10 Best Hand Sanitizers to Buy in 2021
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Washing hands with hand sanitizer. Photo: FreePik |
Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds is the best way to avoid spreading germs, disease, and illness. Soap and water are the most effective when it comes to removing certain germs, like norovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But sometimes you don't have soap and water—that's where hand sanitizers come in handy.
The best hand sanitizers contain at least 60 percent ethanol or 70 percent isopropanol to be effective, according to the CDC. Make sure your bottle doesn't include methanol, which can be toxic when absorbed through the skin, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Top 10 Hand Sanitizers of 2021
Lifebuoy Hand Sanitizer
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Photo: Cashkaro |
Lifebuoy is a trustworthy name when it comes to buying products related to hygiene. Its total hand sanitizer is one of the most purchased products that is effective in killing 99.99% germs without water. It also provides immunity to your hands and fights germs upto 10 hours. This Lifebuoy sanitizer also contains added moisturizers and Vitamin E that leaves your hands soft and healthy. Moreover, its advanced germ protection not just kills germs but also reduces skin chapping and redness.
Dabur Hand Sanitizer
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Photo: Cashkaro |
India’s most trusted Ayurvedic brand is here with a new range of hand sanitizers that provide on-the-go protection from germs and infections. Proven to kill 99% germs without soap and water, Dabur Sanitize Hand Sanitizers also come with a rinse-free and non-sticky formula. This alcohol-based hand sanitizer also contains an Ayurvedic formulation that keeps germs at bay and your hands moisturized.
Well Content Disposable Hand Sanitizer
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Photo: Hand Sanitizer |
This is a Cooling hand sanitizer which can quickly reduce the number of viruses, germs and bacteria on the hands and skin by instantly kill 99.99% on them, reducing the chances of infections and disease. No need for water washing. This disposable and quick-drying sanitizing gel is formulated with ethanol which has a microbial effect and helps improve skin health and hygiene. The bottle is small-sized hence perfect and convenient to carry in school backpacks, purses, travel bags, and more and can fits on any desk, counter or sink. Despite the small size, it contains 120 mL of the sanitizer, which can serve you for some time.
Mediker Hand Sanitizer
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Photo: Cashkaro |
Mediker Hand Sanitizer comes with a seal of India’s most trusted company Marico Ltd. This is one of the best sanitizers that provides germ-free protection while killing 99% of germs and bacteria. With its rinse-free and non-sticky formula, it also provides your hands with a moisturizing after effect. Mediker Hand Sanitizer is perfect to be used by people of all generations, including adults, and kids.
Amazon Hand Sanitizer – Solimo
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Photo: Cashkaro |
Amazon brings to you its very first, hand sanitizer brand named ‘Solimo’. This hand sanitizer gel by Amazon offers 99.99% protection against germs like bacteria and viruses while reducing the risk of passing infections. Enriched with the goodness of Aloe Vera, Tea Tree Oil & Vitamin E, this Amazon hand sanitizer protects your hands from disease-causing germs while keeping them moisturized for longer durations.
Beardhood Hand Sanitizer Spray
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Photo: Cashkaro |
If you are looking for a hand sanitizer that is non-sticky and effective, then Beardhood hand sanitizer spray must be your pick. This hand sanitizer offers 99.99% protection against disease causing germs like bacteria, viruses, yeast and more. It comes with refreshing notes of lemon that provides freshness throughout the day. Apart from that, this liquid hand sanitizer is infused with the goodness aloe vera, glycerine, tea tree oil that keeps your hands moisturized.
Germ-X Hand Sanitizer, Original, Pump Bottle, 8 Fluid Ounce
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Photo: Menshealth |
Germ-X includes ethyl alcohol at 63 percent concentration and comes in a handy pump bottle. Keep it at your desk for a quick way to clean your hands.
Kitt Refreshing Hand Sanitizer Gel
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Photo: Pinterest |
This contains 75% alcohol and none of the nasty chemicals you may find in conventional hand sanitizers. It kills more than 99.99% of germs that could spread infections and disease. It is soft, gentle and moisturizing to the skin. Even after many uses, the skin does not dry out or irritate, because it is free of parabens, phthalates, preservatives and harsh ingredient. It is a no-rinse hand sanitizer; therefore, you can use it on the go because you don’t need to wash your hands at all.
Artnaturals Hand Sanitizer
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Photo: Amazon |
Artnaturals hand sanitizer is a must-have for the latest bug going around. This sanitizer is formulated with pure natural ingredients that can kill 99% of surface disease-causing germs, bacteria, fungus and some viruses. It is gentle enough on the skin, even that sensitive skin of children, while still killing germs. It is recommended first thoroughly to wash and dry your hands, then apply a quarter-sized amount of this sanitizer to palm and rub hands together.
