OCU warns of ‘unsafe hydroalcoholic gels’ produced in Spain

The Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) has warned of two ‘unsafe hydroalcoholic gels’ produced in Spain and being sold in Europe that have been withdrawn from the market.

“HYDROALCOHOLIC gels and lotions, by contributing to hand hygiene in any situation, have been revealed as an effective weapon to reduce the spread of infections such as Covid 19,” said OCU.

“But in order to perform their function effectively, they must contain a percentage of alcohol of at least 60 per cent. This is not always the case.”

The products have been included in the European Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) after detecting several problems, lower alcohol concentration than declared and defects in the labeling.

Two of the alerts correspond to brands of gels produced in Spain, and their withdrawal from the market has already been decreed.

The first of these is from the Prady brand, and has been removed because it contains an insufficient amount of ethanol (56.6 per cent).

Consequently, it would not eliminate bacteria or viruses, “which could reach the user, increasing the risk of infection”.

The second from the Verita Farma brand, is sold predominantly online in a 100ml container.

The get contains an insufficient amount of ethanol (measured value: 28.4 per cent) well below the recommended.

OCU advises choosing safe hand sanitisers with an alcohol content higher than 60 per cent “to effectively fulfill their role of eliminating germs”:

Alcohol content is indicated on the label.

The organisation recommends rubbing the gel into the palms, back and areas between the fingers until the product evaporates.

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