Consumers are more and more aware of not only what products are made from, but also how they are made. This is great news! The beauty industry has quite a habit of hand-waving about this or that 'technology'. Smart consumers can avoid being misled.
Here's the straight scoop on our silver soap.
First off, silver isn't a truly sustainable ingredient — there's no two ways about that. Any company claiming otherwise is simply dishonest.
But, in making or using a product that includes silver, you still have many other choices to make that affect the environment, for better or worse. We always shoot for "better."
Here are five important ways COR strives to have the best impact possible on the environment. It's a bit science-y, and we love that; solid science (not made-up 'face technology' jibber-jabber) is behind every decision about our products, ingredients, and formulation. So, grab your coffee and let's chat about COR's eco-friendly beauty.
Palm oil is widely used in soaps and other cleansing and beauty products. Problem is, it's generally terrible for the environment, because tropical forests are being stripped and replaced by palm plantations at an alarming rate.
It can be sustainably grown and harvested, but most of the time it isn't, because that would cost more. And cheap beauty products tend to choose the cheaper palm oil.
We just don't use palm oil at all. No need to worry about where it comes from.
These are ingredients that have bad side-effects on water systems and any marine life that gets exposed to large concentrations.
Most skincare companies have eliminated triclosan, or are working to do that.
Parabens are sadly still pretty common in moisturizers.
COR doesn't contain either ingredient, and never has, and never will.
It wasn't long ago that many companies were putting 'scrubbing microbeads' in facial cleansers. Those plastics wind up in the water supply.
COR never has. We get plenty of gentle skin-clearing power from our natural ingredients including chitosan, a natural fiber.
This point gets at the "how" of making colloidal silver soap, rather than the "what" is in it.
To make silver soap, you need pure silver (okay, that seems obvious!). One of the cheaper ways to extract pure silver from ore is by using chemicals.
A "surfactant" is a chemical compound that helps separate one substance from another, in this case separating out the silver from whatever it's mixed with. The problem is that companies have to manufacture this unnatural chemical surfactant, which is then also an environmentally unfriendly byproduct of your silver processing.
Many colloidal silver products use this chemical process, but COR does not.
Electrolytic refining is the only method used to refine silver for COR. Electrolytic refining runs an electric current through a silver-containing solution to extract just the silver. This method is more energy-efficient than traditional metal smelting processes, and it also does not use any chemicals.
The ingredient lists on your soaps aren't going to reveal which companies use chemical extraction. However, here's how you can tell: Those silver soaps are opaque — meaning you can't see light through the product.
COR is translucent; hold it in front of a light, and you will see the light through the soap. There's no light-blocking residue from chemical extraction, because we don't use it.
Moisturizers, gels, creams, lotions, shampoos - the first ingredient in SO many beauty and skincare products is water. It's wasteful.
Putting lots of water into a product, and then shipping it to where the product will be sold and used, is expensive and NOT eco-friendly. Beauty products that include water take up more space, use more packaging, and burn more fuel in the shipping process.
That's why high-efficiency laundry detergent has become popular and important, for example. Less water in the product means less waste and environmental damage.
A huge reason why COR Silver Soap is so efficient is that we use very little water in making the product. Not only that, but the soap gets "cured" or dried before packaging. You might even say COR is not a soap, but a dehydrated foaming cleanser. (We have gone back and forth about calling it "soap" for years!)
The small amount of water you need for each daily use comes from your tap. No wasteful shipping or plastic packaging involved.
About the author: Jennifer McKinley created COR in 2008 to revitalize her own sun-damaged and breakout-prone skin.
Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for healthy skin tips, honest views about the beauty industry, and more!
]]>You'll see the word noncomedogenic on lots of makeup and skincare product labels these days. What does it mean?
Noncomedogenic refers to products that don't block the pores of your skin.
A 'comedo' is a type of blemish resulting from a blocked pore – according to the American Academy of Dermatologists, a comedo is a very mild form of acne. So that's how we get to the word 'noncomedogenic'.
So far, so simple, right? What's not so simple is that the use of this term is not regulated by the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) or anyone else in the U.S. There are no specific requirements that a product has to meet in order to be labeled as noncomedogenic.
