Moisturizing hand sanitizer with xylitol

The moisturizing hand sanitiser contains a 70% mass of denatured ethanol and, as a gel former, cellulose-based hypromellose, which has a good feel in terms of application. Hand sanitiser contains betaine, xylitol, and trehalose which moisture well the skin. No ingredient leaves the skin sticky.

Skin microbial flora

Healthy skin has about 10,000 microbes per square centimetre, and some of these microbes can be pathogenic, i.e. disease-causing viruses or bacteria. In particular, hands and fingers are considered one of the most important parts of the body that cause infection in humans, and it is estimated that there are about 10,000 to 10 million bacteria in the hands alone (Simonne, 2019). Therefore, it is very important to use detergent and water for hand washing and if water and soap are not available, hand sanitizer should be used!

The food, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors often use hand sanitiser after hand washing to ensure, for example, the cleanliness of nail pads and fingertips. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) uses hand washing especially when: when you come in from outside, before cooking and eating, always after going to the toilet, when you have sneezed, coughed, or sneezed, when you have touched the same surfaces as a person with a cold.

For certain pathogens, hand washing is considered a more effective way to clean hands than hand sanitizers. These include Norovirus, Cryptosporidium and Clostridioides difficile, but if hand washing is not possible, it is recommended to use hand sanitizer (Simonne 2019).

Why is soap the preferred hand washing method?

There are often other contaminants in the hands than just microbes. Impurities can include proteins from food, other dirt and grease, which effectively reduce the effectiveness of alcohol-based gels. Therefore, soap washing and running water is the best option, as it effectively removes fats, protein residues on the skin and other impurities along with microbes

When to use hand sanitizer?

If it is not possible to wash your hands with soap under running water you can use hand sanitizers. According to the guidelines of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the disinfecting effect of hand sanitizer can only be achieved if hand sanitizer is used correctly:

Take a sufficient amount, about a teaspoon, of hand sanitizer
Rub hand sanitizer all over your hands
Keep massaging until all the liquid has evaporated, and your hands are completely dry (approx. 20-30 seconds)

Transportation of hand sanitizers

Hand sanitizers are only transported as a Schenker package and can only be ordered for 1 L per order

Hand sanitizers must be classified as dangerous goods in transport, as they are typically easily flammable substances in transport hazard class 3. The most common transportation of hand sanitizers is the UN1170 ethanol solution.

References

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/hand-sanitizer-use.html

Simonne, A. Hand Hygiene and Hand Sanitizers. EDIS 2019, 2005, 1–4.

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