Minneapolis Company Launches Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With cold and flu season in full swing, we're seeing a lot of wringing of hands. Not out of worry, but with concern for spreading germs. The use of sanitizer lotions squeezed from a bottle and lathered into hands is a multi-million dollar a year business.
"When you look at all the products out there today all the chemistry is 50 or 100 years old. There hasn't been anything new in this category in decades," said Mark Dalrymple.
That was until this week.
Dalrymple is CEO of the Minneapolis start-up company, Simple Science. After several years of costly research and development, the company's hand sanitizing product called CleanSmart is hitting stores this week.
The clear liquid spray and gel bottles contain a germ killer that is not only more effective than alcohol-based sanitizers, but also safer to use.
"We have a product that kills every pathogen, every germ known to man. It's 100 percent non-toxic and is so safe you can spray it on a baby's pacifier," Dalrymple said. "It doesn't have to be washed off and you can put that pacifier right back into the baby's mouth."
Instead of using an alcohol for the active ingredient, Clean Smart uses hypochlorous. The synthetic compound replicates the same hypochlorous acid made by humans and animals and carried by white blood cells to fight off infection.
And because the product contains no alcohol, after applying it to the skin it actually doubles as a moisturizer.
"It kills 99.99 percent of germs and kills them faster than alcohol and it kills more germs than alcohol," Dalrymple said.
The company is headquartered in the warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis and employs about a dozen people, but continues to grow.
A contract production company in Anoka is turning out cases of the product, which are soon to be on the shelves of Coburns, Lunds and Byerlys grocery stores between now and Jan. 1.
Dalrymple said the company is starting small for a controlled and modest start. But as word of the sanitizing breakthrough grows, CleanSmart has visions of eventual distribution worldwide.
"And the goal is to help people live a healthier, safer life," Dalrymple said.
For more information or to see the complete line of CleanSmart products, click here.