For most cosmetics and skincare products, the word indicates that the product does not include oil. Your skin already produces oil on its own – sebum is the name of an oil naturally produced by our sebaceous glands – and it's good for your skin. However, excessive oil blocking pores is one of the main contributors to blemishes and acne.
Is it important and valuable for a skin product to not block up your pores? Yes, of course.
But is the term noncomedogenic any sort of guarantee? No, unfortunately it is not. Especially if your skin is prone to acne or other breakouts, it's worth checking the ingredients list of any product you're going to use on your face.
In addition to oils, WebMD.com has a list of other ingredients that DO have a tendency to block skin pores – so these are ingredients to avoid:
- isopropyl palmitate
- isopropyl myristate
- butyl stearate
- isopropyl isostearate
- decyl oleate
- isostearyl neopentanoate
- isocetyl stearate
- myristle myristate
- cocoa butter
- acetylated lanolin
- and D & C red dyes
We guess those ingredients are "comedogenic"!
(WebMD articles are formally reviewed by doctors for accuracy.)
According to that WebMD piece, people with acne-prone skin sometimes avoid using moisturizers, because they are worried about making their breakouts worse.
But acne treatments that use benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid (which is most of them) really dry out your skin. We know this from personal experience! So a noncomedogenic moisturizer can really make a huge difference in keeping your skin healthy and looking fresh.
Since any product can label itself "noncomedogenic", we'll just describe how we chose COR's moisturizing ingredients — COR Silver Soap was created to help our founder Jennifer McKinley deal with this exact problem of cleaning and moisturizing her own breakout-prone skin.
First of all, COR includes hyaluronic acid, which draws and holds moisture in the skin. (It's quite different from salicylic acid, a harsh acid that other products use for dissolving dead cells and pore blockages.) Hyaluronic acid is highly noncomedogenic.
COR also taps into the moisturizing power of natural high-quality oils including olive, avocado, and grape seed, all delivered in nanoparticle size. There's a common misconception that all oils are bad for the complexion — in fact, your face naturally produces oil to protect itself from the environment. As we noted up top, this isn't bad. It only becomes bad when excess oil blocks pores; it's the blockage that causes breakouts, not the oil itself. COR's nanoparticles are smaller than skin pores, so the moisturizing and hydrating ingredients can go deep into the skin WITHOUT causing blockages.
So, TLDR: Yes, a well-formulated product can moisturize facial skin, without plugging pores and increasing breakouts. (If you haven't already, try COR and see for yourself!)
About the author: Jennifer McKinley founded COR Silver Skincare more than 15 years ago.
Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for more skincare tips!
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Take a look through your cosmetics and ruthlessly chuck out anything that's past its prime.
Old makeup runs the risk of contamination. If it's really old, you probably aren't using it that often anyway, but as cosmetic products age they can transfer yucky stuff to your skin.
To clear up a misconception: Bacteria aren't the problem here. The real enemy is mold and fungus, according to Dr. Louise Hidinger.
Via email, she explains for us what happens as cosmetic products age:
Bacteria gets into cosmetics and skincare products as soon as the container is opened and the product comes in contact with skin (e.g. when using fingers to scoop cream out of a jar). This is because all people have bacteria residing on their skin. The more important concern is actually fungal contamination, not bacterial contamination. Certain funguses and molds can infect the skin, which presents a risk to people with compromised skin or a weakened immune system. If a cosmetic product gets moldy, it’s time to throw it away.
Packaging can make a big difference here. Dr. Hidinger also says:
Contamination can be reduced by having the product in a pump container that excludes air and water. However, this type of packaging is not always possible, as it depends on the type of formulation, as well as the cost of the packaging itself.
In our view, getting rid of older products may have a sneaky side benefit. Nobody likes to waste, and so you may find you want to simplify your beauty routine, buying and using fewer products overall – as we pointed out in another skincare tip, that can have a positive impact all by itself.
About the author: COR Silver founder Jennifer McKinley has worked in the skincare industry for many years, and created COR to help combat her own skin challenges.
Skip the beauty industry hype — follow us on TikTok and Instagram for simple tips and common sense ideas for keeping your face fresh.
]]>A clean bed helps you wake up with a clean face.
If you get as much sleep as you need, which was Healthy Skin Tip #2, then you're spending at least seven hours each night with your face on that pillow. And even if you wash your face before going to bed (and you should – gently, always gently!) your pillowcase will slowly pick up oil, sweat, bacteria and dead cells from your skin, as well as dirt and dust and maybe allergens from the air.
