Products with pH Adjusters & Chelators

The quiet chemistry that keeps a formula working

Two unglamorous jobs sit behind this collection. pH adjusters — citric acid, sodium hydroxide, triethanolamine — hold a formula in the narrow band where its actives stay stable and skin stays comfortable; a vitamin C serum at the wrong pH simply stops performing. Chelators such as disodium EDTA and sodium phytate bind stray metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise oxidize the oils.

They appear in the products where stability matters most: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, Revision C+ Correcting Complex, Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 and Obagi Nu-Gen Cellular Renewal Serum.

Why does the pH of a serum matter to me?

Because it decides whether the active is in the form that works. L-ascorbic acid needs a low pH to stay effective, and exfoliating acids need a controlled one to resurface without over-irritating. That value is locked in at the factory, which is one more reason to buy from an authorized source and store products the way the label says.

How to shop at ELLEMES

Heat and age shift a formula's chemistry. We order direct from each brand and hold stock on site in Sandy Springs, so nothing has spent a summer in a third-party warehouse.

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