Let’s face at this moment worldwide is COVID-19. The Best Spray hand sanitizer you’ve been hearing since childhood, but we’ll say it again for the people in the back: Keeping your hands clean is the easiest way to prevent sickness and stop the spread of germs.
It’s not just a statement beloved by moms and kindergarten teachers, but a fact shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While a thorough scrub-down with soap and water is the most effective way to clean your hands—it’s the best cleaning method for removing germs like norovirus, Cryptosporidium, and Clostridium, according to the CDC, you won’t always have access to a sink.
And even if a sink is nearby, washing your hands after every single exposure to a dirty surface (so, basically every second) can start to feel like an obsessive, time-sucking venture. Instead, it’s worth trying an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
To help you discover the simplest sanitizers that meet CDC requirements, we collected the highest picks available to buy online immediately. Unfortunately, traditional options like GermX and Purell are limited due to the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is a liquid or gel-like substance used to disinfect hands when soap and water are not readily available. It contains alcohol, typically in the form of ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, which is the active ingredient responsible for killing germs and bacteria on the skin. Hand sanitizers are designed to reduce the risk of infection by effectively eliminating harmful microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses, from the hands.
Hand sanitizers come in various forms, including gel, foam, and spray. They are widely used in situations where traditional hand washing is not feasible, such as when traveling, in healthcare settings, and places without access to water and soap. Hand sanitizers are especially valuable during flu seasons, outbreaks of illnesses, and when dealing with contagious diseases.
To use hand sanitizer effectively, a sufficient amount should be applied to the palms of your hands and then rubbed thoroughly over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until they are dry. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper application to ensure optimal germ-killing efficacy.
But the good news is that there are still plenty of top-rated hand sanitizing products available to stock up on now so you can stay as healthy as possible. Here are the best spray hand sanitizers:
The 30 Best Spray Hand Sanitizer Reviews 2024
1. Best Scent: Megababe Squeaky Clean Spray Hand Sanitizer
Unlike many other hand sanitizers on the market, Megababe’s plant-based option smells like calming bergamot and citrus peel instead of alcohol.
Every spritz delivers a 60% alcohol concentration to kill fungus, germs, and microbes without leaving your skin with a sticky residue.
You’ll also love that the vegan formula doesn’t dry out the skin and boasts nourishing ingredients like marula oil, almond oil, and burn plant. It’s available in either a small 2-ounce container or a 16-ounce pump container.
2. Babyganics Alcohol-Free Foaming Spray Hand Sanitizer
“While not as effective, alcohol-free hand sanitizers are often utilized in a pinch if you’ve got sensitive skin,” says Zeichner.
This version from Babyganics is available in fragrance-free or mandarin orange. (Keep in mind that alcohol-free sanitizers aren’t a substitute for soap and water.)
3. Best Sustainable: by Humankind Spray Hand Sanitizer
The wellness brand by Humankind is all about promoting a more sustainable lifestyle, and its latest launch is no exception.
Its ethically-made hand sanitizer available in grapefruit or unscented formulas boasts a 65% alcohol concentration and hyaluronic acid, an anti-aging ingredient that helps skin hold water.
In an attempt to scale back waste, the brand’s 8-ounce bottle is formed from aluminum and holds enough product to refill a pocket-sized bottle 4 times. Plus, $1 from every hand sanitizer sold is donated to The Robin Hood Relief fund in NY City.
4. Purell Advanced Spray Hand Sanitizer Refreshing Gel
Zeichner uses Purell before and after seeing each patient which suggests sanitizing about 80 times per day. “It contains 70 percent alcohol, effectively disinfects the skin and doesn’t dry out my hands,” he says.
5. Best Scent: Vegamour Hand Sanitizer Spray
Vegamour’s plant-based option smells like calming lavender and citrus peel, and it delivers a 75% alcohol concentration in every spray.
The vegan ingredients won’t dry out hands because of skin-friendly agents like marula oil and burn plants.
6. Primally Pure Spray Hand Sanitizer
Primally Pure’s Hand Sanitizer gives your hands consciously formulated protection against all kinds of germs. It contains 63 percent grape seed oil alcohol to kill viruses and other harmful bacteria.
It’s also made with organic essential oils like lavender and tea tree to soothe irritation.
7. Best Hydrating: Pipette Hand Sanitizer
Baby brand Pipette created this fragrance-free gel to offer small hands a secure sanitizer. You’ll still find the CDC-recommended alcohol level, 65%, within the formula.
But it also includes a dose of hydrating squalane oil and glycerin. That means you’ll calculate hands that are sanitized and soft—no cream necessary.
