Why Baking Soda Is BAD for Your Skin
While baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is fantastic for baking, cleaning, and deodorizing, it is far too harsh for facial skin. Here is why dermatologists strongly advise against using it:
1. It Destroys Your Skin Barrier
Healthy skin has an acidic pH (around 4.5 to 5.5), known as the acid mantle. Baking soda is highly alkaline, with a pH of around 9. Applying it to your face disrupts your natural pH, stripping away essential protective oils and leaving skin vulnerable to dryness, irritation, and bacteria.
2. It Causes Micro-Tears and Irritation
The rough texture of baking soda acts as a harsh physical scrub. Using it on delicate facial skin—especially around the fragile eye area—can create microscopic tears, severe redness, inflammation, and even chemical burns.
3. It Can Make Dark Spots WORSE
When skin becomes irritated or inflamed from harsh ingredients, it often produces excess melanin in response. This condition, called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, can actually make dark spots and dark circles darker and more noticeable than before.
