We’re updating this list as new options become available, so check back regularly. Get in touch via email if you have a product in stock that might be suitable.
As we all work our way through the coronavirus crisis, it’s arguably panic-buying – a self-fulfilling prophecy, considering there are no major reported food or grocery item shortages at this stage – that’s causing the most immediate problems for most Aussies.
And while handwashing with soap and warm water is the best practice when it comes to cleanliness, hand sanitiser (with at least 60 per cent alcohol) is a decent alternative when you can’t get to running water. It’s also right up there on the most-wanted list for stockpilers – so much so that stores are putting a purchase limit in place.
Even with those limits, many supermarket and pharmacy shelves are bare. We’ve rounded up a few other places you can still buy from – if you’re quick.
Grown Alchemist
Aussie beauty brand Grown Alchemist produces organic skincare and has just dropped two new products, both of which use 70 per cent ethyl alcohol along with hydrating natural oils such as rosemary and coconut.
The Hydra-Hand Sanitiser ($40 for 50 millilitres) is a spray, and the Hydra-Gel Hand Sanitiser ($15 for 50 millilitres or $55 for 500 millilitres) is a gel formula.
And Grown Alchemist’s signature minimal design means the packaging is beautiful, so it’s a win-win.
Synergie Skin
In 2005, Synergie Skin started making products to protect Australians' skin from UV rays without the use of ethically questionable ingredients, and it's since evolved to stock a wide range of serums, cleansers, moisturisers, cosmetics and more.
In response to the coronavirus crisis the label has launched a sanitiser spray made with 70 per cent alcohol, glycerin, and aloe vera, so it's non-drying. $15 for 120 millilitres.
Sensori+
Melbourne-based Sensori+ is known for products inspired by nature and made using plant-derived ingredients. Now, it's taking that same approach to hand sanitiser.
The spray bottles comes in two scents: the citrus-heavy Gayndah Orchard and the gingery Wiruna Night. Both are available in 30 millilitre ($15) and 100 millilitre ($39) bottles, and both contain 75 per cent alcohol.
This product is currently sold out.
Third Drawer Down
This collection of “Hand Sanity-Zers” from Melbourne-based design shop Third Drawer Down combines art with cleanliness in a way we didn’t know we needed. Each half-litre pump bottle ($25), 150-millilitre spray bottle ($15) and 100-millilitre bottle ($12.50) has playful artwork by artist David Shrigley or Magda Archer.
“Please go away,” reads one. “I hate germs!” shouts another. Some are more reassuring: “Everything is good.” That’s one of Shrigley’s, accompanied by not one, not two, but three thumbs-up illustrations.
Leif
This Sydney-based company makes skincare, soaps and shampoos from native botanical extracts and essential oils, and its new Hands-On Aromatic Gel Sanitiser is no different. Eucalyptus and tea-tree oils are combined with 70 per cent alcohol derived from cane sugar.
The 75-millilitre pocket-sized bottles are $15, and there's a sixpack for $90.
St Ali Coffee Roasters
Melbourne-based coffee empire St Ali has developed a hand sanitiser with 75 per cent alcohol in partnership with local water-treatment company HydroChem. It comes in 250 millilitre ($15) and 500 millilitre ($25) pump bottles, each one emblazoned with the words “Be Calm, Be Kind, Be Clean”. Timely.
Saba Organics
Saba Organics’ skincare products are all made in Australia, and that includes its three-strong range of handy 50 millilitre hand sanitisers, which are all made with 70 per cent ethanol alcohol.
Choose from one scented with calming lavender essential oil, one with rose and native Kakadu plum, and a scent-free spray. All cost $9.95.
Prohibition Liquor Co.
This South Australian distillery is known for its small-batch craft gin, but added a juniper-scented hand sanitiser to its repertoire in mid-March.
“Being a distillery and having access to high-strength alcohol, we decided to make a small batch of our own,” the team said in an Instagram post announcing the move. “We’re not in the hand sanitiser business and don’t intend to be, but we figured if we are going to make it for ourselves, why not make a small batch for the broader Prohibition family?”
You can’t buy the sanitiser on its own. Instead, each 100 millilitre bottle comes free with a full-size bottle of gin – they start at $99 – which is pretty fitting for times like these anyway.
This product is currently sold out.
July
Local travel startup July made its name with chic, functional carry-on luggage. Its Travel Well Kits are $50 and include two 50 millilitre hand sanitisers and two 50 millilitre mint breath-freshening sprays, all from Saba Organics and all packed into a hardy little case.
Manly Spirits Co.
This gin, vodka and whisky distillery in Sydney’s northern beaches makes spirits with foraged ingredients – such as sea parsley that washes up on nearby beaches – and now it’s making Gin Aroma hand sanitiser in the same vein.
It’s available in five litre tubs for community organisations, and 50 millilitre bottles are free with every full-size spirit purchase. There’s a limit of one of these freebies per customer.
Archie Rose Distilling Co
Bar staff who’ve been stood down at Sydney distillery Archie Rose are being brought back in to craft 65 per cent alcohol hand sanitiser. The new product uses the same botanicals found in Archie Rose gin, such as thyme, cardamom, cassia and grapefruit.
The sanitiser costs $20 per 500 millilitre bottle, with a limit of one case (six bottles) per person.
