Biocides & Coronavirus | FAQs

Over the past few months, Surfachem have received an increase in the number of enquiries for biocidal and sanitation products to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak. As a guide, we’ve collated some of the most frequently asked questions to help support you at this time.

“Do you have anything to thicken hand sanitiser?”

At Surfachem we have a range of rheology modifiers that are commonly used to thicken alcoholic hand sanitisers.

The most common are:

• Carbopol® Powders (Ultrez and ETD Grades) - (12 - 14 week lead time)
• Carbopol®AQUA SF-1 - (2 week lead time)

“Can I use triethanolamine to thicken / neutralise Carbopol Aqua SF-1?”

Yes. We recommend using the highest active level you can (preferably SURFAC® TELA PURE 90% AQUEOUS) and neutralising this to pH 7.30 – 7.60. It is important to note that ethanol hand sanitisers are more effectively neutralised with aminomethyl propanol (AMP) or 20% sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH(aq)), however they will still work with SURFAC® TELA.

“What is BPR?”

• BPR, or Biocidal Products Regulation, is an EU directive regulating the sale of biocidal products. All biocidal products will eventually need to be registered with The Health and Safety Executive. Currently IPA and lactic acid are all inscribed. The projected date for approval/inscription for quaternary ammonium compounds, including benzalkonium chloride and didecyldimethylammonium chloride is December 2020.
• Although ethanol and quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) are not currently inscribed, you must still buy them from an Article 95 listed source.

“I’ve seen a video on social media of someone adding aloe gel to IPA to make hand gel, can I do that?”

This video is showing an aloe gel that has already been thickened with a Rheology Modifier. Our aloe gel is not thickened, therefore adding this to IPA will result in a watery, cloudy solution.

“What statements can I make on my labels / website about sanitisers?”

Hand gels containing 60% alcohol or more are known to kill germs.

Statements such as “kills germs”, “kills bacteria” and/or “antibacterial” can all be used on your labels. However, you should not be making quantitative statements such as, “kills 99.9% of bacteria” or specific kinds of bacteria such as “kills salmonella” without having the relevant EN testing evidence to prove this.

“What is EN testing?”

EN tests are EU testing standards for providing evidence of biocidal effect. The most common you will come across are;

• EN1276
• EN14476
• EN13697
• EN1500 (new test specifically for hand gel)

“What EN testing has Surfachem’s hand gel passed?”

Surfachem’s hand gel formulation has passed both EN1276 and EN1500 testing.

“Can I sell my hand gel as a cosmetic or biocide?”

• CTPA (Cosmetics Toiletries & Perfumery Association): “Hand gels and hand sanitisers can be classed as cosmetics, biocides or medicines; the classification depends mainly of the primary function, the claims and overall presentation of the product. Product classification is a responsibility of the company wishing to make this type of product; it is also a responsibility of the company to ensure compliance with the relevant regulatory framework, once classification is determined”.
• Cosmetic products need to have a Responsible Person, CSPA and be registered on the Cosmetic Product Portal with HSE.
• Biocidal products need to conform with BPR regulations and CLP labelling.

“Can I still sell my IPA-based hand sanitiser?”

IPA has now been inscribed for Product Type 1, but you can apply for a derogation from the HSE under Article 55. This will allow you to continue selling IPA hand sanitisers without having to comply with BPR registration.

“What biocides do Surfachem sell?”