FDA Listed, Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer from Disinfect & Shield™ Kills COVID-19 On Contact and Remains on Skin for Hours

New study finds alcohol-free hand sanitizers as effective against Coronavirus

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study published in The Journal of Hospital Infection from researchers at Brigham Young University finds that alcohol-free hand sanitizers containing benzalkonium chloride are just as effective against the COVID-19 virus as alcohol-based products. Disinfect & Shield^™ Hand Sanitizer is available as a moisture-infused foam or spray that leaves an invisible, “breathable” barrier on the skin. It not only destroys 99.99% of bacteria but is also eco-friendly, making it ultra-safe for use around pets and plants while protecting the treated area for up to a full eight hours. Unlike most hand sanitizers, Disinfect & Shield is alcohol-free, eliminating the harsh fumes and cracked, dry skin that accompanies alcohol-based sanitizers and its safe for use on PPE like gloves.

“There have been revolutionary nanotechnology changes in recent years as scientists are trying to make chemicals safer and more sustainable,” says Patrick Haddad, Chief Product & Technology Officer of Disinfect & Shield. “It’s so important to abstain from using harsh chemicals like alcohol in hand sanitizers because they can cause harsh fumes and cracked, dry skin. Disinfect & Shield is benzalkonium chloride-based, made with a patented manufacturing process, and the beauty of it is that it protects skin for up to eight hours.”

Several laboratories have conducted extensive testing of the Disinfect & Shield product against numerous viruses, bacteria, molds, and fungi – enveloped and non- enveloped, including strains of SARS, MRSA, and Staph infection. None of these organisms were able to penetrate the Disinfect & Shield protective coating.

Disinfect & Shield is a fast-acting nanotechnology which destroys viruses and bacteria and prevents them from attaching to skin, surfaces, and clothes. The active ingredient is a colorless, odorless, positively charged polymer that bonds to the treated surface creating a layer of electrically charged “swords”. They protect the surface from biofilm growth by puncturing the cell membrane.

“The BYU scientists who conducted the study suspected that the CDC's preference for alcohol sanitizer stemmed from as-yet limited research on what really works to disinfect SARS-CoV-2. To explore other options, they treated samples of the novel coronavirus with benzalkonium chloride, which is commonly used in alcohol-free hand sanitizers, and several other quaternary ammonium compounds regularly found in disinfectants. In most of the test cases, the compounds wiped out at least 99.9% of the virus within 15 seconds. Our results indicate that alcohol-free hand sanitizer works just as well, so we could, maybe even should, be using it to control COVID,” said lead study author Benjamin Ogilvie.