8. Eir NYC Pure Air Sanitizing Spray
Eir NYC’s Pure Eir hand sanitizer mixes a 65.7 percent alcohol formula with calendula and vegetable oil to hydrate skin and witch hazel to assist kill germs. It also features a lovely citrus scent, so there is no medicinal smell.
9. Best Bulk: NXN Beauty Advanced Hand Sanitizer
Reduce waste by opting for a bulk container of hand sanitizer like this almost 34-ounce pick. Its pump dispenser makes applying the fast-drying gel a breeze—and you’ll love that it has a 70% ethyl alcohol concentration, but still smells like lavender. Plus, it arrives at most addresses in under a week.
10. CHI Organic Gardens Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer
CHI’s hand sanitizer comes in four sizes and houses an organically grown burn plant, essential nutrients, and glycerin to lock in moisture long after it’s applied.
And it’s 77 percent ethyl alcohol, which is well above the CDC’s recommended 60 percent.
11. Most Potent: Peter Thomas Roth Hand Sanitizer
Celebrity-adored skincare brand Peter Thomas Roth launched its first-ever hand sanitizer in April, and it doesn’t disappoint. The 2-ounce bottle contains the highest alcohol concentration on this list, 80%, along with a hydrating boost of glycerin.
Plus, your purchase supports the beauty brand’s initiative to give up to 5,000 bottles of sanitizer to New York’s largest healthcare provider, Northwell Health Hospitals.
12. Bare Republic Bare Hands Sanitizer Spray
Bear Republic’s plant-based Bare Hands Sanitizer Spray keeps hands bacteria-free with a 60+ percent alcohol formula with aloe, glycerin, and calendula, and chamomile extracts for an additional refreshing element.
13. Best Vegan: Previse Hand Sanitizer
Previse pivoted production of handy sanitizer overnight after coronavirus caused a spike in demand. The indie brand kept skincare in mind when developing the sanitizer.
Combining necessary ingredients like 75% alcohol and peroxide with a hydrating boost of glycerin to stop the skin from drying out post-application. And yes, it’s still vegan.
14. Public Goods Hand Sanitizer
Public Goods’ pocket-size hand sanitizer is important and easy because it should be. This lightly fragranced version contains ethyl alcohol and glycerin to kill 99.9 percent of germs, while burn plant gel keeps your hands as soft as possible.
15. Best Ingredients: Lather Hand Sanitizer with Moisturizing Aloe
The rush to produce hand sanitizer led many brands to streamline their ingredients—but not Lather.
The beauty and wellness brand developed a potent moisturizing formula by infusing its 65% alcohol concentration with skincare powerhouses like aloe vera, green tea extract, glycerin, witch hazel, and yucca. It’s available in a 3-pack or a 6-pack.
16. Honest Hand Sanitizer Spray
“This is a plant-based sanitizer that effectively kills 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria,” says Frieling. It’s formulated with naturally derived glycerin and aloe, which help combat the drying effect of some sanitizers, leaving hands moisturized.
17. Best Fragrance-Free: Eczema Honey Hand Sanitizer Gel
If you’re sensitive to fragrance, this unscented option should be your go-to. It only has 4 ingredients—including 70% ethyl alcohol—and skips out on potential irritants.
Plus, the 8-ounce size will keep you well-stocked whether it becomes a new office staple as lockdown restrictions lift or find a permanent spot in your home entryway.
18. By Humankind Hand Sanitizer Refills
By Humankind bulk bottles are made of recyclable aluminum and designed to refill the plastic, single-use sanitizer bottles (of every size) you already have.
The sanitizer contains 65 percent alcohol, plus mucopolysaccharide for extra moisturizing benefits, and comes in two varieties:
Unscented and Grapefruit. $1 of every hand sanitizer sold goes to The Robin Hood Relief Fund.
19. Best Pre-Order: Skylar Hand Sanitizer Gel
Start stocking up for summer by placing a pre-order for Skylar’s sanitizing gel now. The skincare brand’s latest launch boasts 62% alcohol with naturally soothing additions like witch hazel.
You’ll love that it smells like Skylar’s signature scent—jasmine tea and lemon leaves—and comes in an 8-ounce pump bottle.
Better yet, the brand is donating part of the profits from its first production to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and Mount Sinai Hospitals in New York City.
20. Clark’s Botanicals Hand Sanitizer
Clark’s Botanicals Hand Sanitizer contains a considerable 71 percent ethyl alcohol to offer you a touch of peace of mind once you do not have access to a sink and good’ soap and water.
The brand has redirected one hundred pc of its production of handy sanitizers, is making a gift of bottles with a sale of any full-size product and is donating bottles to New York-based Northwell Health and Montefiore hospitals.
