Moisturising care and hygiene go hand in hand

Dry skin conditions caused by regular use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers have become a widespread skin care concern for consumers in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic. To address this, DSM has tested the efficacy of its proven moisturising skin bioactive Pentavitin® (INCI - Saccharide Isomerate) in a hand sanitiser formula with a 70% alcohol concentration. Saccharide Isomerate mimics essential molecules that are part of the skin’s natural moisturising factor, or NMF, which is significantly reduced by frequent hand cleansing and sanitising. This new study shows that when this ingredient is added to a hand sanitiser, skin hydration improves instantly.

Hand hygiene is, arguably, one of the most significant aspects of consumer behaviour to have been affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Regular and thorough hand cleansing, using soap and water or an alcoholbased sanitiser, is well-known to be one of the most effective ways of protecting against viruses and infections1 and the new routine of “Wash, Rinse, Repeat” is now widely accepted in everyday life.

However, while scrupulous hand hygiene is clearly essential in helping to control the spread of infections, it does come with some side effects, because repeated hand washing and excessive use of hand sanitiser can impair skin barrier function, resulting in dry, cracked and sore skin. This phenomenon has long been known to affect specific groups such as healthcare workers.2 However, with frequent hand cleansing becoming an established habit throughout the population, dry skin conditions are becoming more widespread. According to Google Trends, in March 2020, there was a 5000% increase in Internet searches relating to “dry, cracked hands”, “red and dry hands” and “dry hands from over washing”.3 Moving forward therefore, in order to maintain skin health as people adapt to new hand hygiene practices, there is going to be a growing need for cleansing and sanitising products that can also keep moisture in the skin balanced.