Faced with current events, the hands are at the heart of the issues and many of you are wondering about the different hydro-alcoholic gels on the market.
We will therefore take the time to talk about it here to provide you with all the necessary clarity.👇
At Merci Handy, we have been doing our best to take care of your hands for 5 years (and not only… there are also your teeth, and the rest!).
Since our creation, 🌈 we have put all our energy into offering you quality products: we have modified our formula, changed our bottle for recyclable plastic, and improved the quality of our ingredients. Our formula is now 98% natural, 100% vegan, with natural alcohol.
The mission of our Merci Handy gels is to cleanse and remove impurities from your hands. Our cleansing gels are cosmetic products : they contain compounds which absorb impurities (microcrystalline cellulose, corn starch and maltodextrin) and solvents (water and alcohol) which allow the impurities captured to be evacuated, and thus to have a cleaning. The evacuation is done here by evaporation (thanks to the alcohol contained in the gel) and not by rinsing with water.
In hand washing with soap and water (which we recommend if you can) as explained for example by " It's not rocket science ", the soap particles establish chemical bonds with the impurities ( dirt, grease, micro-organisms etc…), then rinsing the hands allows the mixture formed by the soap particles and the impurities to be evacuated.
Our hand gels are fun 🦄, multicolored products containing glitter ✨ and aloe vera 🌱 to moisturize the hands. They are the stars of our universe populated by unicorns and rainbows and are sold exclusively in perfumeries and supermarkets.
That's us.
And if not, there are also other families of gels, biocides but... what is a “biocide” actually? Don't panic... We'll explain!
Biocidal hydro-alcoholic gels are products with disinfectant and antibacterial actions, the chemical compounds of the biocide killing bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms. They are used in the medical and paramedical sector and are also marketed in supermarkets, pharmacies and parapharmacies, intended for the general public. (See the table below for a clear understanding) 🏥
These products therefore have an antiseptic and disinfectant action: disinfecting is “killing, eliminating or inactivating micro-organisms (parasites, bacteria) or undesirable viruses according to a given objective (for example “reducing the quantity of such and such an organism by below a fixed threshold”), to find out more: click here .
You have surely heard about this subject lately: biocides are currently subject to price controls since a decree of March 5, 2020, in order to prevent some from trying to take advantage of the situation by increasing their prices.
And why is Merci Handy not affected by this decree?
As we have just explained, our gels are cosmetic products (without “guaranteed biocidal activity”) and are therefore not included in the category of biocides covered by the decree. To find out more, you can consult the super FAQ that LA DGCCRF has published on this subject ( click here to teleport yourself to the DGCCRF website and go to the questions/answers on the decree).
For Merci Handy, there was never any question of "taking advantage" of the current crisis. Our gels therefore remain at the same price, set in 2014, i.e. 3 euros including tax on our website, for a bottle of 30 ml We also make sure on a daily basis that our commercial policy is respected by our reseller partners.
We hope this "little scientific point" will enlighten you on cosmetic gels and biocides 🤓
If you have any other questions, doubts or just words of love, do not hesitate to contact our team. We will do our best to answer you as soon as possible.
Louis, founder and CEO of Merci Handy