Sleep clean! Change your pillowcase for a clean one every two to three days.
There's plenty of debate about whether a silk pillowcase is better for your complexion, versus sleeping on cotton. Is there a definitive, scientifically proven answer? Maybe not so much, says this article from the New York Times.
The Times ends up concluding with the same point of this healthy skin tip: Cleanliness is better than silkiness. Keeping your pillowcase and sheets washed matters more than the material itself.
At any rate, you can get a silk pillowcase on sale on Amazon for about $10. If you owe yourself a present, splurge and buy one (or a few). Silk and satin require more delicate care than cotton, but they are gentle fabrics that are comfy to sleep on.
Hey you! Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for more healthy skin tips!
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Though it seems like each product focuses on a specific function, doctors and dermatologists agree that less is actually more.
For one thing, lots of very specific products don't deliver huge benefits. And for another, using more and more products just raises your chances of allergic reactions, over-exfoliated skin, and mystery ingredients. This can lead to redness, itching, bumpy skin and breakouts — exactly the things you're trying to get rid of in the first place!
So here's the tip: Cut back on product overload. Professionals in this article (and many others) all recommend keeping it simple. Focus your routine on cleansing, moisturizing, hydrating, and adding vitamins with just one or two products.
And here's another tip that you can combine with the first: Try going a week (or more!) with no makeup. Skipping the concealers, foundations et cetera gives your delicate facial skin a chance to rebound and repair. People who try this almost always report great results.
We're also very proud that our customers say COR Silver Soap can serve many functions, replacing a lot of products with just one. In addition to cleaning and moisturizing your face, it's a gentle and effective makeup remover, and it's all we use for exfoliation.
Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for more healthy skin tips!
]]>Time for a little skin science: Stress causes your body to release larger amounts of certain chemicals, including cortisol, adrenaline and DHEA (which is made by your adrenal glands, and which your body then converts into estrogen or testosterone).
These chemicals are not inherently bad – you'll even find DHEA sometimes called "the youth hormone." However! As with many natural body processes, too much is not a good thing. Elevated levels have some negative effects. For example, your immune system and anti-inflammatory abilities — two things your skin relies on to fight bacteria, acne, and other bad effects — are both lowered by high levels of cortisol. These chemicals can also kick your sebaceous glands into high gear, resulting in overly oily skin.
Personally, we like yoga. Yoga has been proven effective in lowering stress and anxiety.
But there are many known ways to help lower your stress level. And they're all good!
But as with almost any good thing, you can get too much sunshine. And that's not good for your skin. Here are five tips to minimize sun damage and keep your face healthy and happy.
]]>Sunshine is awesome – it lightens the mood and, in moderation, helps your body produce vitamin D.
But as with almost any good thing, you can get too much sunshine. And that's not good for your skin.
UV rays from the sun are a form of radiation. Sunburn is the thing that should give us a clear sign our skin doesn't handle overexposure very well. But smaller amounts of UV exposure over the long-term also add up. UV radiation weakens the skin's immune system, which can contribute to the development of melanoma and other types of skin cancer.
And in terms of appearance, UV rays gradually damage the elastin and collagen in our skin. Healthy elastin fibers provide skin with both its firmness and its ability to stretch. More sun equals more wrinkles and fine lines.
A research study of identical twins found that sun exposure was the number one factor that made one twin look older than the other!
- Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen. An SPF rating of 15 or higher is what the U.S. FDA recommends. (Broad-spectrum protects against both UVA and UVB rays.) Lip balm with SPF protection is also important.
- Avoid the direct mid-day sun, when it's at its strongest.
- Be aware that winter sun is just as damaging as summer sun.
- Of course wearing a hat with a brim can help shield your face as well.
- Antioxidants help your skin protect itself. Both eating antioxidant-rich foods (here's a good list) and using topical antioxidants (we put them in COR skincare products) are valuable.
Jen McKinley created COR in 2008 to revitalize her sun-damaged and breakout-prone skin.
]]>We've all heard the expression about "getting your beauty rest" – well, it's true! Getting the right amount of sleep can make a huge difference in keeping your skin healthy (along with the rest of your mind and body).
