“pH balanced” sounds important. And it is, but good formulation is about far more than a number.
As a Certified Organic Haircare Formulator, I spend a lot of time thinking about what happens behind an ingredient list: how ingredients work together, how a formula is preserved and, yes, where pH fits into all of it.
There’s a lot of “pH balanced” language in horse + dog grooming. So let’s talk about what that actually means and what it doesn’t.
First: What Is pH?
pH describes how acidic or alkaline an aqueous (or water-containing) environment is.
That matters because skin isn’t simply a covering. It’s a complex barrier, and its surface environment plays a role in normal skin function.
But here’s where the conversation gets more interesting.
You’ll often see very specific numbers online for “the pH of horse skin” or “the pH of dog skin,” followed by the claim that a grooming product should match that exact number.
Real skin isn’t quite that simple.
Research in dogs has found that skin pH can vary with factors including age and anatomical location. Research in horses has also demonstrated natural fluctuations by day and time.
So, Does the pH of Shampoo Matter?
Yes.
For a water-based product like shampoo, pH is one of the things a knowledgeable formulator considers.
But it’s exactly that:
One thing.
Imagine two shampoos sitting next to each other with the exact same finished pH.
One could contain a gentle cleansing system designed to remove dirt and buildup without unnecessarily stripping the coat.
The other could use a very different combination of surfactants and other ingredients.
Same pH. Very different formulas.
That’s why I don’t believe “pH balanced” should be treated as shorthand for gentle, natural, non-drying or well formulated.
You have to look at the whole formula.
What Matters Beyond the Number?
When I formulate a grooming product, I’m thinking about much more than where it lands on the pH scale.
How are we cleansing?
What surfactants are being used, and how do they behave together?
What are we leaving behind?
Are we supporting softness, hydration and manageability or simply removing dirt?
What does each ingredient actually do?
An ingredient isn’t good or bad simply because it’s “natural” or “synthetic.” What matters is why it’s there, how it’s being used and how it functions within the complete formula.
How is the product being preserved?
This one rarely makes it onto the front of a bottle, but it’s incredibly important. Any grooming product containing water needs an appropriate preservation strategy.
And this is another reason formulators can’t simply choose an arbitrary pH because it sounds ideal in a marketing claim.
Good Formulation Is a Balancing Act.
We’re considering the animal’s skin and hair.
We’re considering the cleansing system.
We’re considering ingredient performance.
We’re considering preservation and product safety.
We’re considering stability.
And we’re considering what the product is actually supposed to accomplish.
Formulation is a system, not a single number.
Okay, But What About Oils?
You’ll occasionally see an oil-based grooming product marketed as having a particular pH or being “pH balanced.”
There’s a problem with that.
A truly anhydrous oil does not have a conventional pH to balance.
pH describes hydrogen-ion activity in an aqueous environment. If we’re talking about a truly anhydrous product: one made from oils, esters and other oil-soluble ingredients without a water phase then conventional pH simply isn’t the appropriate measurement.
How I Evaluate an Oil-Based Grooming Product
If I’m looking at an oil-based mane, tail, coat or skin product, I’m asking completely different questions:
Those questions tell me far more about an oil-based grooming product than a pH claim ever could.
What About Horses vs. Dogs?
This is another place where I think we should be careful about oversimplifying.
Horse skin and dog skin aren’t identical, and neither are their coats, grooming routines or environmental exposures.
But saying “dogs have a pH of X” and “horses have a pH of Y” makes biology sound far more fixed than it actually is.
Skin pH varies. Individual animals vary. Body locations vary. Age can matter. Environmental conditions can matter.
And most importantly, pH isn’t the only characteristic that determines whether a grooming product is appropriate for an animal.
That’s why I would much rather evaluate a formula based on what it actually contains and how those ingredients function together.
So What Should You Look For?
The next time you see “pH balanced” on the front of a grooming bottle, you don’t need to dismiss it.
pH matters.
Just don’t stop there.
Turn the bottle around. Look at the ingredients. Ask what is doing the cleansing. Ask what’s providing conditioning. Think about whether the formula makes sense for what you’re trying to accomplish.
And if it’s an oil?
You now know there’s an even better question to ask than “What’s the pH?”
Certified Organic Haircare Formulator