Stabilized Silver

Silver is a metallic element that occurs naturally in its pure form and as an alloy with other metals. It has the highest electrical conductivity of any element as well as the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. Silver compounds and silver ions have long been used for medical purposes in both ancient and modern medicine, mostly for its antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Though it is not entirely understood how silver preparations are so effective against such a wide variety of pathogens, it is known that one method it imparts anti-microbial activity is from the chemical properties of its ionized form, symbolized in chemistry as Ag+. This ion forms strong molecular bonds with other compounds used in bacterial respiration (such as sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen). The resulting complexes that silver ions form with these molecules renders them useless by bacteria, thus depriving them of the necessary elements they need to thrive.

It is the anti-microbial, especially antibacterial and antifungal, properties of silver that are of considerable use in organic skincare formulations. While products that contain exclusively oils and oil-soluble ingredients can be preserved with natural antioxidants, products that contain oil (such as oil-water emulsions and aqueous serums) need a broad-spectrum preservative that is effective against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as various yeast and fungus. This has been a major hurdle for formulators of natural, and particular organic, products because there are so few natural substances that are well tolerated by the skin but that also form an effective preservation system against a wide spectrum of pathogens that can ruin a product. Stabilized silver, which is a special form of silver that is suspended in a water base that is highly effective at preserving skincare products, fits the profile extremely well, replacing many of the synthetic preservative chemicals used by the vast majority of personal care products on the market today. It is important to note that unlike some forms of colloidal silver taken orally in large doses for extended periods of time, stabilized silver that is used in skincare formulations will not yield a bluish tint regardless of the frequency or duration a product containing it is applied.