Could Silver Dihydrogen Citrate Be a Better Way to Wash Hands & Prevent COVID-19 or other Diseases?
As the pandemic spreads around the world, several agencies such as the CDC and WHO have underscored the need for proper hand-washing. Using hand sanitizer alone is not as good as handwashing (even with just soap and water) because they don’t get rid of all germs and hand sanitizer must be used in ideal conditions as well. But an antimicrobial hand soap can deliver both benefits at once.
For the past year, we’ve been using hand soap and body wash from a Taiwanese brand called Against24 which uses a non-toxic molecule called Silver Dihydrogen Citrate (SDC) to kill bacteria and viruses. The point here is not to exacerbate fears of COVID19 even further, nor do we seek to profit off of the virus. We just want to share our experience with these products since we carry them on our site and believe the SDC ingredient to be quite promising.
What is Silver Dihydrogen Citrate (SDC)
SDC is a new antimicrobial made of ionic silver and citrate with several advantages over other options since it’s colorless, odorless, tasteless and non-caustic. This means it can easily be added to other products. Unlike other silver-based disinfectants, SDC is highly stable with a shelf life of several years.
How it works: microbes (such as bacteria and viruses) target SDC as a food sourcewhich allows silver ions to enter the microbe, deactivating it and preventing it from replicating.
SDC Ag+ is now used insomeconsumer products around the world. Although organizations like the USDA, the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, and the Environmental Protection Agency consider it to be safe, it’s popularity is not yet widespread. Perhaps this is because people don’t yet know about it or because of exclusive licensing deals of the ingredient for certain brands in certain regions.
The big question is: does Silver Dihydrogen Citrate work against COVID-19 / coronavirus? The good news is that it does indeed work and deactivates the virus after 30-60 seconds of contact time.
SDC has also been added to the EPA's list of approved disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2.
Handsoap and Bath Products Featuring Silver Dihydrogen Citrate (SDC) from Against24
A little backstory: we actually met with the brand Against24 in Taiwan about a year ago and they provided us a sales demo. Their representative demoed the product with a little bit of showmanship: he sprayed the SDC solution into his mouth and ate it to show how non-toxic and flavorless it is!
We decided to carry a few of the Against24 products despite the fact that the brand is virtually unknown in North America (their market share in places such as Malaysia is quite high). Plus, we couldn’t resist the super cute packaging with the Panda and Ducky. By the way, although SDC is non-toxic, do not ingest these products since the SDC is added in with traditional bath ingredients!).
The Ducky hand soap and body wash can work for anyone, but perfect for babies or those that want a milder soap. The texture is thinner, almost like a baby shampoo.
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The Panda hand soap and body wash has a silkier texture and a creamier color. This line is better for people who enjoy the feeling of soap that lathers easily.
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The best part of the Against24 products is that you get a clean feeling without it leaving a dry residue.
Be advised though that it’s most important to wash your hands properly for at least 30 seconds. The CDC recommends the following steps of: wetting, lathering, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying. If you don’t do this, it doesn’t really matter which type of products you use. But we’ve certainly enjoyed these products and they add a bit of fun and cuteness to any bathroom.
SOURCES:
- https://infectioncontrol.tips/2020/01/27/covid-19-the-straight-facts/
- https://www.purebio.com/technology/silver-dihydrogen-citrate-sdc.htm
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27775827
- https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/SilverDihydrogenCitrateTechnicalReport.pdf