Purell is most NBC Select staffers’ go-to hand sanitizer because it’s reliable and readily available online and in stores. Plus, it comes in various bottle sizes, including a travel-sized option with a built-in keychain. The gel leaves hands feeling soft due to its mild formula, which is made with moisturizing ingredients like glycerin.
“Touchland is everything you want in a hand sanitizer,” says NBC Select updates editor Mili Godio. “It’s super hydrating, smells great and incredibly easy to apply. I keep bottles in my purse, work tote and travel backpack, and I have multiple at my desk to spritz throughout the workday.” Touchland’s hand sanitizer is made with aloe vera, which hydrates skin, and radish root ferment filtrate, which helps skin retain moisture so it stays soft, according to the brand. It has a lightweight, non-sticky and non-greasy finish when it dries, says Godio. You can buy keychain cases for bottles separately.
Hand sanitizer wipes make it easy to quickly cover your skin in the germ-fighting solution and efficiently clean kids’ hands, especially when they won’t sit still. The Honest Company’s fragrance-free sanitizing wipes are made with moisturizing aloe and glycerin, as well as alcohol. They come in a pack with a hard-top lid so they stay moist.
Germ-X’s hand sanitizer comes in a 1-liter bottle, so it’s a great option for homes with multiple people or public spaces like offices. The formula is made with glycerin and hyaluronic acid to boost the moisture content in skin and help it retain hydration, according to the brand. Germ-X’s hand sanitizer leaves your hands feeling smooth once it dries.
This hand sanitizer comes in pocket-sized sprayer bottles you can refill. Noshinku sells pouches of liquid separately, and a full bottle gives you over 300 mists, according to the brand. The hand sanitizer is made with jojoba, argan, rosehip and coconut oils to moisturize skin and leave it feeling soft, as well as essential oils to add natural fragrance.
Alōh uses essential oils rather than synthetic fragrances in its hand sanitizers, leaving your hands clean and smelling like lemongrass, peppermint or orange without using chemicals. The gel also has hydrating aloe vera and glycerin in its formula to make skin feel softer after application.
Hand sanitizer isn’t effective unless you use it correctly. Here are tips from experts and the CDC.
The alcohol in hand sanitizer destroys germs by attacking bacteria and viruses’ essential cell structures, breaking them down and killing them, says Gardner. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers work quickly to cut down bacterial cell counts and inactivate most viruses, says Govindaraju.
Use hand sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available, so long as your hands are free from visible dirt or grease, says Gardner. These guidelines are for the general public — there’s different suggestions for healthcare workers.
Using soap and water to wash your hands is superior to using hand sanitizer — soap and water removes all germs and dirt from your hands, while hand sanitizer only targets certain germs, according to the CDC. Using hand sanitizer is a great option for a quick clean if you don’t have access to soap and water, but there’s some situations where only a thorough handwashing will do, says Govindaraju and Gardner:
Hand sanitizer effectively kills most illness-causing germs, but not all of them, says Govindaraju. For example, experts say it doesn’t work against C. difficile, a bacteria that can cause severe diarrhea and colon inflammation, or norovirus. Brands also test their hand sanitizers in labs under controlled conditions, which isn’t entirely reflective of how people use hand sanitizer in real life. And if you don’t use hand sanitizer correctly, or have a lot of dirt, oils or sweat on your hands when you apply it, it’s not fully effective, says Govindaraju.
Yes, hand sanitizer can cause dry skin since it’s made with alcohol, a moisture-stripping ingredient, says Govindaraju. If your skin shows signs of dryness, consider using a hydrating hand cream as needed. Wait at least 20 to 30 seconds after using hand sanitizer, or until your hands are completely dry, to apply hand cream.
Yes, hand sanitizer made with at least 60% alcohol, per the CDC’s guidelines, is eligible for reimbursement with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA) or a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). It is not eligible with a dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA) or a limited-purpose flexible spending account (LPFSA).
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
I’m a reporter at NBC Select who’s covered health and wellness for over five years. I’ve written about topics like KN95, N95 and disposable face masks, as well as at-home Covid tests, thermometers and disinfectants. To write this article, I interviewed two medical professionals about how to pick the most effective hand sanitizers and how to use them correctly. I also curated a list of the best hand sanitizers to buy based on expert and CDC guidance.
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