When you sleep, your body can spend more of its energy on replenishing skin cells and producing important things like human growth hormone and collagen.
This is why babies and teenagers sleep so much – their bodies are busy growing. But long after the teen years, we all still need good healthy sleep!
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens (age 10 to 17) need at least 8 1/2 hours every night, and sometimes more, depending on lots of factors such as their activity.
Adults need between seven and nine hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep per night.
Block out light and noise as much as you can. Your body has a normal rhythm of sleeping and waking (the 'circadian rhythm') and too much light or noise can throw you off. Ideas: sleep mask, ear plugs, dark curtains, white noise - even if it's just a small fan that produces a low, steady sound to help block out interruptive noises.
Invest in a good mattress and pillow. Fresh clean bedding also helps keep your skin free of germs or oils, so there's a second benefit in addition to better sleep.
Make a regular bedtime. When it comes to sleep, routine is helpful.
Wind down and unplug before bed. Experts recommend avoiding electronics (tv, phone, et cetera) for the last hour before bedtime. Nicotine or alcohol may feel like part of 'winding down' for some folks, but doctors say both those things actually lower sleep quality. Ideas: read a book, use a meditation app, stretch, take a warm shower.
Follow us on Instagram to stay on top of all our practical skincare advice.
Jen McKinley created COR in 2008 to revitalize her sun-damaged and breakout-prone skin.
]]>Here's an oh-so-simple tip to help you put your best face forward:
Clean your face with a cleanser that's actually made for your face! Facial skin is more delicate than the skin on most of your body. It's also most consistently subjected to sun and wind that can cause damage over time. And of course your face does a lot of smiling, laughing, crying, talking — a lot of good expressive 'exercise' that is all part of life, but it does tax that delicate skin over time.
So your face needs a little more TLC (tenderness, love, and care). Harsh soaps? Astringents and drying acids? No thank you. Pick something that cleans gently while restoring moisture and vitamins.
You do this whether you clean your face in the shower or bath, or make it a completely separate process. And it doesn't have to take loads of time, or loads of different products.
See "How to clean your face" for our simple step-by-step guide to caring for your skin using COR Silver Soap, which is based on colloidal silver.
More healthy skin tips coming up!
Got another tip for clean and healthy skin? Send us a note!
Jen McKinley created COR in 2008 to revitalize her sun-damaged and breakout-prone skin.
]]>Here's how your skin works. Your body makes new skin cells at its lower level, which is called the dermis. The new gradually push upwards toward the upper level, the epidermis. The older cells on the surface gradually die. Eventually they fall (or 'slough', pronounced like 'sluff') off, making way for the newer, fresher skin cells underneath.
Exfoliation is a way to speed up that natural process. Done correctly, it leaves you with healthier and happier looking skin, and makes moisturizing more effective.
Don't overdo it. Your epidermis (that outer skin layer) is important. It loves and protects you, and protects younger skin cells until they are ready for the outside world. Heavy and frequent exfoliation is not just unnecessary, but in fact harmful!
Be gentle. Harsh chemicals and heavy scrubbing are too much for your face's delicate skin. Especially as we age, our skin becomes more vulnerable. It takes longer to make new cells. The rest of your body may be fine with a twice-weekly exfoliating scrub, but your face wants less frequent and more gentle treatment.
Our preferred method: a gentle cleanser, plus your fingertips. A soft brush is okay, but your fingers are actually perfect for the job. Here's how we exfoliate:
Wash your face with COR Silver Soap, as directed – a little warm water, a little lather, gentle circular motions with your fingertips. And once a week, add one small exfoliating step to your morning washing routine: After rinsing off the soap with a warm water splash, while your skin is still wet
- firmly but gently place your whole index finger against your cheek on each side
- slide the fingers back along your cheekbone toward your ears
This gentle motion is almost (we hesitate to say it) like a windshield wiper gliding over the windshield, in one slow, smooth motion.
Your fingers are, of course, a gentler and more effective tool for exfoliating your sensitive skin. It works beautifully – we know – this is the only exfoliation technique we use ourselves.
No plastic beads, crystals, chemical scrubs, loofahs or pads needed!
Our Travel Size cleansing bar makes exfoliation simple and portable. Give it a try!
]]>Skincare and beauty trends come and go. Anybody remember facial oils for "dewy" skin? The ever-so-complicated 10-step facial routine? Yoga skin?
