ARgENTUM

ARgENTUM is a British skincare and fragrance house based in London, founded in 2012 by Joy Isaacs [1][8]. Sometimes styled Argentum Apothecary, the company built its range around silver as an active ingredient, anchored by a patented formula it calls AgPolyN. It operates a boutique in the Notting Hill district of London and sells internationally across skincare, fragrance and body care. The brand remains active; its most recent notable activity was a twelfth-anniversary collection of fragrances released in October 2024 [8].

The name comes from the Latin word for silver, and silver runs through both the products and the brand's storytelling — described by ARgENTUM as a material that has historically served as protector, purifier and precious metal.

According to the company, the brand began with a dream. Founder Joy Isaacs has said she received an "unconscious message" about silver skincare in 2010, which set her on the path to developing a product around the metal. To turn the idea into a formula, Isaacs worked with dermocosmetic scientist Gilbert Mouzin; together they patented AgPolyN, a fusion of silver hydrosol and an ingredient the brand labels DNA HP [1]. The result launched in 2012 as la potion infinie, a silver face cream that ARgENTUM describes as "capable of achieving miraculous transformations" [1].

Isaacs is listed as founder and CEO, and the business is headquartered in London. Her stated philosophy frames beauty as a question of balance: she has said that skin reflects internal states — physical health, happiness and wellbeing — rather than surface appearance alone.

ARgENTUM pairs its dermocosmetic science with a mystical framework it calls "12 Become 1," a reference to twelve archetypal energies meant to represent equilibrium and wholeness. The tagline is "discover the beauty in balance," and the brand's stated values include beauty, balance, self-discovery and a "universal force of love." Its Notting Hill boutique extends this positioning into a physical space offering skincare consultations, fragrance "readings" using archetype cards, and a café.

The line sits at a luxury price point. Editorial coverage has consistently placed the brand in the luxury skincare and grooming category, with Robb Report framing it around premium men's grooming as well as anti-ageing [7].

The hero product remains la potion infinie, a day-and-night silver face cream. Around it the brand has built a wider range including le savon lune (a silver cleansing bar), le sérum infini (a silver serum), la lune d'argent (an exfoliating facial brush) and BECOME, a citrus-woody eau de parfum.

At the centre of the formulas is silver hydrosol, which Isaacs has described as containing "positively charged silver ions made of 99.99 percent pure silver" [7]. The brand presents silver as an antimicrobial that targets harmful bacteria while leaving the skin's microbiome intact. The second key component, DNA HP, is said to support collagen and elastin production; ARgENTUM states it delivers hydration "ten times more effectively than Hyaluronic Acid" [3].

The company cites a clinical trial of la potion infinie carried out at Toulouse University Hospital over three months on men and women aged 20 to 75, reporting outcomes such as a 94% reduction in inflammation and a 70% improvement in fine lines and wrinkles [3]. These figures are presented by the brand itself.

ARgENTUM frames its environmental approach under a section it calls la promesse — "to do better by the world that we live in." The company says all of its products are cruelty-free and that it has never used ingredients tested on animals [4]. It is not vegan, however: the DNA HP it uses is sourced as a by-product of the Alaskan salmon industry [4]. For packaging, the brand says it minimises plastic in favour of recyclable FSC paper and card and reusable Miron glass. It also supports the UCLH Charity, linked to University College London Hospital, and GreenTheUK, which funds tree planting and coastal kelp forests.

The brand has received a number of beauty-industry awards, which it lists on its own site. Among them, its BECOME eau de parfum was named Scent of the Year at the 2023 Natural Health Beauty Awards, and le masque infini won Best New Charcoal Product at the 2023 Global Green Beauty Awards [5]. In 2024, the body device le feu d'argent was named Best Body Gadget at the Attracta Beauty Awards.

Independent press coverage has spanned more than a decade. Reviewing la potion infinie in 2014, beauty writer Rae Chen called it "the only anti-ageing product I have ever tried, in seven years of beauty blogging, that has had a noticeable effect," while cautioning that it felt uncomfortably tight on dry skin [6]. The brand has also been profiled by Robb Report and PAPER Magazine for its use of silver in skincare.

ARgENTUM is active. In 2024 it marked its twelfth anniversary, releasing a set of twelve archetypal 30ml fragrances alongside its BECOME scent, created by perfumer Delphine Thierry [8]. The most recent visible activity recorded is that October 2024 launch, preceded by a birthday promotion in September 2024.