Nourishing Active Ingredients for 70% Alcohol Hand Sanitizer Spray

For a hand sanitizer spray with 70% alcohol, the high alcohol content can easily strip moisture from the skin, leading to dryness and irritation. To nourish the skin while maintaining disinfecting efficacy, you should use water-soluble active ingredients that are stable in high-alcohol environments.

Recommended Active Ingredients

1. Glycerin (USP/Food Grade):

   • Benefit: A classic humectant that draws moisture into the skin. It is highly stable in alcohol and very affordable.
   • Usage: 1-3%. Using more than 5% may make the spray feel sticky.

2. Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5):

   • Benefit: Helps repair the skin barrier, reduces irritation, and provides deep hydration. It is excellent for preventing the "cracked skin" feel from frequent alcohol use.
   • Usage: 0.5-1%. You can use the powder form (Panthenol DL-Panthenol) or the liquid form (D-Panthenol Care).

3. Aloe Vera Extract:

   • Benefit: Provides a soothing effect and reduces inflammation caused by alcohol.
   • Usage: 0.1-0.5% (for concentrated powder 10:1 or 200:1). It is recommended to use Aloe Vera Extract (FullAssay™) which dissolves well in the water phase.

Formulation Tips

• Solubility: Always dissolve your active ingredients (Glycerin, Panthenol, Aloe Vera) in the water portion of your formula first. Once fully dissolved, slowly pour the alcohol into the water mixture while stirring.
• Clarity: If you use oil-based vitamins (like Vitamin E Acetate), the spray will become cloudy unless you use a solubilizer. For a clear spray, stick to the water-soluble ingredients mentioned above.
• Alcohol Concentration: To ensure the final product is 70% v/v, remember to account for the water and actives added. If using 99.5% Alcohol, you will need approximately 70-72% of the total volume to be alcohol.

Example Basic Formula (100g)

• Ethyl Alcohol (99.5%): 72g
• Water: 24.5g
• Glycerin: 2g
• Panthenol: 1g

• Aloe Vera Extract: 0.5g

• Note: You can also add a small amount of fragrance if desired, but ensure it is compatible with the alcohol base.*