Skip to main content
TREAT YOURSELF—FREE SHIPPING ON ALL POOSH DOMESTIC ORDERS. SHOP NOW.
  • HEALTH + WELLNESS
  • LIFE + STYLE
  • HOME + ENTERTAINING
  • KOURTNEY
Poosh
By Kourtney Kardashian Barker
  • instagram pinterest facebook twitter youtube join newsletter
  • Shop
  • search
  • search
  • body
  • diy
  • fitness
  • Giving Back
  • health
  • mind
  • Relationships
  • Sexual Wellness
  • soul
How Your Gut Health Affects Your Mind, Body, and Beauty
How Your Gut Health Affects Your Mind, Body, and Beauty
Can Your Relationship Be Your Biggest Tool for Manifestation?
Can Your Relationship Be Your Biggest Tool for Manifestation?
Life Hacks to Feel More Positive
Life Hacks to Feel More Positive
The Exercise Plan That Actually Gets Your Mood Swings
The Exercise Plan That Actually Gets Your Mood Swings
5 Must-Do Stretches After a Long Day of Travel
5 Must-Do Stretches After a Long Day of Travel
How To Hack Your Vagus Nerve To Shut Down Inflammation Like a Pro
How To Hack Your Vagus Nerve To Shut Down Inflammation Like a Pro
  • Adulting
  • beauty
  • guides
  • Hacks
  • style
  • travel
4 Summer Morning Hacks We Swear By
4 Summer Morning Hacks We Swear By
What Even Is a Hobby in 2025? The Poosh Team Weighs In
What Even Is a Hobby in 2025? The Poosh Team Weighs In
Poosh Guides: Our Summer Essentials Checklist
Poosh Guides: Our Summer Essentials Checklist
The Classic Shoes We’re Wearing With Everything This Summer
The Classic Shoes We’re Wearing With Everything This Summer
The Poosh-Approved Instacart Snack Haul
The Poosh-Approved Instacart Snack Haul
Could Bare Minimum Mondays Help With Burnout?
Could Bare Minimum Mondays Help With Burnout?
  • decor
  • entertaining
  • kids
  • motherhood
  • Playlists
  • recipes
Coconut Matcha Cloud Drink
Coconut Matcha Cloud Drink
Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad: A Fresh Take for the Fourth
Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad: A Fresh Take for the Fourth
The Lettuce-Free Salad We’ll Be Making All Summer Long
The Lettuce-Free Salad We’ll Be Making All Summer Long
Strawberry Mango Probiotic Popsicles
Strawberry Mango Probiotic Popsicles
Your New Go-To Summer Roll
Your New Go-To Summer Roll
Pamela Anderson’s Herby French Potato Salad
Pamela Anderson’s Herby French Potato Salad
  • family
  • kourtney
5 (More) Life Lessons From Kourtney
5 (More) Life Lessons From Kourtney
Part One: Life Lessons from Kourtney
Part One: Life Lessons from Kourtney
What Kris Jenner Is Reading Right Now
What Kris Jenner Is Reading Right Now
Kourtney’s Birthday Sale Is Here!
Kourtney’s Birthday Sale Is Here!
What Khloé Kardashian Is Reading Right Now
What Khloé Kardashian Is Reading Right Now
Inspired by Kim Kardashian: 3 Total-Body Gym Moves
Inspired by Kim Kardashian: 3 Total-Body Gym Moves

Menu

  • Shop
  • HEALTH + WELLNESS
    • body
    • diy
    • fitness
    • Giving Back
    • health
    • mind
    • Relationships
    • Sexual Wellness
    • soul
  • HOME + ENTERTAINING
    • decor
    • entertaining
    • kids
    • motherhood
    • Playlists
    • recipes
  • KOURTNEY
    • family
    • kourtney
  • LIFE + STYLE
    • Adulting
    • beauty
    • guides
    • Hacks
    • style
    • travel
  • About
  • Newsletter
instagram pinterest facebook twitter youtube join newsletter
beauty

ACID MANTLE RESET: Why I Needed it and You May Too

By Sarah Howard
share on pinterest share on facebook share on twitter Share on Flipboard share by email
 Photo credit @sarahrhoward
@sarahrhoward

As I’ve said before, my teen years were spent doing my best to annihilate any and all traces of acne. I used products full of chemicals and harsh ingredients that stripped my skin of its natural oil. In short, I ruined my skin’s acid mantle, and as an adult, I’m paying the price.

