Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Sweat and sebum hold the skin near a pH of five across most of the body. The figure is taken from NIEHS, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a human body fact?

Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Skin surface is slightly acidic and hostile to microbes

Sweat and sebum hold the skin near a pH of five across most of the body Glands release lactic acid, free fatty acids and other compounds that keep the skin surface mildly acidic. This acid mantle slows the growth of many bacteria and fungi while tolerating resident species. Washing with strong soaps temporarily raises the pH before it drifts back down. It sits in Mondo's human body collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NIEHS

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Science trivia

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Tags: skin, ph, microbes

Skin surface is slightly acidic and hostile to microbes: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Sweat and sebum hold the skin near a pH of five across most of the body. The figure is taken from NIEHS, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a human body fact?: Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.