Sometimes these fads not only fade, but turn out to be bad for your skin or for the environment — not too many years ago, even well-regarded brands were putting microplastic "exfoliant microbeads" in their products!
We won't miss a lot of those fussy routines and products. But it is a bit sad seeing some good skincare and beauty companies come and go, and that's happened quite a bit in recent years too. H20+, Lilah B., Bodhi & Birch, Vapour, and many more have shut their doors.
It's a pain when your skincare routine includes a product that you can't get anymore!
Instead of getting caught up in trends or trying whatever new formula the beauty industry is pushing this month, the smart way to build healthy, resilient, clear skin is to rely on simple products that use time-tested ingredients.
Like every company, COR was the new kid on the block once upon a time. We launched our Silver Soap in 2008. (The whole backstory is here if you want the juicy details. We needed some help with our own skin.)
Our brand-new skincare product included ingredients that weren't so 'trendy' at the time. But COR is still going strong after more than 15 years, and aging quite gracefully, thank you 🙂
The main reason is quality ingredients that really work.
For example, here are four now-popular ingredients COR has included from the very beginning:
(Don't be confused by a very different substance, salicylic acid, that's become trendy now in other brands' products. We do NOT use it in COR—too harsh. It actually destroys bonds in your skin, and is an especially bad match for people with dry skin. There are gentler ways to exfoliate skin and fight breakouts.)
Of course, a skincare brand needs some serious know-how to get the best effect from these and other ingredients.
We could go on with our list, but the point is: We really believe that the best skincare routine is simple and focused on using fewer, but more effective products that stand the test of time.
We believe it so strongly, it's our mission statement:
COR's mission: Healthier skin, with less time and effort, and fewer products. That's it.
Want resilient skin? Choose resilient brands with proven ingredients.
Jen McKinley created COR in 2008 to revitalize her sun-damaged and breakout-prone skin.
]]>Sericin is a natural protein found in silk. It's a great binding ingredient, and in our soap it helps create a protective layer for your skin.
Let’s get into the details of sericin and how it helps your skin!
Growing up in New Zealand in an age when it was common to spend all day in the sun at the beach slathered in baby oil, I had horrible sun damage. I’m very fair-skinned and so my idea of a good tan is a melding of the freckles! Several decades later, here I was with sun spots and premature wrinkling. Take those conditions and combine with the adult acne I had started developing, and it seemed not just not terribly unattractive, but also unfair. Acne AND aging? Ugh.
Enter Sericin.
Sericin is one of the two ingredients in our soap that has been known to help in the reversal of sun damage (our proprietary, patented silver-silica compound is the other). How does it do that? Sericin is a natural ingredient sourced from silk. It is a protein that binds to your skin.
As it is the protein in silk that binds the fibers of the silk cocoon together, it is especially good at adhering to your skin to provide a protective layer after you have washed. To be a little technical about it, Sericin contains a random coil structure which is soluble in hot water and then when it cools, after washing your face, it forms an invisible gel.
Having this protective layer on your skin then does two things:
In addition, it has skin-lightening properties. So, not only does it help reverse the skin damage and sun spots that have already formed, it provides a protective barrier to help reduce the risk of further damage.
We have had customers write in to us to tell us that the Silver Soap has helped even out their skin tone. One customer, Megan, who lived in Colorado said that she used to have to slather on heavy night creams during the day to stop her skin from drying out and becoming red during the winters there. After using Cor for a few weeks, she found that her skin was dewy all day long with using just a simple, lightweight moisturizer after washing with Cor.
Another customer in Washington DC who had terrible scarring from a dog attack (she had undergone multiple plastic surgeries to reconstruct her face) told us that a combination of Cor Silver Soap and Cor’s Wrinkle Serum have worked together to stop her scars from hurting and becoming inflamed in the harsh cold of the D.C. winters.
I personally have found that my T-Zone oiliness has disappeared and the skin tone is even throughout the day ... and those dreaded sun spots are a distant memory (as is the acne!)
As with anything, the quality of the source ingredients counts. We scour the world for the highest quality ingredients in our products. As such, we source our sericin from Japan where we create a proprietary compound along with chitosan and marine collagen.
