German soap maker Sebamed's recent ads targeted rival soap brands such as HUL's Pears, Lux, Dove and Wipro's Santoor, alleging they had pH levels similar to detergent soaps, while its ‘cleansing bar' had a normal 5.5 pH. HUL said dermatologists trusted its brands and got a court injunction barring more attacks from Sebamed. HUL controls over 50 percent of India's $2.9 billion soap market. Sebamed is clearly ambitious. But what is pH? It is an expression of acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a 0 to 14 scale. Less than 7 means acidity, 7 neutrality, and over 7 alkalinity. Higher the pH, harsher the effect on skin's acidity levels. Soap pH above 9 can cause dry skin, irritability etc.