Get practical advice on choosing and using hand sanitiser safely, including effectiveness, proper use, key ingredients, and when to use soap and water instead.
The information on this page is intended for consumers who wish to understand more about buying and using hand sanitisers amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
If you are seeking to manufacture, supply, or advertise hand sanitisers, see Meeting requirements to manufacture, supply or advertise hand sanitisers.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing recommends that you use soap and water wherever possible, but hand sanitiser where soap and water may not be available.
Further information on COVID-19 prevention is available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.
Hand sanitisers contain antiseptic ingredients. An antiseptic is a substance that is used on the skin to kill microorganisms or prevent the growth of microorganisms.
Hand sanitisers can be either hand washes for use with water or handrubs for use without water.
The way these products are regulated depends on how they are used, what they contain, and what they claim to do.
See Meeting requirements to manufacture, supply or advertise hand sanitisers.
You should always follow the directions for use located on the label of all hand sanitiser products.
For products regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the directions for use have been approved based on test data. You can tell if a product is regulated by the TGA by looking for an AUST R number on the label. See What's on my medicine label?
Homemade hand sanitisers for your own use are not regulated by us. The TGA is unable to endorse the use of homemade products since we cannot confirm their safety, quality and effectiveness.
It is important to remember that handrubs used without water may not work well when hands are visibly dirty, therefore, handrubs should only be used when hands are visibly clean or when soap and water is not available.
There are several points to consider when buying hand sanitisers.
Not all hand sanitisers are the same. The effectiveness of an alcohol-based hand sanitiser depends on the amount of alcohol (e.g. ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) in the formulation. Look for a formulation of at least 60% alcohol in these products.
If you are buying a product that states it is using the World Health Organization (WHO) formula, it should have 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol.
Warning image showing two generic hand sanitiser products with a red X mark across them. On the left is a refill pouch labelled 'Hand Sanitiser' and on the right is a clear plastic sports bottle with a blue cap labelled 'Hand Sanitiser'.
If you are using hand sanitiser around young children, avoid buying it in containers that could be mistaken by young children to contain food or drink. Hand sanitisers can be dangerous if ingested.
If you buy hand sanitisers online, be careful. They may not do what the advertiser claims and may contain different ingredients to what the advertiser claims. See Buying medicines and medical devices online.
We enforce restrictions on the types of claims that are allowed to be made on the labels and in promotional material for hand sanitisers that are regulated by us. For example, the label or an ad for a hand sanitiser cannot claim to help reduce the transmission of the coronavirus or prevent COVID-19 unless it has been approved for those claims.
If a hand sanitiser claims to be "suitable for use in medical and health services", it must either be regulated by us, or it must meet specified formulation, manufacturing, labelling and advertising requirements. As mentioned above, hand sanitisers that we regulate will have an AUST R number included on the label.
If a hand sanitiser claims to kill specific organisms (e.g. E.coli or viruses), it is required to be regulated by us and assessed for safety, quality and effectiveness. If a hand sanitiser makes these claims and it does not have an AUST R number on the label, it is likely to be an illegal product that has not been assessed by us.
If you have concerns about an advertising claim for a hand sanitiser, you can Report non-compliant advertising.
