Are Hand Sanitisers Natural & Vegan/Halal Friendly?

16 December 2021

Over recent years and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, hand sanitisers have become an item of everyday use.

They are perfect for killing pathogens, mould, and fungi, but when we look beneath the label are hand sanitisers natural, vegan and halal-friendly? Coler Medical PPE investigates in our latest article.

Natural

Many hand sanitisers describe themselves as natural, so what is natural? To be natural hand sanitisers requires both environmentally-friendly values as well as being non-toxic:

  • Environmentally-friendly –
    • se natural hand sanitiser to avoid using harmful chemicals such as ethanol, propanol, and triclosan. These as well as other chemicals are all harmful if they escape into the environment
Hand Rash
Some hand sanitisers are known to irritate the skin with repeated use

Non-toxic – Allergies and immune system health – some hand sanitisers include ingredients such as Triclosan, which impairs the immune system and can also trigger allergies

Carcinogenic – some hand sanitisers include benzene as well as other chemicals linked to cancer

Poisonous to drink – alcohol-based hand sanitisers are a poison and if ingested can kill. Sadly, numerous children have died after mistakenly drinking hand sanitiser, which includes active ingredients such as methanol (a highly toxic substance)

Synthetic fragrances – added fragrances (potentially) include a number of non-natural ingredients including parabens, phthalates, and artificial dyes

To buy a natural hand sanitiser, choose a product that is environmentally-friendly and is also non-toxic, such as the MIST-IFY range from Coler Medical PPE.

Vegan

Numerous criteria are required when you buy vegan friendly hand sanitisers. Just because hand sanitiser is not swallowed is irrelevant as a true vegan will not consume any product that contains animal-based ingredients and/or has been tested on animals. These include:

  • The formulation is plant-based – This is not always as easy to verify as it would first seem. Glycerine for example can be either plant or animal in origin and it can be extremely difficult to identify the source origin. Gelatine is another ingredient that is frequently included in hand sanitisers
  • Not tested on animals – Fragrance and artificial colours are frequently tested on animals, and it is not always easy to identify if this is the case. Additionally, the hand sanitiser as a final product may have also been tested on animals before use by humans. Look for hand sanitisers, which are stated to be cruelty-free
Vegan Cruelty Free Hand Sanitisers
It is possible to buy vegan and cruelty-free hand sanitisers

Our advice when seeking to buy a vegan-friendly hand sanitiser is to do your research. Some brands sadly use “vegan-friendly” for marketing purposes and the truth beneath the surface is different.

Halal

A halal compliant hand sanitiser would require that there be no pork used as an ingredient and that the product contains no alcohol.

Some hand sanitisers include pork-originating gelatine. Whilst plant-based gelatine is fine, pork-based would not be. Regrettably, labels often state “gelatine” and therefore it is difficult to trace the exact origin.

The use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers is a subject of controversy in the Islamic religion. The alcohol used in hand sanitisers is usually ethanol and is not the same as alcohol from grapes, wheat, etc. Additionally, hand sanitiser is not drunk/ingested. Irrespective, many scholars recommend avoiding alcohol-based hand sanitisers in favour of natural alternatives. Read this article for a detailed discussion on this topic.

If halal-compliancy is important to you, why not use an entirely natural hand sanitiser such as the MIST-IFY range from Coler Medical PPE, where halal-compliancy is guaranteed.

Contacting Coler Medical PPE

We have only briefly delved into the topic of vegan, halal-friendly and natural hand sanitisers. Our advice is always to do your research, the hand sanitiser you use may not be what you think it is!

Rest assured that the MIST-IFY hand sanitisers range are natural, vegan, and halal-friendly, but if you have any questions please contact Coler Medical PPE on +44 (0) 1827 794 294 or email info@colermedical-ppe.co.uk.

Image Credits: Wikipedia and Vegan Friendly

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