For more inside tips and tricks, don’t forget to follow @corsilver on Twitter and Facebook www.facebook.com/corsilver as well! Also sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page, so you can stay on top of Cor news, special offers and more!
]]>It was only a matter of time for “K Beauty” to catch on in the U.S.
K Beauty is short for “Korean Beauty,” and it stands for the beauty methods and products that originate in South Korea. Here at COR, we’d like to say that we were ahead of the curve since COR was basically founded on the principles of Korean skin care. But to be fair, many other countries -- including Jennifer’s native New Zealand -- already take advantage of K Beauty, and have done for decades.
For those of you who are new to the K Beauty phenomenon, the Korean approach is all about cultivating “glass skin,” a term they use to describe skin that looks like a piece of glass: clear, poreless, translucent and luminous. K Beauty focuses on hydrating and nourishing the skin to make it glow from the inside-out. It’s also about incorporating an element to our skin-care routine which cleans and protects our skin as we age.
And while many of the rituals and ingredients date back hundreds of years, one of the hallmarks of K Beauty is its commitment to innovation and discovery. Its eagerness to embrace new technology, ingredients, formulas, and packaging is a big reason K Beauty is recognized and emulated across the globe.
Jennifer was first introduced to K Beauty while living and working in Asia back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. During one of her trips to Korea, she followed a local skin-care regimen that worked so brilliantly on her own skin, she decided to recreate it with her own product line. Working closely with a Korean scientist, she experimented with the technology and ingredients until she got it right ... and then she started COR.
For a more detailed explanation and ideas about how to build your own skin-care routine using COR's suite of innovative skin-care products, check out our product line on our Beauty Regime page.
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Yes that's my Kiwi accent, front and center! New Zealand's sunny beaches played a role in my early interest in skincare - see the story of COR....
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Here is Carolina’s story on how COR Silver has improved her ability to treat acne scars and uneven tone pigmentation.
Carolina Teón: My name is Carolina Teón, I’m a twenty-two year old college student and Co-Founder of Belle Nu Skin living in sunny Los Angeles. I’m a pretty active young woman and I strongly believe in the importance of self-care. My skin type is a combination that changes throughout the year. During the winter my skin seems dehydrated and dry and, on the other hand, my skin tends to become oily during the summer.
Over the course of transitioning into adulthood and leaving my teens behind, the biggest challenge for me has been dealing with acne scars. Due to the fact that I have a history of battling acne during my teens, towards the end of that journey I was left with scars that didn’t seem to heal. So up until this day this is an issue that still concerns me.
Carolina Teón: I am fascinated by skincare and I am constantly trying new products, and I can confidently say that one of the products that has always been unfailing is COR Silver. In particular, I have used the COR Silver Soap for over 3 years now and it has become my MUST-HAVE product due to its efficiency in helping treat my acne scars and evening out my skin tone.
Carolina Teón: I use the COR Silver Soap every night to cleanse my skin and I let the foam penetrate into my pores and skin for about 30 seconds. After that I cleanse my whole face with my clarisonic to help take off all the bacteria or excess dirt that may be left. Also, every time I head on a trip to the gym or even a weekend vacation, I ALWAYS make sure to pack my small COR Silver Soap. This is a great product that includes effective ingredients and is safe to use on a daily basis.
Carolina Teón: The greatest change that I have seen from the use of the COR Silver Soap has been the brighter pigmentation it has brought to my skin. After the use of COR throughout the years, I have seen that it has removed the dullness and uneven tone that was caused by my acne scars. This truly has been one of the most impactful products I have ever used and I think it is the perfect product to start preparing my skin to prevent future wrinkles.
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When we launched COR sixteen years ago, we knew we had something special —but winning Best Normal Skin Cleanser from the readers of Self magazine that same year still blew us away. As we were just starting out, we didn’t even know that we had been entered. Apparently, an early adopter recommended it to one of the beauty editors at Self, so imagine our surprise when we were invited to New York to attend the awards luncheon.
While much has been written about our unique colloidal silver formula, there are many other ingredients in COR that help your skin. You can read about the full list here, but let's take a closer look, one by one.
First up: Chitosan!
Chitosan is a nifty all-natural ingredient does a stellar job of removing excess oils from the skin.
