Hand sanitizer market Since the Covid-19 pandemic gained a new popularity and expected to reach $27.1 million by 2030. Hand sanitizers are the most sought-after products for the last two years, for obvious reasons. However, there are many misconceptions when it comes to hand sanitizers.
Hand sanitizers are the most sought-after products for the last two years, for obvious reasons. The Covid-19 outbreak is a wake-up call to investigate our habits to maintain hygiene and to know susceptible we are to a viral or bacterial infection. Washing hands for more than 10 minutes is remains the most effective method against viruses and bacteria. However, in regions with water scarcity, people must choose the second-most effective method, hand sanitizers.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, hand sanitizers gained a new popularity to the extent that medical stores were experiences shortages and the sanitizer manufacturing facilities were operating at their full potential. The fear of Covid-19 infection and heavy marketing of sanitizers made them the highest selling product during the pandemic. According to Allied Market Research, the global long lasting hand sanitizer market is expected to reach $21.7 billion by 2030. The consumer awareness regarding health & wellness, innovations in hand sanitizers, and social media penetration promotes the demand for long lasting hand sanitizers.
However, there are many misconceptions when it comes to hand sanitizers. Some believe that once used, the sanitizer can give protection against viruses and bacteria like a glove or an invisible shield. The emergence of long-lasting hand sanitizers helps cement the belief that hand sanitizers are no short of cure against the Covid-19. There are some cases where people drank hand sanitizers to protect themselves from Covid-19 infection. Here we will try to understand long lasting hand sanitizers and how exactly effective they are against viral infection.
Also read: Hand hygiene: The life saviour for corona virus infection
What is a hand sanitizer?
Before we talk about the effectiveness of hand sanitizers, we need to know what hand sanitizers are made of. A common hand sanitizer contains alcohol bases, gelling agent, and water (to activate the gelling agent). The gelling agent gives the sanitizer the thickness but the alcohol does all the work. When applied to the hand, alcohol sanitizes the hand by killing the microorganisms existing on the hand.
Believe it or not, it is possible to make hand sanitizer at home by using aloe vera as a gelling agent and isopropyl alcohol instead of grain alcohol. To make hand sanitizer, the concentration of alcohol must be above 60%. There are believes that you can turn vodka into a hand sanitizer, which is completely untrue. Vodka contains 40% alcohol and 60% water, which is ineffective against microorganisms.
If it is only about alcohol, can hand sanitizer expire?
Most of the purchased hand sanitizers have an expiration data on them but is it commonly far in the future and found to be around three years out. This raises the question whether hand sanitizers have expiration date or the manufacturing companies are legally required to print the expiration date?
The answer is yes, hand sanitizers can expire but it is slightly unusual situation. An five-year old bottle of hand sanitizer that hasn’t been opened, will probably work against microorganisms as alcohol does not go bad in sealed conditions. The most relatable example is wine. You can store it for hundreds of years and it will age amazingly. However, once you open the bottle, the alcohol-eating bacterial come into the picture which define the expiration date of the wine.
In case of hand sanitizers, once the bottle is opened, the alcohol concentration starts to drop as it evaporates quickly into the atmosphere. Once the concentration of the hand sanitizers goes below 60%, it is not useful against microorganisms and therefore hand sanitizers come with a long but specific expiration date.
How effective are long lasting hand sanitizers?
To answer the question of how long a hand sanitizer can last depends on how effective the active ingredients are including isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol. Apart from this, how well you apply the sanitizer also contributes to the effectiveness of the product. Thus, while applying hand sanitizers, you must cover your hands all through the wrist and in between fingers.
However, you must understand that hand sanitizer, even if it is long lasting and effective, cannot be an alternative to washing hand with soaps. Sanitizers can work against bacteria but not food particles. A common hand sanitizer can last up to 2 minutes and it loses its effectiveness when you touch other surfaces. Thus, the demand for long lasting hand sanitizers has increased significantly.
Recently, Fine Hygienic Holding, one of the world’s top manufacturers of hygienic paper products and germ protection solutions launched its new line of germ protection products, which includes a long-lasting hand sanitizer that offers 24-hour protection with only one application. The company states that the hand sanitizer can kill 99.9% of germs including Covid-19 virus. The company also launched disinfectant that offers up to 48 hours of germ protection on all textiles and its laundry disinfectant can provide protection up to 7 days.
Similarly, a biotech startup launched a new long lasting hand sanitizer that offer protection against Covid-19 virus and other microorganisms for more than four hours after application. The sanitizer is called IonLAST and uses a proprietary ionic liquid technology that contains natural materials to improve antiviral protection. The commonly used alcohol-based hand sanitizers fail to give a long-lasting protection but IonLAST is non-alcoholic sanitizer, which therefore that is safe for kids.
The non-alcoholic hand sanitizers are preferred by the people who are worried about alcohol use or who opt to avoid flammable materials in house around kids. These hand sanitizers can alleviate several issues of alcohol-based sanitizers such as drying of skin. The alcohol free sanitizers use other chemicals such as Benzalkonium Chloride that quite safe for topical use and is long lasting.
However, you must remember that the moment you are done using sanitizer, your hands are exposed to all kinds of microorganisms. Thus, after application of hand sanitizer, of you touch any other uncleaned surfaces such as doorknob or mobile phone, you are letting germs come in contact with you. At this moment, hand sanitizer cannot protect you as there is no residue of hand sanitizer left on your hand. However, you can use hand sanitizer in-between steps.
In a simpler term, long lasting hand sanitizers work well to remove germs on your hands but it fails to prevent you from getting contaminated. With that in mind, use both hand sanitizer and handwashing method to maintain your hygiene. As they say, prevention is better than cure and the pandemic has taught us this lesson the hard way.
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