Skin pH

Why Skin pH May Be the Missing Piece in Eczema Care

Eczema is a common skin condition that can cause itching, inflammation, and ongoing discomfort. For many people, it becomes a frustrating cycle — symptoms improve for a short time, then flare-ups come back again.

Many treatments focus on short-term relief, which can leave people feeling stuck. But there may be another important factor that often gets overlooked: skin pH.

Skin pH plays a key role in how well the skin barrier works. When pH levels rise, the skin becomes more vulnerable to dry skin, irritation, and bacteria. Because of this, more attention is now being given to skincare that helps maintain a healthy pH as part of long-term eczema care.

For many people, eczema is more than a minor skin issue. What may start as a small rash can turn into ongoing irritation that affects sleep, mood, and daily life. Flare-ups that keep coming back can feel exhausting and hard to manage.

Eczema affects millions of people worldwide. About 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 5 children experience atopic dermatitis.

The Overlooked Role of Skin pH in Eczema

As Dr. Daniel Butler, a board-certified dermatologist, points out, Healthy skin has a slightly acidic surface, often called the acid mantle, with a pH range of about 4.5 to 4.9.”

This natural acidity helps:

● Support the skin barrier

● Control enzyme activity

● Support beneficial bacteria

● Protect against irritation

When this balance is disrupted, the skin becomes more fragile and reactive.

How Higher Skin pH Affects the Skin

Research shows that people with eczema often have higher (more alkaline) skin pH.

This can lead to several problems:

● Harmful bacteria, like Staphylococcus aureus, can grow more easily

● The skin produces fewer ceramides (fats that help hold skin together)

● Moisture escapes more quickly

● Irritants can enter the skin more easily

As a result, the skin becomes dry, irritated, and itchy. This can keep the cycle of flare-ups going.

Higher pH levels may also increase signals that trigger itching, making symptoms harder to control.

Dr. Rafal Pielak’s Research on Skin pH and Eczema

Interest in skin pH has grown through the work of Dr. Rafal Pielak, a biomedical scientist trained at Harvard Medical School.

His research began on a personal level. He was trying to help his wife manage severe eczema that kept coming back, even after trying multiple treatments.

This led him to take a closer look at how skin pH affects the skin barrier.

Many Eczema Products May Disrupt Skin pH

One important insight was that many skincare products are not designed to match the skin’s natural acidic pH.

Some treatments focus mainly on reducing inflammation, but may not address the underlying imbalance in the skin.

This raised an important question:

Could restoring the skin’s natural pH help support the barrier and reduce flare-ups over time?

Restoring Skin pH to Support the Skin Barrier

To explore this, Dr. Pielak developed a formula designed to help bring the skin back to its natural pH range.

This included:

● Carefully selected acidic ingredients

● Controlled concentrations

● Buffering agents to help maintain pH over time

This work led to the development of Soteri Skin — a skincare line focused on supporting the skin barrier through pH balance.

Clinical Results of Soteri Skin’s pH - Correcting Eczema Cream

In a clinical study involving people with eczema-prone skin, many participants showed improvement in symptoms like dryness, irritation, and visible flare-ups.

With consistent use, users reported more comfortable and stable skin over time.

Clinical Results can vary depending on individual skin type and condition.

Why Dermatologists Are Paying More Attention to Skin pH?

There is increasing interest among dermatologists in skin pH.

According to Dr. Peter Lio, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, skin acidity plays an essential role in maintaining the skin’s ecosystem.

“Reduced skin acidity can affect many things at once,” says Dr. Lio. “Infections may increase, enzymes needed to keep the skin’s protective barrier functioning normally can be affected, and inflammation and itching may become more likely.”

Dr. JiaDe Yu, a dual board-certified adult and pediatric dermatologist and Chair of Dermatology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, believes thatapproaches focused on balancing skin pH are an important direction in eczema care.

“Soteri Skin is designed to help return the skin’s pH to a healthier level,” says Dr. Yu “What makes this approach especially interesting is the potential for non-steroidal, non-invasive support for eczema-prone skin.”

A Shift Toward Barrier and pH-Focused Care

Moisturizing is still important. But many experts now believe that moisture alone is not enough. Healthy skin depends on:

● A strong skin barrier

● Balanced pH

● Consistent daily care

This shift is helping people move away from short-term fixes and toward long-term skin support.

The Future of Eczema Care

As research continues, more skincare approaches are focusing on the connection between skin barrier health and pH balance.

This may help people manage eczema in a more consistent and gentle way, without relying only on temporary relief.

For many people, the goal isn’t just to calm symptoms for a few days; it’s to reduce flare-ups and keep skin comfortable over time.