Quick recap of the acid mantle (just in case we weren’t paying attention in chemistry class): ”The acid mantle is a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of human skin acting as a barrier to bacteria, viruses, and other potential contaminants that might penetrate the skin.” – Wikipedia. In short, oil—or sebum—mixed with sweat creates the acid mantle. I like to think of it as my skin’s armor, protecting it from battle. “Since blood is slightly alkaline (7.4), pathogenic bacteria that become adapted to the pH (potential of hydrogen) of the skin and are able to reach internal tissues will encounter an environment to which they are less well adapted. This combination of acidic exterior and alkaline interior is one of the body’s non-specific host defenses against bacterial pathogens.” – Wikipedia

As a teenager, I had very oily skin, and I remember my dermatologist telling me that I’d “grow out of it.” My mom would say, “This means you won’t get wrinkles.” I never really grew out of breaking out, although I did find ways to temper the oiliness. And while oily skin can help in preventing fine lines because of the added hydration, the truth is that every human being gets wrinkles: it’s part of life, and it means that we’ve been blessed to live long enough to show our age on our skin.

But I digress. Back to the acid mantle: so things like swiping pure alcohol onto my face and using acid washes and skipping moisturizer altogether have left my face extremely sensitized. While sensitized skin is not the same as sensitive skin, they share common traits, like irritation triggered by ingredients and diet. As “they” say, ”hindsight is 20/20.” If I knew then what I know now, I would have been kinder to my skin—and my acne. But at least I can work toward repairing it. 

First step is regulating the skin’s pH balance. Water is neutral with a pH of 7, so anything below that is considered acidic and anything above is considered alkaline. The ideal pH for skin varies depending on who you ask, but a safe spectrum is between 4.7 and 5.7. While we’re always looking to alkalize our internal body, we actually want our skin to be mildly acidic to protect it against bacteria and environmental stressors, but keep healthy flora. Overly acidic skin causes inflammation—think acne and eczema—while alkaline skin can cause a host of other issues like yeast and bacterial infections. Balancing the pH is certainly a balancing act, and while diet and lifestyle play a crucial role, so too do the products we use on our face.

So when we’re trying to sort out skin issues, it’s imperative to look at the pH balance of our skin and, in turn, to make sure that our acid mantle is getting the ingredients it needs to flourish. Essential fatty acids (EFAs), full of omega-3s (aka alpha-linoleic acid) and omega-6s (aka linoleic acid), are ideal for a healthy acid mantle. (Omega-9s, aka oleic acid, are also important for the health of our skin. Our bodies produce omega-9 but don’t produce omega-3 and omega-6, so we must get these EFAs through diet and topical application.) Ingestible solutions are foods like salmon, nuts, seeds, and grains, but topically we can find EFAs in ingredients like avocado oil, flaxseed oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil, to name a few. Other ingredients that help to repair the acid mantle are ceramides, peptides, and moisture powerhouses like hyaluronic acid. Steer clear of pH disruptors like exfoliation.

Of course, this means not fearing applying oil to our skin, which, for us acne-prone folk, can certainly feel counterintuitive. But I’m here to tell you, I’ve tried it the other way—entirely stripping my skin of oil—and it really did affect my texture, tone, and hydration. Not to mention removing oil from my skin is how I damaged my acid mantle in the first place. And now I’m doing reparative catch-up. I am incredibly discerning on what oils I will apply to my skin, because, let’s face it, I am still acne-prone, and not every oil is meant for me. But these products have really helped to repair my skin, making it look plumper, feel more hydrated, and have an overall healthy glow that I thought I’d lost in my teens. 

Sidenote: when my skin is going through a hyper-sensitized moment (dry patches, redness, rash-like pimples), I immediately stop all masking and exfoliating and turn to my trusted good-for-you ingredient-rich skincare products, making sure to keep my routine SIMPLE. Cleanse, moisturize, SPF. 

Poosh x Alkaglam Carbon Purifying Mist $95

Poosh x Alkaglam

Carbon Purifying Mist $95
Shop Now Shop Now Arrow Icon

This exclusive collab is the winner of Project Poosh. It uses patented tech to turn distilled water into a concentrated face mist with soothing, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory minerals. It’s so gentle, I can use it twice a day—I do it after cleansing but before my other products, and not only does it help balance skin’s pH, it also makes my serums and creams more effectively hydrating. Just add distilled water to the refillable bottle, wait 20 seconds, and spritz. (P.S. A single bottle can last for up to a year.)

