. Your skin’s pH matters because if your complexion becomes too acidic or too alkaline, you risk dryness, irritation, breakouts and redness. The best way to maintain a normal pH balance is to monitor the skin care products you use and be intentional with your skin care routine.
Now, let’s explore ingredients like AHAs, BHAs and niacinamide and how they impact the skin’s pH.
What are AHAs?
AHAs, or alpha-hydroxy acids, are naturally-occurring groups of acids that are found in foods, sugarcane and even milk. Many skin care products are made with different kinds of AHAs.
AHAs are excellent exfoliating agents. They remove dead skin cells and promote cell turnover, which improves skin texture and makes the skin appear more radiant and youthful over time.
There are several alpha-hydroxy acids that you might encounter in your skin care routine, including:
- Glycolic acid
- Citric acid
- Malic acid
- Tartaric acid
- Lactic acid
Some AHAs are gentler on the skin than others, but these ingredients generally impact the skin’s pH in a similar way.
What are BHAs?
Beta-hydroxy acids are a mild type of acid found mostly in plants and bark, but occasionally in dairy products as well.
Much like AHAs, BHAs are often used in skin care products, as various acids have amazing skin care benefits. AHAs differ from BHAs in that BHAs are separated by two atoms, whereas AHAs are separated by one.
BHAs are known to help ease breakouts and blemishes, minimize visible signs of aging, like wrinkles and fine lines, as well as exfoliate the skin by removing dead skin cells.
There are several BHAs that are commonly found in skin care products, including:
- Salicylic acid
- Tropic acid
- Trethocanic acid
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that’s found in a variety of foods. It can be used as a dietary supplement and medication, but it’s also used as an active skin care ingredient. With a pH ranging from 4-6, niacinamide has several skin care benefits that make it a go-to.
Some of niacinamide’s benefits include minimizing and tightening the look of pores, correcting the appearance of uneven skin tone, improving the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, increasing skin brightness and strengthening the skin barrier.
How do AHAs/BHAs and niacinamide impact skin pH?
In general, AHAs are more acidic than your skin’s natural pH. AHAs work best when their pH is about 3.8. Similarly, BHAs tend to have an acidic standing pH balance, with members of the group like salicylic acid at a pH of 3.0.
For niacinamide to work most efficiently, it’s important for its pH to rest at about 6.0, though it tends to range from a 4-6. If niacinamide becomes too acidic or too basic, it can damage the integrity of the skin and make your skin care product less effective.
Now, combining AHAs or BHAs with niacinamide can impact the skin’s pH balance in a negative way. Since AHAs and BHAs are more acidic than niacinamide, the ingredients can become ineffective and actually damage the skin. Niacinamide combined with AHAs and BHAs changes the overall pH, which can lead to skin irritation.
Essentially, combining these active ingredients can make the AHAs and BHAs less effective — and, at the same time, can raise the skin’s pH levels and disrupt its natural balance.
How to efficiently use AHAs/BHAs and niacinamide
Just because AHAs/BHAs and niacinamide combined may negatively impact your skin doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice any of the ingredients in your skin care routine. Your routine has room for AHAs, BHAs and niacinamide — you just need to be mindful of how and when you’re using them.
To avoid disrupting your skin’s pH balance, try using AHAs/BHAs and niacinamide on different days. For instance, if you want to use an exfoliator that contains AHAs and BHAs, refrain from using other skin care products that contain niacinamide that day. Instead, alternate the days that you use the ingredients.
If you can’t avoid using AHAs/BHAs and niacinamide in the same skin care routine, try waiting about 30 minutes in between the application of each product. Let the AHAs or BHAs settle into the skin and take their effect before applying niacinamide. You can also opt for a skin care product that carefully combines niacinamide with AHAs and BHAs in a way that’s healthy for your skin’s pH.
Many products, however, contain more than just niacinamide, like our Youth Serum. With a balanced combination of ingredients like peptides and hyaluronic acid, we often recommend using it in the same routine as your AHAs/BHAs because of its hydrating, soothing properties.
Final thoughts...
On their own, niacinamide and AHAs/BHAs have impressive, long-term skin care benefits. Combining the ingredients can alter the skin’s natural pH, so be sure to follow our guide to effectively use these active skin care ingredients and maintain a comfortable pH.
This article was medically reviewed by Chelsie Rogers, PA-C, a board-certified physician assistant with six years of experience in cosmetic dermatology.
Sources:
What Is Your Skin’s pH and Why Does It Matter? | Cleveland Clinic
Dual Effects of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids on the Skin | PMC
Niacinamide - mechanisms of action and its topical use in dermatology | NCBI
