When it comes to skincare, most of us focus on ingredients—like vitamin C, shea butter, or essential oils. But there’s another factor quietly shaping the health of your skin every single day: pH level.

Understanding your skin’s natural pH is the key to keeping it balanced, glowing, and resilient.

What Is pH?

pH is a scale (0–14) that measures how acidic or alkaline something is:

• 0–6: acidic

• 7: neutral

• 8–14: alkaline

Healthy human skin is naturally slightly acidic, but here’s the catch: not all areas of your skin have the same pH.

Different Parts of the Skin, Different pH Levels

Your skin is smart and adjusts its acidity depending on the area of your body:

• Face: Usually between 4.5 and 5.5 – The face is more delicate and has a thinner barrier.

• Body: Typically ranges around 5.5 to 6.0 – The skin on your arms, legs, and torso is thicker and can tolerate slightly higher pH without irritation.

• Scalp: Often sits closer to 5.5 – Balanced for both skin and hair health.

This difference is one of the main reasons why a product that works beautifully for your body isn’t always suitable for your face.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Body Products on the Face

Many shoppers ask: “If you make body butter and body scrubs, why can’t I use them on my face?”

Here’s why:

• Texture & intensity – Body scrubs often use coarser grains to exfoliate tougher skin. On the face, this can cause microtears and irritation.

• Richness of oils and butters – Body butters are thicker to deeply nourish body skin, but on the face they may clog pores.

• pH sensitivity – Since facial skin thrives at a slightly lower pH, body products can upset its balance.

What Happens When pH Is Out of Balance?

When skin strays from its ideal range:

• Too alkaline (above 6): dryness, tightness, increased bacteria growth

• Too acidic (below 4): irritation, redness, oiliness, breakouts

Over time, imbalance weakens your skin barrier, making it harder to protect itself.

Everyday Habits That Disrupt pH

• Using harsh cleansers or soaps

• Over-exfoliating

• Taking long, hot showers

• Environmental stressors like pollution or hard water

The pH of Cold Process Soap

One question that comes up often is: “If healthy skin is slightly acidic, why is handmade soap alkaline?”

Here’s the answer:

• Cold process soaps naturally have a pH between 8.5 and 10.

• This alkalinity is a result of the soap-making process (saponification), which uses lye and oils to create real soap.

• Anything lower than 8 isn’t safe—it means the soap hasn’t fully cured.

• Anything higher than 10.5–11 can be too harsh for skin.

Well-made, fully cured soap lands in that safe alkaline range and, thanks to natural oils and butters, cleanses without over-drying. After washing, your skin naturally rebalances its acid mantle within a short period of time.

Customer-friendly takeaway: Cold process soap will never be the same pH as your skin—that’s simply how soap works. The goal isn’t to match skin’s pH, but to create a gentle cleanser that respects the skin barrier while still removing dirt, oil, and bacteria.

How Do Some Companies Make “Facial Soap” Then?

This is another popular question: “If cold process soap is always alkaline, how can some companies claim their bar is safe for the face?”

The answer lies in formulation and additives:

• High superfatting – Extra oils and butters left unsaponified for more moisture.

• Milder oils – Olive oil, avocado oil, or shea butter instead of high-cleansing oils like coconut.

• Additives – Goat’s milk, aloe vera, clays, colloidal oatmeal, or honey to calm and soothe skin.

• No harsh exfoliants – Facial bars avoid large exfoliant particles.

• Testing – Some companies lab-test their bars for mildness, even though the pH is still alkaline.

So, while no true cold process soap can match your skin’s natural pH of 4.5–5.5, carefully formulated versions can feel gentle enough for some people’s facial skin.

If You Use Cold Process Soap on Your Face: What to Do Next

If you do choose to wash your face with cold process soap, you’ll want to help your skin return to its ideal pH range quickly. Here’s a simple after-care routine:

1. Rinse thoroughly – Make sure no soap residue is left behind, as that can increase dryness.

2. Tone with a pH-balancing toner – A gentle, alcohol-free toner (rose water, aloe vera toner, or a mild hydrating mist) helps bring the skin back closer to its natural acidic level.

3. Hydrate – Apply a lightweight serum or essence to replenish water in the skin.

4. Moisturize – Use a non-comedogenic moisturizer suited for the face to lock in hydration and strengthen the barrier.

5. (Optional) – If it’s daytime, always finish with sunscreen.

Think of it this way: The soap does the cleansing job, but your skincare routine afterward restores balance and comfort.

Your skin’s pH may be invisible, but it’s at the center of your skin health. And remember—your face and body are different ecosystems. While body butters and scrubs are crafted for the thicker skin on the body, certain soaps—especially those made with gentler oils and soothing additives—can be mild enough for the face.

At Bencao Herbalist, we formulate our cold process soaps with carefully chosen ingredients so they’re gentle on the skin. Some of our soaps are suitable for both face and body, while others are best enjoyed as nourishing body bars. The difference comes down to ingredients, superfatting, and how mild the bar feels on delicate facial skin.