Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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OxyBAC hand wash: very safe and highly effective
Occupational skincare specialist Deb Group, has announced the launch of OxyBAC, which it claims is the safest and most effective antibacterial hand wash for use in any food handling, general workplace, public facility or social care environment where higher standards of hand hygiene are required.
Professional use, liquid antibacterial hand washing soaps have been available for more than 50 years. Their use has increased in response to public concerns over the spread of infectious diseases and the need for greater vigilance in hygienically sensitive environments, such as where raw and uncooked foods are being handled. This has led to greater emphasis on germ-kill performance and the introduction of stronger biocides. With this change, more has been learned about the impact that the biocidal agents used in antibacterial soaps have on hand hygiene, human health and the environment.
Today, varying concerns exist over all current biocidal agents used in handwash products. The first main concern is environmental toxicity, as existing biocidal agents used in handwash products tend to have residual environmental toxicity that can be harmful to the environment and aquatic life.
The second concern is human toxicity, as many biocidal agents are known irritants and sensitisers; their frequent use can lead to skin irritation, allergic reactions and sub-optimal hand hygiene compliance.
Finally, the third concern is antimicrobial resistance, where the mode of activity, residual toxicity and wide use of some biocidal agents has led to concerns of micro-organisms building up resistance against them.
OxyBAC combines Deb Foam Technology with Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide (AHP) to create a patented non-ionic, surfactant-based, rich cream foam that addresses the concerns of all existing biocidal actives.
"The active power of OxyBAC is hydrogen peroxide which, unlike all other biocidal actives, has the benefit of simply breaking down into water and oxygen after use with no environmental or human toxicological impact," explains Dr John Hines, R&D Director at Deb.
"Also, when AHP comes into contact with germs it releases free-radicals which act non-specifically on multiple cell targets to kill germs in such a manner that prevents antibacterial resistance".
Deb's R&D team havs been working for more than eight years to perfect the science of incorporating AHP into a foaming handwash formula, that apart from being highly efficacious, also has an excellent physical cleansing performance, with good skin feel during and after use.
Dr Pierre Grascha, Chief Scientist at Deb explains:
"The powerful oxidising action of hydrogen peroxide has long been known for its antiseptic germ-killing properties, but the challenge has been to stabilise it in a synergistic blend of commonly used, safe ingredients that both kills and cleans whilst being safe for the environment and the user. Using internationally accepted protocols, independent test laboratories have shown that OxyBAC will kill 99.999% of many bacteria in just 30 seconds, which is truly exceptional for a handwash product."
OxyBAC is available in a perfume-free format which is has been tested to be non-tainting to food; and a pleasantly perfumed format using allergen-free 'mountain mist' fragrance.
T: +44 (0)1773 855134
E: [email protected]
W: www.debgroup.com
27th September 2012