Abstract
OBJECTIVE: One of the possible causes of skin microbiome imbalance is the use of dermocosmetics with inadequate pH. This study aims to critically evaluate several children's moisturizers regarding their characteristics so that we can verify the tendency of the products available on the market and whether they are slightly acidic. The importance of dermocosmetics formulated without ingredients with allergenic potential is also discussed in this work. METHOD: Observational, analytical, cross-sectional and quantitative study. Several brands of children's moisturizers were selected and divided into two groups: group 1 (G1), with moisturizers focused on the care of children with normal skin; and group 2 (G2), with moisturizers with a therapeutic focus on atopic children. We analyzed the pH of each one of the moisturizers, as well as cost, presence of potentially allergenic components and other data contained in the packaging. RESULTS: The members of G1 had an average pH of 5.81 ± 0.35, while the members of G2 had an average pH of 5.42 ± 0.28, with this difference being considered statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001). G1 differed in terms of cost, which was more affordable for the user, when compared to G2 (p ≤ 0.001), but with a predominance of potential allergens in its composition (p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that all moisturizers analyzed in this study respected the acidic pH; however, the group of moisturizers with a therapeutic focus on atopic children had an even lower pH and lower allergenic potential in their composition compared to the group of moisturizers focused on care of children with normal skin.