4 Facts About Your Hand Sanitiser

With the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) looming in Singapore, medical experts urge the public to practice good hand hygiene and those that are sick to wear a mask. Hence, because of this, Singaporeans have been frantically clearing any available hand sanitisers in the market. Amidst getting hold of any available hand sanitiser, one should first find out some facts about them!


                                                                        

Fact #1 Handwashing is the best hygiene method as compared to Hand Sanitizing

Even though both methods reduce germs, only handwashing is effective in killing germs. As the hands are a significant medium for bacteria or virus transfer, clean hands will help stop the spread of many kinds of sickness and diseases. Regular hand washing can cut your risk of developing a respiratory infection by 16%. Hand sanitisers should only be used as a substitute when you have no access to water. 
 

Fact #2 Not ALL hand sanitisers work

The U.S Centers for Disease Controls and Preventions announced that only hand sanitisers with at least 60% alcohol content are effective in neutralizing germs when soap and water are not available. Any sanitisation products with less than 60% active ingredient are deemed as unuseful in repelling germs and prevent the spreading of bacteria. 
 

Fact #3 Usage of hand sanitisers amount have to be enough to last 15-20s on your hands before drying up

Yes, one pump or squeeze of your hand sanitiser which last less than 5s on your hands are ineffective as well! You have to pump at least enough volume of hand sanitiser which does not dry up for at least 15-20s. Only then will the alcohol be allowed to do its job to kill the microbes!

Fact #4 Alcohol-based Hand sanitisers are milder to the skin as compared to Water-based sanitisers 

Formulation of alcohol-based sanitisers usually does add in moisturiser to be specifically used on the skin. Water-based sanitisers can cause dryness with high alcohol content. Hence, it is adequate to choose sanitisers that are sufficiently high in alcohol content (around 60%) to reduce germs and bacteria, as high alcohol content may do more harm to the skin than good. 

                                   

Together, let's fight the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) right and effectively. For healthy individuals, clean hands are far more effective in keeping the virus away as compared to wearing masks. Dr Natasha Bagdasarian, a consultant with the Division of Infectious Diseases at National University Hospital, also advised that we wash our hands with the amount of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. On the other hand, people who are already sick should instead put on masks to prevent spreading to others and also practice good hand hygiene. Let us all play a part in preventing and defeating this virus by practicing the proper hand hygiene practices.

In Chem-On, we have formulated our very own hand sanitisers that can kill 99.9% bacteria and germs in our own lab. They will be gifted to our various stakeholders as we overcome the coronavirus (COVID-19) together.
 

Formulation of our hand sanitiser:

Procedures:

1. Add CELQUAT SC-230M polymer to the deionized water and half of the denatured alcohol. Mix, using moderate agitation, until solution thickens.
2. Add the remaining amount of denatured alcohol and increase the level of agitation to high. Mix until homogeneous.
3. Pre-mix glycerin and fragrance. Add to the batch and mix until homogeneous.
    

Click here to learn how Chem-On formulate our own hand santisers!

Posted by Winn Chin

Winn Chin is a life and beauty enthusiast who majors in Chemistry, and love synthesizing information to share content about products in their daily lives.