As chitosan is a fibrous "fat binder" which can absorb up to eight times its weight in unwanted oils, it is sometimes sold as a diet supplement, aimed at blocking the absorption of fat and cholesterol. In fact, it is used as a natural supplement to treat obesity, high cholesterol and Crohn’s disease. But we realized that a small amount of chitosan would be helpful in dealing with oil on facial skin.
Take that same fat-binding property and apply it to the skin, and you have a very effective method of washing away unwanted oils on the surface of the skin. COR's The Silver Soap is most effective when the foam is left on the skin for anywhere between 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Why? As the foam sits on the skin, the chitosan sops up all of those excess oils which form, especially in sweltering, muggy summer conditions.
Anyone with oily skin or a combination skin with sheen in the T-zone will see a dramatic difference due to the chitosan in our little ball of goodness.
Surgeons have also been known to apply it to areas from which they have taken skin tissue to be used in other parts of the body. Like silver, chitosan has cell-regeneration properties which reduces scarring while helping the missing tissue to rebuild itself. Wow!
As with anything, the quality of the source ingredients counts. We scour the world for the highest quality ingredients in our products. As such, we source our chitosan from Japan where we create a proprietary compound along with sericin and marine collagen…. more on that in our next post.
For more inside tips and tricks, don’t forget to follow @corsilver on Twitter and Facebook www.facebook.com/corsilver as well! Also sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page, so you can stay on top of Cor news, special offers and more!
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So we collected a few and ran them by Dr. Louise Hidinger. Read her expert reactions!
]]>Taking care of your skin is so important. Obviously!
The products you choose matter, of course, but so do your diet, your sleep habits, and so on. We've passed along some great, simple skincare tips and we keep adding to our list.
BUT … scouring the web, we've stumbled across a few recommendations that struck us as … let's say 'strange'. At best.
So we collected a few and ran them by Dr. Louise Hidinger.
Dr. Hidinger (check out her blog) has a PhD in biological chemistry and a certification in cosmetic science. She previously told us about why old makeup becomes risky makeup – and now, in this article we pass along her reactions to weird bits of skincare advice you might find on the web.
#1 My face isn't a BLT sandwich, thanks.
The bad skincare advice: If you get sunburned, put a fresh tomato slice on your face.
What's going on here? Tomatoes have antioxidants, okay, but a fresh slice curing sunburn?
The PhD says: "Tomato slices won’t do anything to help heal a sunburn, except maybe cool down the skin if the tomato is fresh out of the refrigerator. The anti-oxidant content in the tomato slice is too low to have an effect on the burn."
Yes your diet affects your skin's health. So eat fresh tomatoes. Don't wear them.
#2 Vinegar isn't a great idea either …
The bad skincare advice: Put vinegar on sunburn.
Another 'inexpensive' home remedy you might find recommended on the web. But you probably won't find it recommended by doctors…
The PhD says: "Vinegar on a sunburn won’t help at all, and may actually be very irritating, particularly for severe burns. Vinegar is basically a dilute (typically around 5% v/v) solution of acetic acid in water. Anything acidic on sunburned skin may be very irritating and cause additional damage to the skin."
#3 "Gemstone facial" – really?!
The bad skincare advice: Some spas offer strategic placement of gemstones as a facial treatment, aligned with various philosophical notions…
The PhD says: "There’s no scientific evidence that gemstones placed on the skin can have any effect on skin health or overall health."
Our thought: Dr. Hidinger's reaction is a lovely, measured reaction. She doesn't say it's ridiculous. She just says there's no evidence. So if your gemstone facial makes you feel better, hey, knock yourself out. We're not buying it.
#4 It's called tooth paste, not face paste.
The bad skincare advice: Use toothpaste to dry out pimples.
Brush your teeth, yes. Brush your tongue, sure. Brush your face? Nah.
We asked Dr. Hidinger "What is the strangest or most dubious thing you've seen recommended for skincare?" And her answer is…
The PhD says: "Some people recommend applying toothpaste to a pimple to heal it. The concept is to dry out the pimple with the toothpaste. However, toothpaste typically contains things like strong surfactants, menthol and alcohol, that can be very irritating to the skin and cause more irritation, inflammation and peeling. Toothpaste is formulated for teeth, not skin!"
Many thanks to Dr. Hidinger for sharing her expertise. - Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page, so you can stay on top of COR news, special offers and more!
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