The principle of hand sanitizer Can hand sanitizer really replace hand washing?

Waterless hand sanitizer is a hand disinfectant currently on the market that does not require towels, water and soap. It has the characteristics of waterless hand washing, long duration, gentle skin care, disinfection and sterilization. So, what is the principle of waterless hand sanitizer? Why can we wash without water?

The principle of hand sanitizer

Disinfectant ingredients + volatile solvents are the basic principles of hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizers are usually formulated with disinfectant ingredients, volatile solvents, and skin care ingredients. Alcohol and benzalkonium chloride are the disinfecting ingredients in hand sanitizers, while glycerin and lipids are ingredients that can protect the skin. Hand sanitizer can clean dirt when there is a lack of water. Alcohol and benzalkonium chloride are the ingredients that play a disinfecting and sterilizing role. After cleaning the dirt on your hands, the solvent will evaporate automatically and there is no need to rinse with water.

What are the ingredients of hand sanitizer?

There are two main active ingredients in hand sanitizer. One is benzalkonium chloride, but the content of benzalkonium chloride is very small and the concentration is extremely low, so it generally does not cause irritation to the skin. The other is alcohol, which is a disinfectant ingredient commonly used in the medical field. It is highly volatile and has little irritation to the skin. Secondly, hand sanitizers usually contain skin care ingredients such as glycerin and lipids, which can protect the skin to a certain extent after cleaning.

Can hand sanitizer really replace hand washing?

cannot. If there is really no need for any cleaning, it is indeed better to use hand sanitizer before eating rather than eating directly. But the preferred method of washing hands in daily life is still using running water and soap. The prerequisite for using hand sanitizer is that there are no obvious stains visible to the naked eye on your hands. Hand sanitizer focuses on sterilization and disinfection, and washes hands without water, but its cleaning power is average. Moreover, if you must use hand sanitizer, you should pay attention to whether the user is allergic to ingredients such as ethanol, chlorhexidine, and quaternary ammonium salts.

Is hand sanitizer safe?

It is relatively safe. Generally speaking, the hand sanitizers that are available on the market have undergone rigorous inspection and testing. As long as they are used under normal operations, they generally will not cause harm to human health. Alcohol is a disinfectant ingredient commonly used in the medical field. It is highly volatile and has little irritation to the skin. The benzalkonium chloride content in hand sanitizers containing benzalkonium chloride is very small and the concentration is extremely low, so it generally does not cause irritation to the skin. In addition, hand sanitizers usually contain skin care ingredients such as glycerin and lipids, which can protect the skin to a certain extent after cleaning. Therefore, the use of hand sanitizers generally does not cause damage to the skin. But be careful to avoid buying counterfeit and shoddy products without any quality assurance. Such hand sanitizers are not good for human health and are generally not recommended for purchase.