By Hugo Elliot
Since March 2020, when COVID-19 outbreak was first reported, it has been a tough race trying to beat the pandemic. To address the problem, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that people should regularly wash their hands using soap and water. FDA also recommends that people should use hand sanitizers if they do not have access to clean water and soap.
A Note on Poor Quality Hand Sanitizers on the Market
When the FDA announced that hand sanitizers were good in reducing the spread of COVID-19, a lot of people started buying them to the extent that manufacturers were unable to sustain the demand. To remedy this situation, FDA relaxed the rules for hand sanitizer manufacturing, meaning that more producers could join the production chain to fill the gap.
However, the entry of new producers resulted in the production of low-quality hand sanitizers, prompting FDA blacklisting some of them. This brings about one question, “How do you formulate high-quality hand sanitizer?” Here are some useful tips to consider.
Follow the Recommended Ingredients and Formula
To make high-quality hand sanitizers, you should follow the FDA’s recommended guidelines, which outlines the right ingredients and formula to use. The right formula is that the hand sanitizers that you make should have at least 60% alcohol. Note that it is not just any alcohol, but ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.
In addition to alcohol, you should use sterile water and glycerol for the remaining parts to make it 100%. Note that all the ingredients used to prepare hand sanitizers should be pure or free from impurities.
Avoid Harmful Ingredients
With more manufacturers joining the hand sanitizer production, the supply of raw materials has taken a downtrend, prompting some producers to use low-quality ingredients. However, this is the wrong path to follow because your hand sanitizers are likely to get banned from the market. So, it would be best if you looked for quality alcohol and other raw materials from both local and international suppliers. In addition, you should avoid using the following harmful materials:
- Methanol: Methanol is a type of alcohol that is mainly used in pesticides and as an alternative source of fuel. If ingested, methanol can cause problems such as blindness and damage to the nervous system.
- 1–Propanol: This is another common alcohol that is used for making industrial solvents. If ingested, 1-Propanol can depress the central nervous system, cause breathing problems and even death.
Test Both the Raw Materials and Finished Hand Sanitizers
Now that you know the right ingredients for making hand sanitizers, the best way to ensure they are of high-quality is by checking them in a third-party laboratory. The lab can help to test the quality of the raw materials to ensure it is free from harmful content, such as methanol, before production can commence. If you notice that the raw materials are impure, the best thing is declining the batch and looking for a high-quality one.
Because contamination can also happen during production, you should also test the hand sanitizer before releasing it into the market. This will give you the assurance that you are sending high-quality hand sanitizer to the market for your clients to use.
If you want to produce high-quality hand sanitizers to help address the current shortage, it is paramount to understand and follow the guidelines set by FDA. The easiest way to achieve this is by working with a third-party laboratory to test both the raw materials and final hand sanitizer before releasing it into the market.