Dr. Elsa Jungman Begin Again Gentle Cleanser $40

Dr. Elsa Jungman

Begin Again Cleanser $40
Shop Now Shop Now Arrow Icon

The only cleansing oil I let touch my face: it’s made with four simple and clean microbiome-friendly ingredients, free of fragrance and essential oils (a big non-no for my sensitized skin). I use this as my first cleanse, especially when I’m wearing makeup, as it’s a gentle and effective makeup remover.

Tahnyc Gentle Everyday Cleanser $21

Tahnyc

Gentle Everyday Cleanser $21
Shop Now Shop Now Arrow Icon

Gentle truly is the operative word here. This cleanser is also free of fragrance and essential oils, and aids in restoring harmony to the skin’s pH. It’s a foaming wash, but it won’t upset the acid mantle. I like to use this as my second cleanse, after the oil cleanser.

Tahnyc Niacinamide 5% + Peptides for Antiaging $36

Tahnyc

Niacinimade 5% + Peptides for Anti-Aging $36
Shop Now Shop Now Arrow Icon

I’ll add three or four drops to my serum or moisturizer as a health anti-aging booster of sorts. Again, no fragrance or essential oils and zero irritation. 

Furtuna Skin Porte Per La Vitalità Face and Eyes Serum $98

Furtuna Skin

Porte Per La Vitalità Face and Eyes Serum $105
Shop Now Shop Now Arrow Icon

This is my current go-to serum that offers my skin delicious, reparative ingredients like olive oil (omega-3s), hyaluronic acid, and wild organic chicory (peptides). I’ve been using this serum for six weeks, long enough to notice an intense glow with zero breakouts. It’s a true unicorn product—and it doubles as an eye serum (my eye repair of choice!).

Furtuna Skin Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil $128

Furtuna Skin

Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil $225
Shop Now Shop Now Arrow Icon

In total transparency, since I’ve been working to repair my acid mantle, a lot of my skin’s natural oils have come back (YAY!), so I’m once again on the oilier side of the skincare spectrum. But for dry patches or certain times of the month (hello, hormones) that seem to make my skin freak out, I use four to five drops of this highly concentrated face oil and pat it onto my skin, neck, and décolletage and … wow, my skin instantly plumps and brightens—so much so that people actually notice and say “Did you just get a facial?” I’ve only stuck with a handful of face oils in the past, but most of the formulas contained essential oils and filler ingredients that ended up tearing down my acid mantle instead of repairing it, so I’d end up tossing them, breaking out, and cursing my skin. (I’m sorry, skin! It was me, not you.) I can say with complete certainty that this face oil is a Holy Grail product for anyone looking to reset their skin. 

EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 $37

EltaMD

UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 $37
Shop Now Shop Now Arrow Icon

The only SPF I use. Period. 

And that’s all. Simple, clean, effective. Obviously, find the products that work for you and the ingredients that will make your skin healthy and happy. I’m not a doctor, just a skincare enthusiast with a propensity to break out, but I always suggest seeing your dermatologist before trying a new skincare routine. 

The content provided in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice and consultation, including professional medical advice and consultation; it is provided with the understanding that Poosh, LLC (“Poosh”) is not engaged in the provision or rendering of medical advice or services. You understand and agree that Poosh shall not be liable for any claim, loss, or damage arising out of the use of, or reliance upon any content or information in the article.

Up next, be the first to know our weekly content and sign up for our Poosh newsletter.

Related Articles

Goes to article The Busy Girl-Approved SPF Duo
beauty

The Busy Girl-Approved SPF Duo

Goes to article All-Natural Secrets For Shiny Hair
beauty

All-Natural Secrets For Shiny Hair

Goes to article Meet Your Summer Curly Hair MVP
beauty

Meet Your Summer Curly Hair MVP

Goes to article Why You Should Consider a High Tech Facial
beauty

Why You Should Consider a High Tech Facial

Goes to article Why You Should Try An Oil Cleanser—No Matter Your Skin Type
beauty

Why You Should Try An Oil Cleanser—No Matter Your Skin Type

Goes to article I Tried the Viral Peel-Off Lip Liner—Here Are My Honest Thoughts
beauty

I Tried the Viral Peel-Off Lip Liner—Here Are My Honest Thoughts

Goes to article Collagen 101
beauty

Collagen 101

Goes to article This Eye Mask Makes me Look Like I’m not Extremely Tired All the Time
beauty

This Eye Mask Makes me Look Like I’m not Extremely Tired All the Time

  • About
  • Contact
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • California Privacy Rights
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Accessibility

Keep in Touch

instagram pinterest facebook twitter youtube join newsletter
Reviewed by Allyant for Accessibility
  • © poosh, llc
    All Rights Reserved