Alcohol Vs. Non-Alcohol Hand Sanitizer – What’s the Difference?

Good hand hygiene can save lives. One of the key health messages we have heard throughout the pandemic is around the importance of washing your hands properly. Hand washing with soap and water is often recommended as the best method for good hand hygiene, however this method is not always possible. Soap and water isn’t always readily available and therefore hand sanitizer is a suitable alternative. But with so many hand sanitizers on the market, do you know if you’re buying the one that is right for you? One main difference between hand sanitizers is whether or not it contains alcohol.

Differences Between Alcohol Hand Sanitizer and Non-Alcohol Hand Sanitizer

Alcohol is often found in hand sanitizers due to its antiseptic qualities which can effectively kill bacteria and germs found on your hands. Hand sanitizers containing alcohol are displayed on the label and referred to as ethanol, ethyl alcohol, isopropanol or 2-propanol, whereas hand sanitizers that do not contain alcohol typically have Benzalkonium Chloride combined with water and other ingredients. Non-alcohol based hand sanitizers are usually non-toxic and come in a foam formulation. But which hand sanitizer is best to use? According to new study from researchers at Brigham Young University, alcohol-free hand sanitizer is just as effective at disinfecting as alcohol-based products. The BYU scientists who conducted the study suspected that the CDC’s preference for alcohol sanitizer stemmed from as-yet limited research on what really works to disinfect SARS-CoV-2. To explore other options, they treated samples pf the novel coronavirus with benzalkonium chloride, which is commonly used in alcohol-free hand sanitizers, and several other quaternary ammonium compounds regularly found in disinfectants. In most test cases, the compounds wiped out at least 99.9% of the virus within 15 seconds. “Our result indicate that alcohol-free hand sanitizer works just as well, so we could, maybe even should, be using it to control COVID,” said lead study author Benjamin Ogilvie. Working fast to simulate real-world condition – because hand sanitizer has to disinfect quickly to be effective – they neutralized the disinfecting compounds, extracted the virus from test tubes and placed the virus particles on living cells. The virus failed to invade and kill the cells, indicating that it had be deactivated by the compounds.

Non-Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizer – MicroShield 360 Endure

MicroShield 360 Endure is a unique blend of FDA approved sanitizers providing the highest level of on-going protection available today. Endure is alcohol-free, non-toxic, kills 99.9% of germs, protects between hand washing and does not contain added moisturizers which makes it an ideal daily use hand sanitizer. MicroShield Endure is long-lasting. Research indicates the technology behind MicroShield 360 Endure provides a 4-hour reduction on the skin.

MicroShield 360 is an industry leader in antimicrobial coating systems. The system is EPA registered and FDA approved for direct food contact surfaces. Once applied to surfaces within your facility, treated surfaces are protected between cleaning and disinfecting 24/7 up to an entire year. MicroShield 360 offers a full line of products such as disinfectants and hand sanitizers. If you would like to learn more about our professionally applied antimicrobial system or one of our products, please contact us at 800-686-4360.