New Hand Sanitizer to help Defeat Flu and Stomach Viruses

Whether you are worried about the flu or, like me, at greater risk when travelling or working in crowded environments, then a valuable addition to safeguard your health routine is on hand.

Bacterial and viral contaminations can come from simply touching people carrying bacteria and viruses – through a handshake for example – or contaminated surfaces, such as a desk, handrail, phone or even a lift button. We all know that hands should be cleaned regularly, especially as studies have shown that microorganisms can survive on them for several hours. We know it, but do we do it? Sadly the answer seems to be no, or not often enough.

In a recent study participants claimed to wash their hands an average eight times a day and only 6% washed their hands two or fewer times a day. However, only 61% of the study respondents said they washed their hands after every visit to the bathroom, with four out of 10 (39%) admitting they sometimes skipped hand hygiene altogether.

There were large gaps in hand washing after other potentially infection-spreading activities. Surprisingly, well over half (58%) of respondents didn’t bother washing their hands before eating food, and nearly half (40%) said they wouldn’t wash before making and eating a sandwich, despite the threat of cross contamination. A shocking two out of 10 (20%) of those quizzed even admitted to not washing their hands before cooking or handling raw ingredients, making family mealtimes a potential health lottery.

Bacteria and viruses can lie dormant on contaminated surfaces at home, work or in public places, yet two- thirds (66%) didn’t wash their hands after travelling on public transport and 59% failed to wash after coming home from work. Only a third (32%) washed their hands after handling money and just under a quarter (23%) after coming home from doing the shopping.

Daunting statistics and despite the fact there is no doubt that regular hand washing helps to stave off colds, flu and gastrointestinal infections as well as reduce the risk of transmitting them to others. If you can’t wash your hands as often as you would like then the next best thing is to use a hand sanitizer spray that has been scientifically proven to kill bacteria and viruses quickly and effectively. Mentholatum responsebeta is an alcohol-free
hand sanitizer shown in both lab research and human trials, to kill bacteria and viruses within five minutes of use.

It does this in two ways: first with a surface active agent which cleans hands in the same way as soap. The surfactant breaks up small pieces of dirt and grease so when the hands are rubbed together, the dirt flakes off. Secondly, Mentholatum responsebeta sanitizes the hands through four key biocidal ingredients which have proven activity in killing bacteria and viruses as well as fungi, spores and yeasts. These biocides are well known for the ability to kill microorganisms yet are safe for use on human skin.

Many hand sanitizers are alcohol based and while alcohol does kill bacteria and viruses, it is only active for a very short time – about 15 seconds after use. Mentholatum responsebeta on the other hand is water based and contains no alcohol and the biocidal ingredients it contains have been shown to be effective for up to two hours after application.

Alcohol also evaporates from the skin very rapidly, leading to excessive drying of the hands and dry skin is prone to irritation so a water based sanitizer such as mentholatum responsebeta is suitable for use on sensitive skin and for children of all ages under adult supervision.

Mentholatum responsebeta comes into two sizes: 50ml for carrying with you at £2.59 or a larger 200ml for use in-home or office use at £5.21 and available at Boots and other chemists.

Article by AnnA