Public warned vs low-quality hand sanitizers

MANILA, Philippines - Kohl Industries Inc. is advising the public not to patronize low-quality hand sanitizers that use imitations of its patented rubber holders, as these are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Vicente Atilano, Kohl chairman and president, said in a statement that unscrupulous people reproduce fake rubber holders to deceive the public into buying sanitizers that contain less than the approved 65 percent alcohol content.

“These substandard products do not disclose any information about the raw materials and active ingredients that they use,” Atilano said.

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines lists Kohl Industries Inc. as the patent owner for the rubber holder under Industrial Design Registration No. 3-2011-000247.

The patented silicon rubber holders are used exclusively by Puregel, Bactigel, Naturals and skinProtec brands. 

These are high-quality hand sanitizers available only at authorized stores like Mercury Drug Store, Watsons, SM Supermarket, SM Savemore, SM Hypermart, Robinson’s Supermarket, Shopwise, National Bookstore, Rustan’s and Office Warehouse outlets nationwide.

Puregel, Bactigel, Naturals and skinProtec are the only hand sanitizers that have undergone microbiological and percent kill tests that confirm a 99.9 percent germ-killing efficacy. They also bear the FDA seal of approval.

“We value our customers’ satisfaction and safety, that is why our hand sanitizers are the only ones with the highest alcohol content of 68 percent,” Atilano said.

Bactigel is the clear standard for scent-free hand sanitizers used by leading hospitals nationwide. Puregel comes in four scent variants: Lemon Meringue, Spring Breeze, Crisp Apple and Frost Berry. skinProtec offers Wild Berry, Tropical Punch and Green Tea and Aloe variants. All these products are made from the same non-sticky formula and fragrances imported from France.