A hand sanitizer that lasts all day?
1 application good for 24 hrs.
Taken from Chicago Sun-Times
BY MARISSA AMONI For the Beacon-News
If you keep finding yourself looking around for hand sanitizer before you grab a doorknob, or are anxious to pull out a bottle after shaking hands, a local company might have what you need.
St. Charles-based Prefense LLC recently introduced an alcohol-free hand sanitizer that it says provides 24-hour protection.
The hand sanitizer, called Prefenz, is silica-based and designed to fend off germs and bacteria by essentially acting like a glove with tiny spikes — penetrating the bacteria wall and killing what might be lurking on a public surface.
“If a transfer of germs occurs while [the active ingredient] is on defense, it actively slices the cell wall of pathogens you confront for up to 24 hours, whether wet or dry,” states the product Web site at www.prefenzbotanicals.com.
“It provides people with a much better option for fending off those nasty “super bugs” that are out there these days,” said Aaron Powers, co-developer.
The active ingredient, AMOSILQ, is a silica complex that dries into an invisible, protective film that bonds to skin and is not washed off by soap and water — lasting up to 10 hand washings.
Powers said a typical hand sanitizer contains 62 percent alcohol and needs to be applied 10 to 17 times a day to maintain compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
For now, health-care facilities won’t be able to cut down on their use of hand sanitizers by switching to a product like Prefenz.
“We are required to follow CDC guidelines, which require the use of an alcohol-based product,” said Maria Montero, manager of infection prevention at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora.
Prefenz Botanicals is available at Fruitful Yield stores. An individual (1.5 ounce) size costs $6.99. The standard 8-ounce size, with 700 applications, retails for $15.99.
Sun-Times Media
