Ingredient glossary / pH adjuster
Potassium hydroxide
On the label: Potassium Hydroxide · pH adjuster
What it is
The alkali used to make liquid soap, and to adjust pH in creams.
pH adjusters: pH adjusters set the acidity of the formula so the actives work and the preservatives hold.
Wikidata: Inorganic compound with the formula KOH. Q132298 →
In the research
644 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- A multicentre, national, observational, prospective cohort of children with molluscum contagiosum treated with a topical 5% potassium hydroxide solution · Annales de dermatologie et de venereologie, 2026
- Molecularly confirmed neoscytalidium dimidiatum onychomycosis in an immunocompetent Iranian woman: a case report and comprehensive literature review · IDCases, 2026
- Serum interleukin-17 and immunoglobulin A in patients with dermatophytosis in Basra Governorate, Iraq: a case-control study · Journal de mycologie medicale, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other ph adjusters
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