Investigating the effect of the pH of foot care product formulations on pedal skin in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects.

Objective: The use of skin care formulations with acidic pHs is seen as an effective method to maintain the acidic mantel of the skin; however, because the skin pH varies depending on the area of the body and as data are lacking for the skin pH of the feet, there was a need to examine whether this assumption holds true for skin care formulations designed for the foot. Thus, three foot creams formulated with a neutral, acidic or alkaline pH were compared with each other as well as to an untreated control group in order to analyse their impact on skin pH, hydration and general skin condition.

Methods: An exploratory clinical investigation with 60 enrolled subjects, half of whom had a diagnosis of diabetes (type 1 or type 2), was undertaken.