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Silver Chloride

What Silver Chloride is & what it does

Silver Chloride is an inorganic salt of silver and chlorine that appears as a white, light-sensitive powder. In skincare and sunscreen formulas it is used mainly as a preservative or stabilizer, often combined with carriers such as titanium dioxide, to help protect the product from microbial growth. One notable property is its low solubility in water, which keeps the silver release slow and controlled.

What does Silver Chloride do in skincare?

Silver Chloride is an inorganic silver salt used mainly as a preservative or stabilizer in cosmetics. It is often combined with carriers such as titanium dioxide to help protect a product from microbial growth. Its low solubility keeps any silver release slow and controlled.

Is Silver Chloride safe?

Silver Chloride is used in cosmetics as a preservative at low levels and is regulated for this purpose in many regions. Its low solubility limits how much silver is available, which supports its use in small amounts. As with any preservative, the finished product is formulated to stay within accepted limits.

Is Silver Chloride natural or synthetic?

Silver Chloride does occur in nature as the mineral chlorargyrite, but the grade used in cosmetics is produced synthetically for purity and consistency. It is an inorganic salt of silver and chlorine. The cosmetic-grade material is essentially the same compound either way.

Sunscreens with Silver Chloride

We rate 33 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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