Natural Supply Co
This Aussie company is all about organic and cruelty-free products, and it’s got a few different hand sanitisers in stock.
The Bondi Wash Sydney Peppermint & Rosemary Mist Spray is $16 for 50 millilitres or $30 for 150 millilitres, and is made with plant-derived alcohol and Australian bush oils. Dr Bronner’s Lavender Organic Hand Sanitiser has just four ingredients – 62 per cent ethyl alcohol, glycerin, water and lavender oil ($8.95 for 59 millilitres).
Essensorie
Family-run perfume shop Essensorie is located in Melbourne’s Block Arcade, and all its products are made just outside Ballarat, Victoria.
The company has just launched an 80 per cent hand-sanitiser spray in three sizes ($22 for 50 millilitres, $42 for 100 millilitres and $95 for 250 millilitres) made with eucalyptus, tea tree, lavender and lemon essential oils.
Perfect Potion
This Queensland-based brand creates skincare rooted in aromatherapy, using essential oils and plant extracts. Its 50 millilitre hand sanitiser ($9.96) is made with tea tree, lemon and lavender oils, with a 60 per cent ethanol alcohol base.
Four Pillars
The Victorian gin distillery is known for its sought-after Bloody Shiraz Gin, and was last year crowned the International Gin Producer of the Year. Now it’s using the by-products of gin distillation to make hand sanitiser.
The one-litre hand sanitiser – named Heads, Tails and Clean Hands ($40) – contains 80 per cent ethyl alcohol.
This product is currently sold out.
Mr Black
This distillery based on the NSW Central Coast makes a makes a mean Espresso Martini. But its hand sanitiser, made with 70 per cent ethanol in partnership with sibling company Distillery Botanica, is even more in-demand right now (the first batch sold out in a couple of hours).
The 500-millilitre bottles are $19.95.
This product is currently sold out.
The Answer
This citrusy, minty hand sanitiser is made with Australian botanicals (lemon ironbark and soothing native river mint) and 70 per cent alcohol.
It comes in four formats: a handy 50-millilitre squeeze-pack ($9), a 500-millilitre concrete pump dispenser ($39), a 500-millilitre refill ($34) and a one-litre refill ($59).
Hand Combat
Melbourne skincare brand Yulani has created a new label, Hand Combat, for its just-released hand-sanitiser gel. Made with native Australian botanicals, jojoba oil and 70 per cent alcohol, it has a light, fresh scent and comes in recyclable bottles.
The 100-millilitre bottle is $14.95, the 500-millilitre pump bottle is $49.95, and there are refills and bulk products available at a range of pricepoints. (The best value is the five-litre refill for $199.95.)
Have a Nice Day
Fragrance consultancy The Powder Room has launched new label, Have a Nice Day (aka Hand), with a series of hand sanitisers made from 70 per cent sugar-cane ethanol. Scent combinations include lemon myrtle and mimosa; rose and kunzea (a native flower); and sandalwood and cedarwood.
There's a 10-millilitre pocket size for $19.95, and 50 millilitre ($29.95) and 100 millilitre ($44.95) refills.
The Answer
A collaboration between several Queensland businesses including a rum distillery, a chemist, artists and more, The Answer is making fragrance-free anti-bacterial hand sanitiser from 70 per cent ethanol alcohol.
The handmade concrete dispensers cost $39 and hold 500-millilitres, and you can buy 50-millilitre, 500-millilitre and one-litre refill packs, which cost between $9 and $59.
Glasshouse Fragrances
Aussie company Glasshouse Fragrances is best known for its scented candles, but it also makes skincare, soaps and hand sanitiser. The sanitiser is made with 65 per cent ethanol and aloe vera, and has notes of freesia, thyme, lavender, patchouli and musk.
The 250-millilitre pump bottles cost $29.95.
Jacqueline Evans
This hand-sanitising mist is made in Australia with 70 per cent ethanol, aloe vera and lemon myrtle. The 100-millilitre bottles are $18.95.
Deeds Brewing
It may look like a tinnie, but with 80 per cent ethanol, this no-fuss fragrance-free hand-sanitiser refill is way more alcoholic than any beer (and certainly not for drinking).
A case of 24 costs $199.95; a fourpack is $40.
Saya Skincare
This Aussie skincare label's whopping five-litre hand sanitiser ($200) is so news-worthy we ran a separate article on it.
The plant-based, scent-free gel also comes in 250- and 500-millilitre bottles.
Aesop
Aesop, established in Melbourne in 1987, makes skincare products that are complemented by a cool, clean aesthetic. The label’s Resurrection Rinse-Free Hand Wash is a non-sticky formula made with mandarin rind, rosemary leaf and cedar. It comes in a 500 millilitre pump ($50) and in a 50 millilitre pocket-size vessel ($10).
This product is currently sold out.
Karst Stone Paper
This eco-friendly Sydney-based company
turns mining and construction waste into elegant, durable stationery. But in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, it’s teamed up with Rescue, a personal-care supply-chain network founded by people who have lost their jobs, to make hand sanitiser.
Karst’s liquid sanitiser is formulated with an ethyl-alcohol content of 70 per cent, plus soothing aloe vera. Each 500-millilitre pump bottle is $22.
This product is currently sold out.
