5 Key Facts About the pH of Natural Soap (and Why It’s Safe for Daily Use)

1. Natural Soap Is Alkaline (Typically pH 8–10)

Handmade natural soaps - created through the saponification of oils and lye - naturally have a pH between 8 and 10. This alkaline nature gives soap its cleansing power. While this is higher than your skin’s pH, it doesn’t make it harmful—especially when the soap is well-formulated and superfatted (more on that below).

2. Your Skin’s Natural pH Is Acidic (Around 4.5–5.5)

Your skin is protected by the acid mantle, a thin, slightly acidic layer that helps defend against harmful bacteria and moisture loss. Using products with a much higher pH—like traditional soap—can temporarily disrupt this balance, but healthy skin typically rebalances itself quickly after washing.

3. Superfatting Makes Natural Soap Gentle and Moisturizing

Most high-quality natural soaps are superfatted like ours, meaning they contain extra oils (like olive oil, shea butter, or cocoa butter) that are left unconverted during the soap-making process. These excess oils remain in the final bar, helping to moisturize the skin, reduce irritation, and counterbalance the soap’s alkalinity. This makes natural soap suitable for daily use for most skin types.

4. Low-pH Cleansers Are Not Actually Soap

If a product claims to be “soap” with a pH closer to 5.5 (matching skin’s natural pH), it's not real soap - it’s a synthetic detergent, also known as a syndet bar or surfactant-based cleanser. These cleansers are lab-formulated using synthetic ingredients to mimic soap’s cleansing ability but with a lower pH. While they can be a better choice for very sensitive skin or intimate areas, they lack the simplicity and richness of traditional natural soap.

5. Natural Soap Is Safe for Daily Use - With Smart Practices

Thanks to its simple ingredients and the super fatting process, natural soap is gentle enough for most people to use daily. It's especially effective for body cleansing and handwashing, and beyond being gentle, natural soaps can actually nourish your skin.  Because a portion of the rich oils, butters, clays, and mineral salts are left untransformed, your skin gets to soak up their natural goodness with every wash.

Shea and cocoa butter deliver deep, lasting hydration, while clays help draw out impurities without stripping. Mineral salts can lightly exfoliate and replenish trace elements, and plant oils like olive or avocado bring antioxidants and vitamins to support healthy skin. In other words, natural soap isn’t just cleansing - it’s feeding your skin with nature’s own skincare ingredients.

Natural soap has a naturally high pH - but thanks to super fatting, it remains gentle, nourishing, and safe for daily use. Any product claiming to be "soap" with a low pH isn’t technically soap at all - it’s a synthetic detergent. Both have their place, but understanding the difference helps you make better choices for your skin.