Retailers Take Hands-On Approach in Stocking Hand Sanitizer Products

May 21, 2008 - PRLog -- — As health care and infection control experts remain increasingly vocal in promoting proper hand hygiene as the best way to protect against the spread of easily-transmitted germs and bacteria, the country’s leading retailers are taking notice of a growing trend within what market research firm AC Nielsen says is a $100 million-a-year market for hand sanitizer products; consumers are demanding products that can provide the same germ killing effectiveness as legacy, alcohol-based gels, but without the dangerous side-effects inherent to these products. Towards meeting this demand, major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Target are busy stocking their shelves with alternative, alcohol-free, rinse free hand sanitizing products that have proven to be equally effective insofar as germ killing, yet are otherwise considered safer to use and friendlier to the hands when compared to alcohol-based products that have proliferated in the marketplace during the past decade.

According to Jay Beckman, spokesman for MGS Brands, the US distributor for Soapopular®, one of the fastest-growing brands within the alcohol-free hand sanitizer category, “With more than 1 in 4 households now purchasing hand sanitizer products on a regular basis, coupled with the increasing presence of hand sanitizers within a wide variety of health care, educational, travel-oriented and corporate facilities, institutional and in-store sales of Soapopular® are proving that the growing awareness and concerns about product safety has become a forefront topic.”

Added Beckman, “Within six months of introducing Soapopular®, our product can already be found on upwards of 3000 retail store shelves throughout the country, including hundreds of Target and Wal-Mart locations. Initial sales data from retail partners indicate that our alcohol-free alternative is already surpassing 10%-15% of total hand sanitizer purchases, and in many instances, Soapopular® is outselling incumbent, alcohol-based gels by as much as 4:1. Within the same time frame, we’ve become the #2 hand sanitizer on Amazon.com. On the institutional side, we get unsolicited inquiries every day for our dispensing systems from schools, health care venues, and a wide variety of corporate and government procurement managers, all of whom are telling us that alcohol-based products are being systematically banned from their facilities.”

Many health experts are raising their hands and pointing out that alcohol-based gels lose their effectiveness within seconds after application, they do not actually work on hands that might be dirty, they are infamous for destroying important protective skin cells, and they are notorious for causing the skin to become dry and irritated. The typical hand sanitizer product has a 62% alcohol content, which is equivalent to a 140 proof libation; this presents an obvious risk, especially to children whose parents are applying this product on their hands. These products are also flammable and destructive to floors, walls, and a wide variety of materials, which presents a major risk to facilities that implement dispenser-based devices.  

Noted Dr. Richard Tooker, Chief Medical Officer for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, “I don't know why we always seem to stress alcohol -based hand sanitizes. It may be to keep public education easier/ less complicated. I personally don't like them because I have eczema and it really dries and inflames my skin, increasing my risk for infection!”

Soapopular®’s rinse free, fragrance free foaming hand sanitizers utilizes benzalkonium chloride (BAC) as its active ingredient; the same organic compound used for many decades within dozens of consumer health care-related products, including Bayer Corp.’s Bactine brand First Aid antiseptic, and Johnson & Johnson’s BandAid brand foaming antiseptic; antibacterial products recognized for extended persistency in the course of killing a wide-array of the most commonly-transmitted pathogens, including MRSA, various forms of staph infection, Salmonella, Hepatitis, strains of Influenza, and even Athletes Foot.

About Mata Global Solutions

Established in 1997 and based in Fairfield, Connecticut, Mata Global Solutions d/b/a MGS Brands and d/b/a MGS Soapopular, is led by a team of former corporate executives that have served the largest brand name enterprises in the world. The firm specializes in the import, branding, licensing, and distribution of unique, consumer-oriented products within the food, wellness and lifestyle sectors.  Additional information about Soapopular® can be found at http://www.SoapyUSA.com; Mata Global Solutions can be found on the internet at http://www.MGSmata.com

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Established in 1997 and based in Fairfield, Connecticut, Mata Global Solutions d/b/a MGS Brands and d/b/a MGS Soapopular, (http://www.mgsmata.com) is led by a team of former corporate executives that have served the largest brand name enterprises in the world. The firm specializes in the import, branding, licensing, and distribution of unique, consumer-oriented products within the food, wellness and lifestyle sectors.