Health & Hygiene

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, hand sanitizers have become increasingly important, although they have always been used to prevent infections in areas with high hygiene requirements, such as in the healthcare sector and the food industry. Today, many people around the world use hand sanitizers. n-Propanol BQ (biocide quality) has been recently introduced as a new ingredient for hygiene products. As a broad-spectrum biocide, n-propanol BQ is used for hand disinfection in both professional and private contexts. n-Propanol BQ by OQ Chemicals complies with EU Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Article 95) and meets the quality criteria of the European Pharmacopoeia of the European Union member states.

Ethanol and IPA blends containing n-propanol BQ from OQ Chemicals offer many advantages. For instance, they require significantly less contact time than biocidal alcohol products without n-Propanol BQ from OQ Chemicals. Such formulations also produce a less pronounced skin-degreasing effect (de Haan, P., 1996) than ethanol and IPA blends that do not contain n-Propanol BQ from OQ Chemicals.

Butylene Glycol [1,3-BG] ensures that the skin absorbs and retains moisture, even with frequent contact with alcohol, and thus reduces the skin-degreasing effect and helps to provide effective hand care. A hand sanitizer based on Butylene Glycol [1,3-BG] absorbs dirt on the skin and kills bacteria effectively, leaving hands clean, fresh and hydrated thanks to the moisturizing properties of this humectant.

In the healthcare and hygiene sector, n-Propanol is used as a solvent for oral care and antiseptic products. Oral care products declared as alcohol-free may contain Butylene Glycol [1,3-BG].