What’s Trending With Soaps And Sanitizers

In this Manufacturer Roundtable, Facility Cleaning Decisions took the compilation of questions we received from readers and asked soap/sanitizer manufacturers to weigh in.

Are there any current trends in fragrances for soaps and sanitizers?
Soap companies are constantly looking for the latest in consumer trends. The trends can come from anywhere, but especially the food industry. You will find soaps that have exotic fragrances like Cherry Blossom, Coconut Water, Fresh Pear and even exotic ingredients such Himalayan Pink Salt, Greek Yogurt and Sugar Cane. If the ingredients are good for your inside, then they are good for your outside.
— Ronald Lewis, Associate Brand Manager, Diversified Markets, Henkel Consumer Goods, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona

High-end facilities often prefer scented soaps, but this interferes with green/sustainable initiatives. How can facility managers offer both green and high-end scented products to occupants?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that a green certified product has to be fragrance free, when in fact, there is third-party criteria that has been established specifically to define what types of fragrances are allowed in green certified products. We recommend you choose fragranced products that have been evaluated and certified by third-party green certification organizations.
— Nicole Koharik, Global Sustainability Marketing Director, GOJO Industries, Akron, Ohio

Fragrance companies offer naturally-derived scents that can be used in soaps and sanitizers. Some green programs do allow fragranced products that are not so heavily scented. Soap companies can also offer the consumer preferred scented soaps by using natural ingredients that have pleasant scents like aloe and citrus extracts.
— Ronald Lewis, Associate Brand Manager, Diversified Markets, Henkel Consumer Goods, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona

Soaps are often offered as amenity in hospitality, some school locker rooms and hospital patient rooms. Why should facility managers also consider offering body washes and shampoos for these areas?
Body wash and shampoo in convenient dispensers can be a very nice perk to have in a shower. Those little amenity bottles are hard to open and are very wasteful. Guests are not able to use all the product and those little bottles often are not recycled and end up in a landfill. Bar soaps are used once or twice and then thrown away in the trash. The added bonus for the hospital or gym is that they could save up to 50 percent on their current amenity cost.
— Ronald Lewis, Associate Brand Manager, Diversified Markets, Henkel Consumer Goods, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona