11 Gentle pH-Balancing Cleansers You Need for Your Best Skin Yet

Not to get all science-y on you, but it's really important to understand how the pH of your skin can affect the way it looks and feels. In short, pH refers to acidity levels. It ranges from 1 to 14, with seven being considered neutral; everything below seven is acidic, while everything above seven is basic. You'd think that seven would be perfect for your skin — but in all reality, the Journal of Cosmetic Science reports than a pH level of just below five is ideal for the skin.

There are plenty of various factors that can affect the pH of your skin including air pollution, sweat, specific soaps or detergents, sun, and cleansing too much (among others). While you can actually buy beauty tools that measure the pH levels of your skin, it's usually easiest and more time- and cost-effective to observe your skin to see where it lies on the pH scale. Things like redness, breakouts, or irritation can all be signs that your skin's pH is off.

In order to keep your skin's pH nicely balanced, it's important to find the right products. Below, we've gathered some of our favorite pH-balancing cleansers that can help keep your skin happy, healthy and clear.

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