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As the country has opened up these past few months, I find myself carrying hand sanitizer with me wherever I go. Hand sanitizers are a must if you travel because they quickly eliminate 99.9% of germs (at least the ones tested!), and you can carry them in your purse or pocket and keep them in the car.

With the pandemic this year, hand sanitizers became instantly essential. A lot of them are capable of destroying certain pneumonia and influenza strains, E. coli and MRSA in seconds.

There’s a reason that sanitizers sell like hotcakes, but please be careful because some opportunistic business folks are now making a killing at your expense.

They’re formulating toxic garbage at home and then selling it online to people. You cannot trust everything available right now.

On August 27, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued a new warning to consumers to make sure that we do not buy or use any hand sanitizers that contain “methanol” or “1-propanol.”

Today, I’ll list some of the safest commercial hand sanitizers on the market. Some of them are sprays, and others are wipes. I’ve based my list below on the organization called EWG Skin Deep (ewg.org/skindeep).

As to where you can purchase any of these, I’d suggest looking online or asking your local health food store manager.

Here are my favorites:

Hero Wipes

These have alcohol and aloe in them, plus more. Each wipe is individually wrapped in a pouch to keep it sterile. They are pretty resilient even if you are vigorous with them.

Elyptol Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer

These come in wipes, gel and spray, so you can pick the best type for your needs. As you may have guessed from its name, the product boasts the use of natural eucalyptus, which reduces risk of contact dermatitis and provides a broad range of “kill” properties.

Everyone Peppermint Citrus Hand Sanitizer

There are other scents aside from peppermint citrus, but this brand offers another option utilizing alcohol (derived from non-GMO sugar cane) with aloe and glycerin so it won’t feel as drying.

Organic to Green Lavender Lemon

This contains some alcohol along with glycerin, organic coconut, lavender and lemon peel oil. When I read the natural but powerful ingredient list, I was jealous I hadn’t thought of the formula myself.

Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Hand Sanitizer

Another awesome product sold widely in health food stores, this brand utilizes the strength of Fair Trade ethanol along with organic peppermint oil and glycerin.

EO Hand Sanitizer spray or wipes

This is an easy-to-find brand that is great because it uses alcohol (sourced from non-GMO sugar cane), plus lavender essential oil, Echinacea herb (an antibacterial), and some glycerin.

Grove Collaborative Blood Orange Sanitizer

This product utilizes ethanol plus aloe, orange oil, coconut and sunflower seed oil, plus jojoba. This is an excellent combination that will leave your hands feeling nourished. It also comes in lavender and is sold at grove.co.

See SuzyCohen.com for more options.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit SuzyCohen.com.