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Review
. 2020 Sep;48(9):1062-1067.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2020.06.182. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Hand sanitizers: A review of ingredients, mechanisms of action, modes of delivery, and efficacy against coronaviruses

Andrew P Golin  1 , Dexter Choi  1 , Aziz Ghahary  2
Affiliations
Review

Hand sanitizers: A review of ingredients, mechanisms of action, modes of delivery, and efficacy against coronaviruses

Andrew P Golin et al. Am J Infect Control. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Background: The emergence of the novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, has posed unprecedented challenges to public health around the world. Currently, strategies to deal with COVID-19 are purely supportive and preventative, aimed at reducing transmission. An effective and simple method for reducing transmission of infections in public or healthcare settings is hand hygiene. Unfortunately, little is known regarding the efficacy of hand sanitizers against SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: In this review, an extensive literature search was performed to succinctly summarize the primary active ingredients and mechanisms of action of hand sanitizers, compare the effectiveness and compliance of gel and foam sanitizers, and predict whether alcohol and non-alcohol hand sanitizers would be effective against SARS-CoV-2.

Results: Most alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective at inactivating enveloped viruses, including coronaviruses. With what is currently known in the literature, one may not confidently suggest one mode of hand sanitizing delivery over the other. When hand washing with soap and water is unavailable, a sufficient volume of sanitizer is necessary to ensure complete hand coverage, and compliance is critical for appropriate hand hygiene.

Conclusions: By extrapolating effectiveness of hand sanitizers on viruses of similar structure to SARS-CoV-2, this virus should be effectively inactivated with current hand hygiene products, though future research should attempt to determine this directly.

Keywords: COVID-19; Foam; Gel; Hand hygiene; SARS-CoV-2.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Generic structure of a virus with a lipid envelope. Image by Graham Beards, distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Generic structure of a gram-negative bacterium. Image by Ali Zifan, distributed under a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Gram-positive versus gram-negative bacteria. Image by Julian Onions, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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