Apple cider vinegar baths: Trendy skincare or playing with fire?

While millennials once sipped apple cider vinegar shots in the morning hoping to boost metabolism and shed pounds, 2025 trends have taken the ingredient to a new level—directly in the bath. Today, people add apple cider vinegar (ACV) to their beauty routines to hydrate skin, calm irritation, exfoliate, and give the body a glow. But does it really work—or has the trend become potentially dangerous?

“Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, which offers antibacterial and exfoliating properties,” explains Dr. Priya Verma, a London-based aesthetic doctor. “Scientifically, it may help restore skin pH and reduce bacterial growth. That’s why people sometimes think vinegar works like a toner or cleanser. But its acidity is much higher and less controlled than specialized skincare products.”

Dermatologist Dr. Anna Karp in New York adds that claims about ACV’s benefits for skin and hair are mostly anecdotal. “People are drawn to it because it’s natural, cheap, and has antimicrobial properties,” she says.

Potential Benefits

• Skin: ACV’s acidity can gently exfoliate dead skin cells and remove excess sebum. Its antibacterial effect may help with certain breakouts, though results vary.

• Hair: Vinegar can dissolve styling product residue and mineral buildup from hard water, leaving hair smoother and shinier. It may also restore scalp microbiome balance and reduce dandruff when used correctly.

Risks of Home Use
“Many of these ‘benefits’ are often exaggerated,” warns Dr. Verma. The main danger lies in uncontrolled acid exposure. TikTok users dilute vinegar in baths or use it as a rinse, but concentrations vary widely. Unlike cosmetic acids, ACV is unstable and its pH fluctuates, which can cause irritation or chemical burns—even at seemingly mild concentrations.

Dermatologists recommend never using ACV undiluted:

• For skin: 1 part vinegar to 3–4 parts water, short contact, then rinse.

• For hair: Diluted rinse after shampooing.

Excessive use can cause chemical burns, dermatitis, dryness, flaking, and brittle hair. People with sensitive skin, eczema, rosacea, or compromised skin barriers should avoid ACV entirely.

Expert Verdict
“The risks outweigh potential benefits. In clinics, we use products with precise pH and stable concentrations. Vinegar baths are neither safe nor effective,” says Dr. Verma. For exfoliation and pH balance, experts recommend proven acids like lactic, glycolic, or mandelic. For the scalp, shampoos containing salicylic, glycolic, or zinc-based formulas are far safer and more effective.

Apple cider vinegar may make for an intriguing beauty experiment, but when it comes to skincare and haircare, tested and safe products remain unmatched.