Effectiveness of a nonrinse, alcohol-free antiseptic hand wash

This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel surfactant, allantoin, and ben zalkonium chloride hand sanitizer using the US Food and Drug Administration 's method for testing antiseptic hand washes that podiatric physicians and other health-care personnel use. The alcohol-free product, HandClens, was c ompared with an alcohol-based product, Purell. Independent researchers from the California College of Podiatric Medicine conducted the study using 40 volunteer students from the class of 2001. The results show that HandClens outperformed Purell and met the regulatory requirements for a hand sanitize r. Purell failed as an antimicrobial hand wash and was less effective than a control soap used in the study.