21. 100% Pure Hand Sanitizer Spray
The 100% Pure Sanitizer Spray is 62 percent alcohol, but it also contains tea tree oil, which has antibacterial properties, as a burn plant, and glycerin to appease irritation and keep your hands from drying out.
100% Pure also launched a multipurpose Hand & Surface Cleansing Spray that’s formulated with skin-softening burn plant and vegetable glycerin.
It also has 70 percent ethyl alcohol and antibacterial lemon essential oil so you can keep your hands and non-porous surfaces, such as grocery carts or door handles, clean at the same time.
22. Pipette Spray Hand Sanitizer
Pipette’s fragrance-free offering eliminates 99.99 percent of bacteria, because of 65 percent ethyl alcohol and its hero ingredient, sugarcane-derived squalane, so your hands stay super soft.
It first launched in an eight-ounce bottle but Pipette now also sells a two-ounce bottle, and jumbo 32-ounce bottles are available for preorder.
23. Peter Thomas Roth Hand Sanitizer Alcohol Antiseptic 80% Topical Solution
You can count the ingredients in Peter Thomas Roth’s Hand Sanitizer Alcohol Antiseptic 80% Topical Solution on one hand: 80 percent alcohol, glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, and purified water USP.
It’s effective, no-frills, and comes in a six oz. bottle, which means you won’t run out of sanitizer as quickly.
24. Pacifica Aloe BFF Hand Antiseptic
Over the past few months, we think it’s safe to say that hand sanitizer has become one of your best friends. Yes? Well, Pacifica’s Aloe BFF Hand Antiseptic shouts out that relationship both in its name and content.
Which incorporates 62 percent alcohol, as well as aloe, chamomile, and calendula to moisture and calm skin. Its container is also made out of 100 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic.
25. Neo-Medical 62% Alcohol Hand Clean Sanitizing Gel
Neo-Medical 62% Alcohol Hand Clean Sanitizing Gel seamlessly joins effective and calming properties together. The key ingredients are 62 percent ethanol alcohol and green tea.
Aloe vera to soothe dry, inflamed skin, and sodium hyaluronate to draw in moisture to the skin and keep dryness and flakiness at bay.
Since it comes during a whopping 16.9 oz bottle, it’s perfect to stay around the house for cleaning hands and surfaces.
26. The Crème Shop Moisturizing Sanitizer
The Crème Shop’s Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer delivers 70 percent ethanol in an easy-to-pack pouch. The Green Tea version is pictured but it’s also available in Mixed Berries, in case you want to switch up your scents. Both are available in a slightly larger 2 oz size as well.
27. Milani Rose Sanitizer
Armed with 68 percent ethanol alcohol and glycerin, Milani’s Rose Hand Sanitizer comes in a handy spray format that keeps hands clean and moisturized.
And best yet, with each purchase, made on milanicosmetics.com, the brand also will donate one unit to The Downtown Women’s Center.
28. Tonymoly 61.5% Alcohol Derma Masterlab Spray
If you prefer a spray version, there’s the Tonymoly 61.5% Alcohol Derma MasterLab Hand Spray to keep things light. True to its name, it has 61.5 percent alcohol, as well as Centella Asiatica to soothe skin.
29. Physicians Formula Rosé Take the Germs Away Sanitizer
Physicians Formula’s Rosé Take the Germs Away Hand Sanitizer is loaded up with 80 percent ethyl alcohol to kill bacteria, additionally to tea tree oil and aloe for conditioning and softening hands. As the name suggests, it smells like a lovely rose garden.
30. Nudestix Antibacterial Hand Gel
As you can see, Nudestix’s Antibacterial Hand Gel comes in three sizes for your varying needs: 3.3- and 16.9-ounce bottles, and 1-ounce pouches (sold in packs of five) that you can clip onto your key rings for easy access.
While sold at Sephora, for each purchase specifically made on nudestix.com, the brand is donating a hand sanitizer pouch to the foremost at-risk communities.
Nudestix has also committed to donating over 20,000 sanitizers to frontline workers and wonders retail workers.
Buying Guide
Buying the best spray hand sanitizer involves considering several factors to ensure you’re getting a product that effectively kills germs while also being convenient and safe to use. Here’s a comprehensive buying guide to help you make an informed decision:
1. Alcohol Content: Look for hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol content. Alcohol, specifically ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, is what effectively kills most germs and viruses.
2. Ingredients: Check the ingredient list to ensure there are no harmful additives or allergens. A good hand sanitizer should have a simple ingredient list.
3. Brand Reputation: Opt for well-known and reputable brands that have a history of producing reliable hygiene products. Research reviews and customer feedback to gauge the product’s effectiveness and quality.
4. Size and Portability: Consider the size of the spray hand sanitizer. If you intend to carry it with you, a compact and travel-friendly size is essential. Look for options that can fit in your pocket, purse, or bag.