Savlon Hand Sanitizer
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Photo: Amazon |
Savlon is one of the most trusted brands in India that protects us from disease-causing germs. This Savlon hand sanitizer provides efficient protection against 100 disease-causing germs like bacteria, viruses, yeast and mould. Apart from that, this hand sanitizer kills 99.99% germs and keeps you away from harmful diseases. It also cleanses and moisturizes your hands while keeping them non-sticky and smooth.
HOW TO USE THESE BEST HAND SANITIZERS AND THEY WORKAccording to medical experts, hand sanitizers are created to kill bacteria and viruses that cause infection. When you get to the store, you will notice that they have different types of hand sanitizers, like, dry hand sanitizers, those that are gel and those that contain alcohol. All types of sanitizers have different qualities of being effective. Some of them are going to be more effective than others. In order for hand sanitizers to be reliable, you need to use enough to totally cover the entire hands and fingers. For example, you can apply a quarter-size dollop. After applying, rub your hands together for about 20 seconds and let them dry totally. Then you can apply some moisturizer to restore your skin hydration. If your hands are covered in dirt and grime, your hand sanitizer will not work effectively because it is made to kill germs but not to eliminate dirt. So, experts advise you to first wash your hands with water and soap to remove the grime before you apply the sanitizer. If you are “on-the-go” and afraid of getting infections/germs from touching surfaces (Contact infections), sanitizer that has at least 60 per cent alcohol will help. You should always carry the small hand sanitizer bottle in your purse or pockets. The alcohol serves as what’s called a denaturing/sterilizing agent. It sterilizes your hands by denaturing (Killing) viruses and bacterial on your hands or surfaces. Hence, a hand sanitizer is different from soap, which acts as a detergent for cleaning. However, if you have delicate skin or a skin condition like eczema, select an alcohol-free hand sanitizer. Unfortunately, nonalcohol-based hand sanitizers may not dependably eliminate all microorganisms. So, you have to keep this in mind. |
The history of hand sanitizer
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do note that, when it comes to preventing the spread of coronavirus, “if soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol." according to CNBC.
And indeed, that is the primary ingredient in hand sanitizer: alcohol. Most hand sanitizers contain anywhere from 60% to 95% isopropyl or ethyl alcohol mixed with water and gels like glycol and glycerin in order to prevent drying out users’ skin. The resulting product is typically sold in a hand gel or liquid spray under brand names such as Purell or GermX.
But while alcohol has been in use as an antiseptic since the late-1800s least, the exact origins of hand sanitizer are up for debate.
One version of the story points to Lupe Hernandez, a nursing student in Bakersfield, California in 1966, as the inventor of hand sanitizer after combining alcohol and gel for use by doctors in situations where they don’t have time to access soap and warm water before treating patients.
However, a recent investigation by the Smithsonian Institution historian Joyce Bedi was unable to turn up any trace of Hernandez, or any evidence of a U.S. patent for hand sanitizer under that name from the 1960s.
There’s also Sterillium, which the German company Hartmann claims was “the world’s first marketable alcohol-based hand disinfectant” when it hit European shelves in 1965. It’s made with glycerin and 75% alcohol.
Still, others trace modern hand sanitizer back to Goldie and Jerry Lippman, the married couple that developed a waterless hand cleaner in 1946 for rubber plant workers who previously used harsh chemicals like kerosene and benzene to remove graphite and carbon black from their hands at the end of their shifts. The product, which they called Gojo (a portmanteau of their names) is a mix of petroleum jelly, mineral oil, and less than 5% alcohol that’s still used today by auto mechanics and other workers to clean off substances like grease and oil.
The Lippman’s mixed their first batches of Gojo in a washing machine in the basement of Goldie’s parents’ Akron, Ohio home, where the couple was living at the time, according to The New Yorker. They put the resulting product in pickle jars and sold it out of the trunk of their car.
Over the ensuing decades, Gojo continued selling their products as industrial cleaners. Then, in 1988, the company invented the hand gel Purell, which consists of 70% ethyl alcohol as its primary ingredient, along with propylene glycol. While Purell is now the world’s best-selling hand sanitizer, it took some time for stores to carry the product that most everyday customers weren’t really asking for. As such, Gojo did not release Purell onto the consumer market until 1997.
That same year, Vi-Jon Industries followed Gojo’s lead by introducing GermX, which is now the second best-selling hand sanitizer in America, after Purell, according to Nielsen.
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