Hand hygiene · Hypochlorous
Hypochlorous on hands: what the studies show
Equine8 · updated
This page compares hypochlorous and alcohol hand rubs using published studies. Results for other products describe those studies, not EQ8; EQ8’s own results come from its labels and certificates. The organisations cited do not endorse EQ8. The wider public-health evidence, including what is not yet known, is in the hand hygiene evidence review.
Almost every hand hygiene trial has used soap or alcohol. This page sets out what is known about hypochlorous on hands: how it compares with alcohol, what the studies found, and where EQ8 stands.
Alcohol and hypochlorous side by side
EQ8 DEFEND matches the alcohol benchmark on the European hand-rub test, and has also passed the hand test against norovirus.[1] Alcohol still has what hypochlorous does not yet have: trials showing fewer infections, and a place in guidelines.[2][3]
Scroll sideways to see all columns
| Alcohol hand rub | Hypochlorous hand rub: EQ8 DEFEND | |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | At least 60% alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol)[4] | Hypochlorous, 1000 ppm (DEFEND) or 675 ppm (CLEAR), made with SPT95; alcohol-free[1][5][6] |
| Tested on hands: EN 1500 | The benchmark: the test compares every product with a reference alcohol rub[7][8] | EQ8 certifiedPassed: as effective as the reference alcohol rub[1] |
| Norovirus on hands | CDC: soap and water work better than sanitiser against norovirus[4] | EQ8 certifiedPassed EN 17430, the hand-rub test against norovirus[1] |
| Bacterial spores | Alcohol gel barely reduced C. difficile spores on hands[9] | A hypochlorous soak removed over 99.6% of spores from hands.[9] DEFEND sporicidal report: [EN 17126 HANDRUB REPORT] |
| Skin | Did not harm the skin barrier in a controlled study;[10] 5 of 16 soldiers using it in the field reported dry hands[11] | Did not harm the skin barrier, even on irritated skin.[10] DEFEND is dermatologically tested[1] |
| Visibly dirty hands | Less effective; wash first[4] | Organic matter uses it up; wash first[9][12] |
| Flammable | Ethanol is highly flammable[11] | Alcohol-free[1] |
| Children | Supervise young children so they do not swallow alcohol[4] | Alcohol-free[1] |
| Shown to reduce illness | Yes: in a day-care trial, sanitiser and education cut respiratory infections by 23%[2] | Studied in real-world use, in a hospital ward[13] and a 10-day field study;[11] illness not yet measured |
| In guidelines | Recommended by CDC when soap and water are not available[4] | No hand hygiene guideline yet recommends chlorine solutions[3] |
On hands: EQ8 DEFEND passed EN 1500
EQ8 DEFEND and EQ8 CLEAR have passed EN 1500. EN 1500 is the European test for hygienic hand rubs, and it is carried out on volunteers’ hands. Both rubs proved as effective as the reference alcohol rub, without alcohol: EQ8 DEFEND at 1000 ppm and EQ8 CLEAR at 675 ppm.[1][5][6] EQ8 DEFEND has also passed EN 17430, the hand-rub test against norovirus.[1]
A 160 ppm buffered hypochlorous hand rub has also passed EN 1500,[10] and earlier hospital studies in Japan found that running electrolysed water removed 93% of hand bacteria in an intensive care unit, matching soap followed by alcohol lotion.[14] In a seven-week evaluation on an NHS older people’s ward, bacteria on staff hands rose significantly from their starting level after an alcohol rub but not after a hypochlorous rub, and most staff preferred the hypochlorous product; this study has not yet been peer-reviewed.[13]
Why the formulation matters
Hypochlorous and hypochlorite are not the same. In a 2023 study, two hypochlorite-based rubs at 0.05 to 0.06%, used as 3 ml for 30 seconds, removed far fewer bacteria than the reference alcohol and did not pass.[7] Each product must prove itself on hands. EQ8 DEFEND has.
