Is Sensitive Hand Wash antibacterial?Updated 4 days ago

TL;DR: Sensitive Hand Wash isn't an antibacterial product, and Koh doesn't make antibacterial claims for it. What it does is remove bacteria from your skin: the surfactants lift bacteria and the oils they cling to, and rinsing carries them away. That's how washing your hands has always worked.

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Koh Sensitive Hand Wash in use at the sink

Koh Hand Wash Starter Kit: refill box and pump bottle

Koh Sensitive Hand Wash refill box beside its pump bottle

Is Sensitive Hand Wash antibacterial?

Sensitive Hand Wash isn't an antibacterial product, and Koh doesn't make antibacterial claims for it. In Australia, antibacterial, sanitiser and disinfectant claims need TGA registration, and Sensitive Hand Wash doesn't carry one. If you want a product with a registered kill claim, reach for a hand sanitiser labelled for that purpose.

What Sensitive Hand Wash does is remove bacteria from your skin. The surfactants surround bacteria and the oily residue they cling to, lathering and rubbing lifts them off, and rinsing sends them down the drain. They're not killed, they're gone, and for everyday hand washing that's the outcome you're after.

This is why public health advice keeps coming back to washing with a cleanser and water rather than to a specific ingredient. The mechanism is mechanical, so the technique does most of the work.

Removes bacteria by washingFragrance-freeSulfate-freeHRIPT dermatologically testedRecognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia

How does Sensitive Hand Wash remove bacteria?

The removal mechanism in three steps

Surround

Surfactant molecules have two ends, one drawn to water and one drawn to oils and fats. They surround bacteria and the oily residue holding them to your skin.

Dislodge

Lathering and rubbing your hands together lifts that whole bundle clear of the skin. This is the part technique changes, and it's why 20 seconds beats 5.

Rinse away

Water carries it off your hands and down the drain. The bacteria are no longer on your skin, which is the outcome hand washing is built to achieve.

Can I use Sensitive Hand Wash at the kitchen sink?

The kitchen sink is the tap most households use most, and Sensitive Hand Wash is built for exactly that: repeated everyday washing. It lifts bacteria, food residue and everyday grime off your hands and rinses the lot away.

Because it's fragrance-free, sulfate-free and sits at pH 5.5, it holds up to washing ten or fifteen times a day without leaving hands feeling tight, which is usually what puts people off washing as often as they should while they cook.

If your kitchen needs a registered sanitiser as well, use one labelled for that purpose alongside your normal hand washing.

Built for frequent washingLifts food residue and grimeFragrance-free