ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Two products from SC Johnson Professional are said to be the first alcohol hand sanitisers to have been approved by Health Canada as offering virucidal properties.

The company's Microsan Encore and Microsan Optidose products have received approval from the Canadian health body under the 2019 Human-Use Antiseptic Drug (HUAD) guidance.

Both products underwent extensive testing before the claims were verified. This means they have been approved as being effective against all enveloped viruses as well as some non-enveloped viruses including norovirus and rotavirus.

Microsan Encore and Microsan Optidose are also claimed to be able to kill fungi and eradicate 99.9 per cent of bacteria.

Traditional advice from bodies such as the US Centers for Disease Control and the NHS is to wash the hands rather than to use alcohol sanitisers as a protection against norovirus. Sanitisers have always been considered to be less effective against the norovirus than a hand wash.

Microsan hand sanitisers are said to be particularly suitable for use in healthcare settings because they are fragrance and dye-free as well as being hypoallergenic.

They are compatible for use with latex and nitrile gloves, according to SC Johnson Professional, and they contain moisturisers to prevent the skin from drying out.