6 Things to Look for When Choosing a Hand Sanitizer

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON MEDIUM.COM JANUARY 23, 2021 | READ THE ORIGINAL POST

Project N95 is the National Clearinghouse for critical personal protective equipment (PPE). They protect healthcare and essential workers, as well as vulnerable communities, by providing equitable access to vetted PPE. The below article was written by Project N95 volunteer Julie Salmen after she did the extensive work and research to vet hand sanitizer.

Our friends at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), would want me to remind you that soap and water is the best way to kill germs on our hands by washing them for 20 seconds. There is actual science to show that this amount of time is needed and washing for less time means killing less germs. So keep singing your happy birthday song two times (or your favorite tune) to help you wash for the appropriate amount of time.

If soap and water are not available, that is where hand sanitizers come in. As stated in my previous post, hand sanitizers are regulated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an over-the-counter drug with very specific formulation and labeling requirements. We aren’t going to cover brands here because let’s face it, there are a few big players and many, MANY smaller players now selling hand sanitizers.

What you need to know is what is in the bottle, what is on the label and how to use it.

Here are 6 things to look for when selecting a hand sanitizer:

1. Active ingredient = 60% or higher alcohol, specifically look for ethanol (a.k.a. ethyl alcohol or alcohol) or isopropanol (a.k.a. isopropyl alcohol);
2. Drug Facts Label on the bottle which includes directions on usage and warning statements (if no Drug Facts label, it is considered mislabeled by FDA and should not be used); (See the end of this article for a sample label)
3. Inactive ingredients far and few between (extra ingredients may reduce the effectiveness of the active ingredient);
4. Expiration date. Check that it is not expired (alcohol evaporates over time);
5. Look for terms like “hand rub” or “hand sanitizer” (not the term disinfectant or surface cleaner);
6. Avoid products making false or misleading claims like “prevents the spread of a virus” or “provides prolonged protection for up to 24 hours.” (The FDA is sending warning letters to companies making these types of unproven claims.)

The CDC tells us how to best use a hand sanitizer:

If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Now that we have helped you reduce the germs on your hands, let’s move on to selecting surface disinfectants in my next post.

Source for Information

Who am I? I am a volunteer with ProjectN95.org who is using my background in nutrition, marketing, supply chain and FDA regulations to vet PPE for essential workers. My focus started with N95 respirators, and now I am working with suppliers of hand sanitizers and surface disinfectants. The tips in this post and future posts are to help you better understand how to select products to help keep you and your family and coworkers safe during the pandemic. This information was compiled using government websites, consulting experts in the field of hand sanitizers and surface disinfectants and working with an amazing law firm in DC who is also donating their time to ProjectN95.org. If you have a talent that you think could help ProjectN95.org, please sign-up to volunteer — Roles | Project N95!

Sample FDA Drug Facts Label