The truth about anti-bacterial handwashes

Cleanliness, we’re told, is next to godliness, but how do you ensure this with all the germs that are floating around? Since they’re so exposed and come in contact with a variety of surfaces, hands tend to need a little extra attention when it comes to hygiene. That’s why handwashes and hand sanitisers are so important.

Almost all liquid hand washes claim to provide 99.9 per cent protection from germs. But is that really true? Hello Testing, a collaboration between Newslaundry and Consumer VOICE, decided to review some of the liquid soap brands so that you know whether the claims your preferred handwash makes are accurate or not.

VOICE conducted anti-bacterial performance tests on 10 brands namely Dettol+, Reliance Externa, Bacter Shield, Savlon Double Strength, Godrej Protekt Masterchef’s, Santoor Extra Gentle and Palmolive in non-soap-based category; and Hammam, Lifebuoy Mild Care and Patanjali Herbal in soap-based category. Though all the handwashes got a full score in removing germs and killing the bacteria, Dettol+ and Hammam were the top performers in the non-soap-based and soap-based categories respectively.

Human skin has the most favourable environment for microbes to multiply. So it is very important for a handwash to kill the germs once it comes in contact with them and stop further growth of bacteria. To check whether the brands fulfilled their claims, a zone of inhibition and contact kill test was done. All the handwashes cleared the tests and received full scores in killing the bacteria.

Though we don’t give picking handwashes much thought, it is always a good idea to check the amount of synthetic detergent a brand uses in making the liquid soaps. A high quantity of synthetic detergent in your soap can lead to serious health hazards. If you are choosing one among the 10 brands mentioned above, avoid Bacter Shield and Reliance Externa as they contain the maximum amount of synthetic detergent.

For people who care more about how their hands will smell after washing, VOICE conducted a sensory panel test that ranked the handwashes for their fragrance, lather richness and smoothness of the handwashes. Palmolive topped the test with 11.6 points out of 15 whereas Savlon seemed to be the least appealing to the senses.