In the face of current events, with hands being in the spotlight, many of you have been wondering about the different hand sanitizers available on the market.
We thought we’d take the time to address this topic here, to give you all the information you need.👇
At Merci Handy, we’ve been taking care of your hands (but also of your teeth, and more) for the past 5 years now.
Since day one, 🌈 we’ve been putting all our energy into offering you quality products: we’ve modified our formula, changed our bottles for recyclable plastic ones, and improved the quality of our ingredients. Our formula is now 98% natural origin and 100% vegan, with natural alcohol.
The mission of our Merci Handy hand gels is to clean, and remove impurities from your hands. Cleansing gels are cosmetic products and their action is similar to that of soap: they contain compounds that absorb impurities (microcrystalline cellulose, corn starch and maltodextrin) as well as solvents (water and alcohol) that have a cleansing function and remove captured impurities. Here, the evacuation is done by evaporation (enabled by the alcohol content of the gel) and not by rinsing with water.
With regular hand washing, as explained by « C’est pas sorcier » , for instance, the soap particles establish chemical bonds with impurities (dirt, grease, microorganisms, etc...) and the rinsing of the hands allows to evacuate the mixture formed by soap particles and impurities.
But above all, our hand gels are fun 🦄, colorful products with glitter ✨ and aloe vera 🌱that hydrate hands. They are the stars of our unicorns-and-rainbows-filled world and are exclusively available in perfumeries and supermarkets.
That was for us.
Other than that, you also have the other hand gel family: biocides. But what are "biocides", exactly? Don't panic... we'll explain!
Biocidal hydroalcoholic gels have a disinfectant and antibacterial action, since the chemical compounds of the biocide kill bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. They are used in the medical and paramedical sectors, but can also be found in supermarkets. (See table below for better understanding) 🏥
These products therefore have an antiseptic and disinfectant action. Disinfecting means "killing, eliminating or inactivating undesirable microorganisms (parasites, bacteria) or viruses according to a given objective" (for example "reducing the quantity of such and such organism below a set threshold"). Click here to find out more about it.
Biocides have a higher alcohol content than cosmetic products.
We hope that this little "scientific update" will have enlightened you on cosmetic gels and biocides! 🤓
Feel free to contact our team if you have any doubts or questions or if you just want to send us some love. We’ll do our best to answer as soon as possible.
Louis, founder and CEO of Merci Handy
* Here’s a table to help you understand better, based on the information we have
Merci Handy Products |
Biocides |
Distributed in cosmetic shops (Séphora, Marionnaud) |
Not distributed in cosmetic shops |
Sold in the cosmetics sections of medium and large supermarkets |
Sold in the personal hygiene and beauty products sections of medium and large supermarkets |
Not sold in drugstores |
Sold in drugstores, where employees usually wear a white coat, which is a direct reference to the medical world |
Not used in hospitals, health facilities or paramedical institutions |
Used in hospitals, health facilities and paramedical institutions |