The world is currently facing a pandemic in COVID-19. The current trend during these tough times is washing your hands and sanitizing. This has seen different brands start the manufacturing of sanitizers with the current high demand.
Though there are many manufacturers of sanitizers, the heavy burden of mass production are mostly felt by a handful of companies that have been contracted by the government, especially during these hard times.
Purell, the brand commonly referred to for hand sanitizer in the United States, was originally produced by Gojo industries in the year 1997, nine years after its invention. Its primary components being ethanol and alcohol, which had a seventy percent concentration. Another brand known as Johnson and Johnson acquired the rights in the year 2006. In 2010, Gojo was able to reacquire Purrell. Gojo was able to improve its products and produce hand sanitizer products in different forms such as hand wipes, gel, foam, and dispensers for various industries.
Gojo has remained the leading producer of Purell to date. Though other companies such as Chattem industries, Procter and Gamble industry, and Unilever have taken on the task of manufacturing hand sanitizer. The increase of demand for hand sanitizers that was a result of the pandemic saw the product run out of stock and remained largely unavailable to the general public. New shipments for hand sanitizers had to be made. Purell remains unavailable in retail stores even though Gojo produces twice as much of its normal production during these pandemic times. Distribution rights of the Purell products were given to Pfizer by Gojo industries in 2004.
World-wide production for hand sanitizers is now rampant during these Covid-19 times. In Kenya, the responsibility of making sanitizers lies in a company known as Ray Pharmaceuticals Limited. Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is responsible for the distribution to the rest of the public.
In 2020 In the United Kingdom, the manufacturing responsibility has been taken on by several companies. Some of these, to name a few, are: Zidac laboratories, Reckitt Benckiser, Procter and Gamble (commonly referred to as P&G. This is just a short list of many more companies thriving in these times.
Due to the spike in demand caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is temporarily allowing hand sanitisers containing Propan-2-ol to be sold in the UK, and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has prioritised applications to use denatured alcohol in hand sanitising products.
Gojo products initially manufactured far and wide throughout North and South America. They then ventured further into Europe and Asia where they became one of the leading brands of hand sanitizers throughout the world. The company headquarters are still located in the United States. They are out of Ohio to be exact.
The current world crisis has enabled a lot of people to come up with ways in which they can make hand sanitizers at home. Unfortunately those that are being produced aren’t enough for everyone. Plato once said that “Necessity is the mother of invention.” This holds true in the current hand sanitizer industry today.
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