Two hypochlorite rubs failed EN 1500
Mean log reduction of E. coli on hands (higher is better)
Spores: where hypochlorous stands out
Bacterial spores, such as those of Clostridioides difficile, survive alcohol.[4] In a randomised crossover study on six volunteers’ hands, alcohol gel barely reduced spores and soap and water removed about 99%. A one-minute hypochlorous soak removed more than 99.6%, and washing first, then soaking, more than 99.9%. No skin irritation was seen.[9]
Hypochlorous removed more spores than soap; alcohol barely touched them
Log reduction of C. difficile spores on hands (higher is better)
EN 17126, the European sporicidal test, is a laboratory test, not a test on hands.[15] The DEFEND report: [EN 17126 HANDRUB REPORT].
Skin: as gentle as alcohol
Sore skin makes people clean their hands less.[10] Two studies describe how hypochlorous rubs treat skin.
Skin barrier study, Copenhagen
Design. 41 healthy volunteers; 40 applications over 2 days on forearm skin, intact or with irritation induced first.
Product. A 160 ppm hypochlorous rub buffered with acetic acid, against an alcohol rub.
Finding. Neither product harmed the skin barrier, and there was no significant difference between them. On irritated skin, mild discomfort was reported by 6 of 21 people with hypochlorous and 7 of 21 with alcohol.
Limitation. Short-term, on forearms, mostly young volunteers; funded by the product’s maker.
Source. [10]
Field study, 10 days, Norway
Design. 39 soldiers on a winter exercise: 20 used a 200 ppm hypochlorous rub, 19 their usual sanitiser, mainly 85% ethanol.
Finding. Minimal immediate change to hand bacteria; in the three weeks after, bacterial diversity recovered more in the hypochlorous group. The field environment mattered more than the product. 7 of 19 said their hands felt better; 5 of 16 alcohol users reported dry hands.
Limitation. Not randomised, and the groups differed at the start; it cannot show any effect on infection.
Source. [11]
EQ8 DEFEND and CLEAR are dermatologically tested.[1]
Three things that make it work
- 1Start with visibly clean hands.Dirt, blood and other organic matter use up hypochlorous; in one laboratory study it lost its effect against a virus when serum was present.[12][16] Wash visibly dirty hands first.
- 2Use enough, for long enough.The effect depends on the total amount that reaches the germs: strength and volume together.[17] Cover both hands completely and rub until dry.
- 3The right pH keeps it strong.Products at pH 5.0 to 6.4 kept their strength for 21 days; at pH 3 or below, strength fell quickly.[17]
Where EQ8 stands
EQ8 DEFEND Sanitising Handrub has passed EN 1500, the European test for hygienic hand rubs, which is carried out on people’s hands. To pass, a product must be as effective as the reference alcohol rub. EQ8 DEFEND is proven to work on hands, at 1000 ppm, without alcohol.[1][5][7] It has also passed EN 17430, the hand-rub test against norovirus. EQ8 CLEAR has passed EN 1500.[1]
| Standard | What it shows | EQ8 DEFEND Handrub | EQ8 CLEAR Handrub |
|---|---|---|---|
| EN 1500 | Hygienic hand rub: as effective against bacteria as the reference alcohol rub, on volunteers’ hands | Passed | Passed |
| EN 17430 | Hand rub against norovirus, on volunteers’ hands | Passed | — |
Tested under the conditions set out in EN 1500.[8] All certificates and laboratory standards
EQ8 handrubs are hygiene products for visibly clean hands. They are not medicines, and no study has yet shown that a hypochlorous hand product reduces infections. What the evidence does not yet show
On the yard
The moments that matter
Hand rubs are for visibly clean hands.[1] Use enough to cover both hands, and rub until dry.[17] Wash visibly dirty hands with soap and water first. These are the moments when a handrub kept where the work happens is most useful:
- Before eating, drinking or smoking
- Between horses, especially when moving between groups or yards
- After handling shared tack, buckets, rugs, gates and grooming kit
- After taking off gloves
- On arriving at and leaving the yard, a show or a clinic
- Before handling food, feed or medicines