Aussie mates develop silk pillowcase to help prevent acne
It’s something you use daily and knowing just how dirty it can get, two Aussie mates have come up with a solution, selling one every 20 seconds.
It’s something you rest your head on every night before you go to bed, but what some people may not know is that it’s dirtier than a toilet seat.
A recent study revealed your pillow cases and sheets had up to 39 times more bacteria than pet-food bowls and one thousand times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
In fact, if you never wash your pillow sheets, a community of fungus can also build up there and according to Business Insider, a typical pillow has as many as 16 different species of fungus and literally millions of fungal spores.
Considering your face spends one third of its life on a pillow, that bacteria often clogs pores and eventually becomes the hidden culprit behind most breakouts.
When best mates Max Hertan and Ben Goodman discovered it was their cotton pillow case that was contributing to their acre problem, they decided to come up with a solution that has since become a bestseller.
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“We both were acne suffers and tried everything from stickers, creams, you name it,” Mr Hertan, 31, told news.com.au.
“Then we heard that prevention is better than trying to treat it.”
That’s when the Aussie boys came up with Silvi – the world’s first silk pillowcase that works to prevent and improve skin while you sleep.
“We knew silk was good for your skin, but we wanted to add the silver element,” Mr Hertan said.
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“Silk has protein which produces collagen in your skin and is also good for your hair, but we treat our silk material with silver ions which means it kills 99.7 per cent of bacteria (in 30 days) – particularly acne producing bacteria.”
Mr Hertan, who also runs a digital agency in Melbourne, explained the silver ions connect to acne-causing bacteria and most are killed before they have a chance to reproduce.
“We also use 100 per cent, 22 Momme, 6A (the highest grade) Mulberry silk. It’s as luxe as pillowcases get.”
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“More importantly silk has sericin, a protein that helps maintain your skin’s moisture and collagen.”
Since officially launching their unique product into the Australian market three weeks ago, it has proved to be a huge success with one selling every 20 seconds.
But developing the bedroom item hasn’t come without its challenges with Mr Hertan saying it has taken more than 14 months to create, with a lot of trial and error.
“It’s been a long process and a lot of experimenting to get it perfect,” he said.
“We had a prototype around April and gave it to a few friends – we used it as well,” Mr Hertan said.
“These days I only get a few pimples every three to four weeks. It doesn’t cure acne/pimples completely, but it prolongs them coming out.”
To help reduce bacteria, most pillow cases need to be washed every three to four days, but with Silvi, it’s every 14 days.
No one likes changing their pillow cases, especially single men, as the study suggested, but having to wash it every 14 days compared to four days, sounds a lot more appealing.
In one survey, Business Insider reported 55 per cent of single men aged 18 to 25 only change their sheets four times a year, with Mr Hertan adding that many people aren’t aware just how dirty a pillow case can get.
“A lot of people are definitely sceptical which is why we want people to try and see what our case does for their skin.”
He said depending on the person’s skin, results usually take between two and four weeks to show.
“The reviews have been really positive – we knew the product was good but we didn’t expect it to be this well received. It’s been really exciting.”
The silk pillow case, which can last up to 18 months, is retailed for $89.