5. Spray Mechanism: The spray mechanism should be easy to use and provide a consistent spray pattern. Test the spray nozzle if possible to ensure it works smoothly.
6. Fragrance and Sensitivity: Some hand sanitizers contain fragrances that can cause skin irritation, allergies, or sensitivities. If you have sensitive skin or are concerned about allergies, opt for fragrance-free options.
7. Moisturizing Ingredients: Alcohol can be drying to the skin. Choose a hand sanitizer that includes moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera, glycerin, or vitamin E to counteract the drying effects.
8. Packaging and Durability: The packaging should be sturdy and leak-resistant, especially if you plan to carry it in your bag. Avoid flimsy packaging that could break or leak.
9. Expiration Date: Check the expiration date on the product to ensure its effectiveness. Using an expired hand sanitizer may not provide the desired germ-killing benefits.
10. Compliance with Guidelines: Ensure the hand sanitizer complies with regulatory guidelines and standards set by health authorities. In the United States, for instance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides guidance on the formulation and labeling of hand sanitizers.
11. Price and Value: While price is a consideration, don’t compromise on quality for a cheaper option. A slightly higher price for a trusted and effective product is usually worth the investment.
12. Multipurpose Use: Consider whether the hand sanitizer can be used on surfaces as well. Some sprays are designed for both hands and surfaces, offering greater versatility.
13. Allergen Information: If you have allergies, make sure to check if the product contains any ingredients you might be allergic to.
14. Third-Party Testing: Products that have been tested and certified by third-party organizations can provide an extra level of assurance regarding their effectiveness.
(FAQs)
Q1: What is the recommended alcohol content in a spray hand sanitizer?
A1: The recommended alcohol content in a spray hand sanitizer is at least 60%. Alcohol, particularly ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, is what effectively kills germs and viruses.
Q2: Can I use spray hand sanitizer on surfaces?
A2: Many spray hand sanitizers are designed for use on both hands and surfaces. However, it’s important to read the product label to determine if it’s suitable for surface use. Some sanitizers may not be formulated to disinfect surfaces effectively.
Q3: Are spray hand sanitizers safe for children?
A3: Spray hand sanitizers can be used by children, but it’s important to supervise their usage, especially with younger children, to ensure they don’t ingest it. Some hand sanitizers come in child-friendly packaging with safety features.
Q4: Can I use spray hand sanitizer if I have sensitive skin?
A4: If you have sensitive skin, opt for a spray hand sanitizer that is fragrance-free and contains moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera or glycerin. It’s also a good idea to do a patch test before widespread use to check for any adverse reactions.
Q5: How often should I use spray hand sanitizer?
A5: It’s recommended to use spray hand sanitizer when soap and water are not readily available. However, frequent use can lead to dry skin. Use it as needed, but also try to wash your hands with soap and water whenever possible.
Q6: Can I refill an empty spray hand sanitizer bottle?
A6: Refilling an empty spray hand sanitizer bottle can be done, but ensure you’re using the same type of sanitizer to maintain its effectiveness. Make sure the bottle is thoroughly cleaned before refilling.
Q7: How long does the germ-killing effect of a spray hand sanitizer last?
A7: The germ-killing effect of hand sanitizer lasts until the alcohol evaporates. This usually takes around 20 seconds. It’s important to rub the sanitizer all over your hands until they are dry for it to be effective.
Q8: Are all spray hand sanitizers FDA-approved?
A8: Not all spray hand sanitizers are FDA-approved. Make sure to check the product label for information about compliance with regulatory guidelines. The FDA guides hand sanitizer formulation and labeling.
Q9: Can I use spray hand sanitizer to replace hand washing?
A9: While hand sanitizers are convenient, they should not replace regular hand washing with soap and water, especially if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy. Hand washing is more effective at removing dirt and certain types of germs.
Q10: Can I bring spray hand sanitizer on an airplane?
A10: Generally, spray hand sanitizers are allowed in carry-on bags when flying. However, there may be restrictions on the size of the container (usually up to 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters) due to aviation security regulations. Check with the airline or relevant authorities for specific guidelines.
Final Words
Choosing the best spray hand sanitizer involves careful consideration of factors such as alcohol content, ingredients, brand reputation, portability, spray mechanism, sensitivity, moisturizing properties, packaging, expiration date, regulatory compliance, and value for money. It’s important to prioritize products with at least 60% alcohol content, safe and simple ingredients, and effective packaging.
Remember that while spray hand sanitizers are convenient for on-the-go hygiene, they should complement, not replace, regular hand washing with soap and water. Frequent use of hand sanitizers can lead to dry skin, so opt for options with moisturizing ingredients if possible.
