DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer kills the SARS-COV-2 virus immediately, lasts all day, and is gentle on the skin.

• Formulated by dermatologists who understand skincare and patient needs.
• Locally researched and developed by our Chief Scientific Officer.
• Immediately kills 99.99% of most household germs and viruses – including SARS-COV-2.
• Maintains effectiveness for 24 hours even with handwashing, reducing the need for re-application.
• Moisturizes the skin to prevent rashes and skin irritation even with repeated and prolonged use.
• Can be applied to surfaces to disinfect and provide a lasting, protective layer.

DS Skin Clinic and its international group of clinics have launched the DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer – a skin sanitizer that is fast-acting and effective in killing the SARS-COV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. In addition, it is long-lasting and remains effective for 24 hours from application, whilst being gentle on the skin.

⇒ Related Read: 10 Ways to Help Kids Cope With the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the end of the Circuit Breaker in Singapore, and many countries and cities worldwide coming out of lockdown, people around the world have become more mindful about how they can protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19, the disease that has infected 7.3 million and killed 413,000 victims around the world¹.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes the importance of hand hygiene as an effective way to prevent the spread of pathogens and infections. An effective hand sanitizer is a key component of a multi-pronged protection regime, which includes social distancing, thorough hand-washing, frequent hand-sanitizing, wearing of masks and avoiding the touching of the face with the hands.

“As a dermatologist, I see the need for a good hand sanitizer for our patients that’s effective, long-lasting and gentle on the skin. We tried to look for such a sanitizer in the market and, to our surprise, couldn’t find one that satisfied all these requirements,” says Dr Henry Loh – Chairman & Executive Director, RMH Holdings Ltd.

These considerations prompted DS Skin Clinic to come up with our own unique formulation, that we believe will meet the needs of consumers who are emerging from lockdown isolation and getting onto public-transit systems, returning to the office, and visiting more places. This means we will be increasingly exposed to the SARS-COV-2 virus on lift buttons, railings, door handles etc. that may have been contaminated by an infected person who had previously touched these surfaces.

As hand-washing facilities are not available at all places and most times, an effective hand sanitizer is needed to disinfect our hands as we come into contact with people in different situations, eg. handling cash and documents that we pass from one person to another. It is therefore important to ensure that our hands are constantly free of the SARS-COV-2 virus, through the application of hand sanitizers to kill the virus.

Fast Acting and Effective

The hand sanitizers in the market are either alcohol-based or non-alcohol-based. The former type, if concentrated enough, is fast-acting and effective in killing germs – but can be dehydrating on the skin. The alcohol-free sanitizers, although more gentle on the skin, tend to be less effective and slow-acting, and are more suitable for object surfaces.

CDC supports the use of alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHR) for the effective reduction of pathogens that may be present on the hands of healthcare providers after brief interactions with patients or the care environment. It recommends the use of ABHR with greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol².




The Singapore Government (National Environment Agency) lists 70% ethyl alcohol and 0.05% benzalkonium chloride as active ingredients (and working concentrations) that are effective against coronaviruses³.

⇒ Related Read: NEA Household Products and Active Ingredients for Disinfection of Novel Coronavirus

The DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer contains 75% ethyl alcohol and 0.1% benzalkonium chloride, and is therefore highly effective and fast-acting in killing 99.99% of most household germs and viruses – as tested by independent German laboratory Eurofins.

“From a commercial perspective, this represents a business opportunity because of the lack of such a product locally and worldwide. Furthermore, with COVID-19 affecting the revenue for medical services worldwide, this is a strategic move to diversify RMH Holdings from solely offering services and consultations, to also offering innovative products to the market,” adds Dr Loh.

Long-Lasting Effectiveness

Regardless of whether a sanitizer is alcohol-based or non-alcohol-based, the germ-killing effect is usually only present during the point of application. After the initial application, the skin begins accumulating harmful germs again as it comes into contact with contaminated surfaces until the sanitizer is re-applied.

The DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer remains effective for 24 hours after the initial application. The all-day protection is enabled by a skin-friendly, waterproofing polymer film formed over the skin upon evaporation of the alcohol. This prevents the active ingredients from being washed away, thus providing long-lasting protection against germs.

This reduces the need to re-apply frequently for a period of 24 hours after the initial application.

“The all-day protection is enabled by encapsulating 0.1% benzalkonium chloride (BKC), a very effective antimicrobial compound, in a polymer. After the alcohol fully evaporates, this forms a thin waterproof, disinfecting layer over the skin and further prevents the BKC from being washed away. This can last 24 hours even with mild handwashing,” says Dr Richard Seow (PhD) – CEO, RMH Holdings Ltd & Chief Scientific Officer, DS Skin Clinic.

Gentle On The Skin

As the dermatologists from DS Skin Clinic are cognizant of the dehydrating effect of alcohol-based skin sanitizers and have flagged this as a priority for the development of our sanitizer, our Chief Scientific Officer has added an emollient oil to the formula to hydrate the skin. This means that repeated and prolonged application of the hand sanitizer will not cause any skin irritation or damage.

As a result, the DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer provides the fast-acting germ-killing effectiveness of the alcohol in the formula, but still protects the skin from the dehydrating properties of the alcohol – whilst enabling the active ingredient to last all day after initial application.

This innovative hand sanitizer is the result of the skincare expertise from the dermatologists within DS Skin Clinic and the local research and development effort of our Chief Scientific Officer, despite the major disruptions to the global supply chain by COVID-19.

“A good sanitizer must be effective in killing germs, as well as be gentle on the skin. That’s why we emphasised from day one of its development that the hand sanitizer must protect the skin from dehydration, skin irritation and prolonged usage,” says Dr Coni Liu – Consultant Dermatologist, DS Skin Clinic.

Price And Availability

The DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer is available in a 45-ml pocket-sized spray bottle at S$15 per bottle. Boxes of 10 bottles can be purchased at a discounted price of S$99 per box.

The DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer can now be purchased at any of DS Skin Clinic’s four branches in Singapore at Orchard Paragon (Level 7 and Level 17), Parkway East and Shenton. It is also available online at our eShop @ www.dsclinic.com.sg

From August, the DS Skin Clinic All-Day Hand Sanitizer will also be available at our partner clinics and e-commerce websites.

The hand sanitizer will soon be launched and available in Hong Kong with the opening of the Queen’s Road Medical Centre later this year.

¹ As of 11 June, 2020 – according to the World Health Organisation Situation Report 143. www.who.int
² Guidance for Healthcare Providers about Hand Hygiene and COVID-19. www.cdc.gov
³ Interim List of Household Products and Active Ingredients for Disinfection of the COVID-19 Virus, Released 4 February, 2020; Revised 20 May, 2020. nea.gov.sg

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