What is baking soda in skincare?
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a fine alkaline powder used in cooking, cleaning and antacids. Its skincare appeal comes from two properties: it is mildly abrasive, and it neutralises acid.
The second is the problem. Baking soda has a pH around 9, while healthy skin sits at roughly pH 4.7 to 5.75. That acidity is not incidental – it keeps barrier-repair enzymes working, holds the microbiome in balance and keeps pathogens out.
What skin concerns does baking soda treat?
It is used in home remedies as a scrub, a spot treatment and an exfoliant, and it does physically slough off surface cells while temporarily absorbing oil.
The cost outweighs it. Applying an alkaline powder strips the acid mantle, and research on cleansing consistently shows alkaline products impair barrier function and slow its recovery. The usual outcome is tightness, redness, rebound oil and more breakouts – the opposite of what it was used for.
What ingredients are best paired with baking soda?
Nothing, on the face. Its one defensible skincare use is neutralising an overly acidic DIY mixture before it touches skin, and even that is a reason to buy a properly formulated product instead.
For gentle exfoliation use lactic acid or a PHA; for oil and congestion use salicylic acid or clay; for blemishes use benzoyl peroxide or azelaic acid. All work with the skin’s pH rather than against it. Take our Skin Quiz.
What is dullness?
Healthy skin reflects light evenly, which is what reads as bright and glowing. Dull skin does the opposite – it looks flat, ashy, grey or sallow, and makeup tends to sit on top of it rather than blend in.
Dullness is not a condition in itself but a visible symptom: a build-up of dead cells, dehydration and reduced microcirculation that together stop light bouncing cleanly off the skin’s surface.
What causes dull skin?
Dead skin cells that do not shed naturally accumulate on the surface and scatter light unevenly. Dehydration flattens those cells so they no longer sit plump against one another, and overly dry skin can damage the follicles and slow the production of collagen and sebum – all of which make the complexion look duller or ashier.
Lifestyle and environment do the rest. Sun exposure, pollution, smoking, alcohol, broken sleep and stress all accelerate free-radical damage, while cell turnover naturally slows with age, so skin loses the reflectivity it had in your twenties.
What ingredients are best for dullness?
Brightening dull skin comes down to three things: gentle exfoliation, consistent hydration and antioxidant protection. Vitamin C, alpha-hydroxy acids such as glycolic and lactic acid, salicylic acid, retinol and vitamin A, niacinamide, green tea extract, coenzyme Q10 and rosehip oil all help resurface, even out tone and defend against free radicals.
Hyaluronic acid and hydrolysed collagen plump the skin so it reflects more light, and daily broad-spectrum sunscreen prevents the UV damage that dulls the complexion in the first place. Take our Skin Quiz to find the exact combination your skin needs.
