The FDA and other global regulatory agencies continue to crack down on product ingredients and manufacturing controls for hand hygiene solutions, including taking action against products formulated with methanol or 1-propanol. (1) As a global leader in infection prevention solutions and expertise, Ecolab is committed to providing the highest quality product to our customers. 

Throughout the world, we provide a broad range of solutions to help reduce the spread of disease, including several hand hygiene products and programs, which help clean more than 40 billion hands annually.   

Now more than ever, clean hands are safe hands. Proper hand hygiene is a critical component to preventing the spread of diseases like COVID-19, (2) and product quality, safety efficacy can make all the difference. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and more companies introduce hand sanitizers into the market, it is important to know what to look for to identify safe and effective solutions. Don’t compromise your health and safety with potentially toxic or expired and illegal product.

• If soap and water are not readily available, the CDC recommends consumers use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. (3) 
• Always refer to the product label before use. 
  • Hand sanitizers sold in the United States must comply with strict labeling guidance.
  • Hand sanitizer must be labeled with an expiration date. It is not recommended to be used if that date has passed. 
  • If the product supplier is following FDA guidance, the label on the bottle should include:
    • Drug Facts Label
    • Words: Active Ingredient
    • Warnings Section
    • Purpose of the Product
    • Name and address of the manufacturer
• Look for clues of quality issues before and during use:
  • The product should look even throughout, and not have separation of color or opacity.
  • If the product produces an unexpected odor it could be a sign of impurities in ingredients.

All Ecolab hand care products distributed in the US follow FDA guidance and stringent manufacturing controls. This helps ensure our hand sanitizers are not formulated with methanol, 1-propanol, or elevated levels of benzene. Additionally, our products are formulated and tested to ensure they contain at least the alcohol level listed on the product FDA Drug Facts label. 

Ecolab is committed to helping customers address public health issues such as COVID-19 through comprehensive programs that help reduce the spread of disease. Informed by our nearly 100 years of experience in helping to keep hands and critical environments clean, our hand hygiene solutions are integrated into programs that include consultation, training and implementation support to help keep operations running and guests safe and healthy.   

Please refer to the product label for proper safety and use. For more information on how our programs help address COVID-19 and promote public health, please visit www.ecolab.com/coronavirus.  
 

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(1.) FDA Takes Action to Place All Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers from Mexico on Import Alert to Help Prevent Entry of Violative and Potentially Dangerous Products into U.S., Protect U.S. Consumers. January, 26, 2021: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-takes-action-place-all-alcohol-based-hand-sanitizers-mexico-import

(2.) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/hand-hygiene.html

(3.) https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/qa-consumers-hand-sanitizers-and-covid-19