Science

Overview & Protocols

SafeHands® Alcohol-Free Instant Hand Sanitizers have been extensively tested at University of California Fresno’s Research and Development Laboratories, validating the superior advantage of using alcohol-free products over alcohol-based products. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers contain ethanol or isopropanol, or a combination of these two products with a moisturizer that is intended to “mask” the smell of alcohol and minimize irritation to the skin. However, all alcohol-based products work by stripping away the outer layer of oil on the skin, thereby destroying any "transient" microorganisms present on the surface of the hands but unfortunately resulting in painfully dry and cracked hands.

Alcohol-based products and SafeHands alcohol-free products are only similar in their ability to immediately and effectively kill 99.99% of germs. However, multiple uses of alcohol-based products result in bacteria accumulating in cracks and fissures of the user’s skin. In fact, as stated in June 2001 issue of The Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, by leading scientists, the more alcohol-based products are applied to the hands, “the more contaminated the hands become.”

Finally, flammability of alcohol is another serious side effect of all alcohol-based products. Clinical studies on the SafeHands proprietary formula were performed at University of California Fresno’s research and development laboratories. Third party independent tests are; 1) Glove-Juice testing of SafeHands proprietary formula versus alcohol-based, comparing the efficacy and drying effects, 2) testing alcohol’s flammability vs. the non flammability of SafeHands and 3) validating that SafeHands alcohol-free foam delivers 2-3 times more applications per ounce than alcohol gel products. - Cost Per Use Test Results

The harmful side effects of Alcohol-based vs. Alcohol-free instant hand sanitizers were validated in studies first published in October 1998 by leading scientists in the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) journal.

The studies compared alcohol-free products with alcohol-based products and validated the dry skin damaging effects of alcohol and the decreased germ-killing rate with multiple uses. In February 2006, SafeHands concluded extensive in-vitro and in-vivo independent studies at University of California, Fresno further validating this earlier study as well as demonstrating the alcohol products dangers of flammability (and extinguishing the flames with SafeHands products).