Concerning the article published in Sanitary Maintenance, titled “Soaps For Vulnerable Occupants”

Dear Editor:
 
While I agree with most points in the article, however I feel the need to point out the numerous factual errors in the article.
 
“These products include agents that kill and prevent the growth of bacteria, fungi and viruses. There are also antibactyerial soaps that kill only bacteria.”
 
1) No skin cleanser product will claim virus kill. To do so would be in violation of FDA rules and the product would be considered Misbranded and Adulterated.

2) No product exists that intentionally kills only bacteria and not other microorganisms.

3) The author uses antibacterial and antimicrobial as if they have separate meanings in our industry. They do not, they are synonyms used interchangeably.

 
“In fact, antimicrobial or antibacterial soaps must be left on the hands for about two minutes to have any greater effect than a traditional soap.”
 
1) This is not a fact, it is simply false for any quality antimicrobial skin cleanser product. As an example our Healthcare Personnel Handwash achieves greater than six log reduction (99.999 percent) against 23 tested organisms in 15 seconds. This was tested both in-vitro and in-vivo.

 
“Instead, users may experience more harm than good. The chemicals in these products are harsher on the skin than regular soap.”
 
1) Completely false for many products on the market. As an example, our Healthcare Personnel Handwash was tested in a Repeat Insult Patch Test with 50 subjects. There was zero incidences of irritation or sensitization, making our product milder than Ivory bar soap. Mildness of any product is formula dependent.

 
“Unlike the sanitizers of many years ago, newer products include enough emollients to prevent drying”
 
1) Completely false urban legend. Alcohol based hand sanitizers do not now, nor have they ever caused drying of skin. I know this because 1) I designed many of the formulas on the market today, and 2) I participated in numerous studies showing alcohol hand sanitizers do not dry out hands.
 
So you know, I am a personal care formulation scientist with more than 20 years of experience and 100’s of commercialized formulas.
 
Thanks for your consideration and have a nice day.
 
Ron Barnhart
Chemist
Spartan Chemical Company, Inc.