By Dan Ciamprone, St. Charles Republican, Posted Jul 19, 2010 @ 12:57 PM, St. Charles, IL —

Everyday, people are exposed to germs and diseases that are invisible to the naked eye. For Aaron Powers, the time had come for germs to meet not a new enemy, but an enhanced one.

Hand sanitizer is considered one of the easiest, most convenient ways to combat germs. However, these alcohol-based hand sanitizers have a short duration, need constant reapplying, leave skin dry and are a safety concern for children, according to recent reports.

Powers, whose business is based in St. Charles, has developed a new silica-based formula called,
Prefenz Botanicals Hand Sanitizer. Prefenz is alcohol-free, and unlike other products, it is effective for 24 hours, stays active through up to 10 hand washings and comes as a citrus-scented foam.

Old hand sanitizers killed germs by basically dehydrating them and shrinking the germ cells. Prefenz uses lysis, which is basically the breaking down of a cell before it comes into contact with one’s skin.

“As a germ gets into contact with the surface of your skin it’s almost as if there are microscopic needles everywhere,” he said.

According to Powers, some insurance companies are now insisting on not having hand sanitizers in offices because they can be flammable.

“Our product is a very safe alternative,” he said. “We’ve seen reductions in absenteeism by 30 percent. I’m not saying that’s all because of our product, but I believe it has a great deal to do with it.”

To demonstrate this, Powers even shot a few a pumps worth of the sanitizer directly into his mouth. Not only the safety, but the feel of the product is much different than old sanitizers. It is lighter, unnoticeable and it does not leave hands feeling sticky.

“The toxicity level is so low that you can drink 13 gallons without being in danger,” Powers said. “That’s the same as water.”

Prefenz also claims to be one of the best fighters against H1N1, or swine flu.

Notable
Aaron Powers helped develop a hand sanitizer that is now used by major business companies, the Chicago Blackhawks and college sports teams including the Iowa Hawkeyes.

“Once a germ gets on (it), it’s as if a balloon landed on a porcupine and it blew to smithereens.”

Business philosophy
Make your own opportunities.

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/stcharles/features/x242419454/Local-business-attacking-germs