Iscaguard develop alcohol-free hand sanitiser that effectively kills Coronavirus

The outbreak of COVID-19 has put personal hygiene and bacterial contamination at the forefront of consumer behaviour. In the UK alone, sales of hand sanitizer soared by 255% in February compared to the previous year.

So, what does this mean for the cosmetic industry?

As a result of increased demand, many formulators may be struggling to find a supply of alcohol for hand sanitiser that is effective enough to kill off the virus. Additionally, some may be looking for an alternative solution to alcohol that doesn’t dry out the skin.

This is where Iscaguard VIR provides the perfect solution.

Iscaguard VIR is an active ingredient that can be used instead of alcohol in antibacterial products, such as hand sanitiser, at only 1% addition. A sample of hand sanitiser formulated with Iscaguard VIR was submitted to one of the UK’s leading independent lab facilities for evaluation against Betacoronavirus – the closest surrogate available to the Wuhan Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

The hand sanitiser was tested according to BS EN 14476:2013 + A2:2019, which is the most severe test for virucidal activity.

The results of the testing showed that the hand sanitiser demonstrated a log reduction of 4.0, which represents a kill rate of 99.99% against the virus. Therefore, the results form the basis of an end-product claim for efficacy against the Wuhan virus, SARS-CoV-2, as long as the formulation below (Table 1) is followed:

However, the efficacy of hand sanitisers formulated using different raw materials would have to be tested independently to make the same claim. Equivalent raw materials may also be used in the process.

In addition to hand sanitiser, Iscaguard VIR provides antibacterial and fungicidal properties for use in a range of other hygienic products. For example, it can be used in the formulation of wet wipes at exactly the same concentration level (1%).

Although the wet wipe formulation has not been tested against Betacoronavirus, its efficacy has been tested against other viruses, such as Human Influenza Virus A (H1N1), Norovirus and HFMFD according to EN14476:2005. We would be happy to share the wet wipe formulation upon request.

Iscaguard VIR can also be used in hard surface cleaners but will also need to be tested for efficacy against the virus.

All test data reports are available upon request. For more information on Iscaguard or to request a sample of our product, get in touch at enquiries@iscauk.com.