Beauty industry: why washing hands with soap and water is the healthy option

It’s effective, it works – and there are no side effects

“Clean products” is a “catch all” term which is these days applied to the beauty industry: there’s no doubt that such products are becoming increasingly significant, according to a recent article on the L’Officiel website.

Beauty products are expected to achieve a great deal, writes Sabrina Abbas and Sophie Shaw. But, crucially, in amongst the benefits, it’s vital that they don’t contain ingredients that are likely to contain harmful or even toxic ingredients.

The cornerstone of the report is to reveal the instances of “greenwashing” that is becoming “more prevalent in the beauty space”.

There’s a list of ingredients to avoid, and a real-world definition of what some of those beauty buzzwords actually mean.

No worries – and effective hand washing

The article of course refers to frequent hand washing – vitally important in any beauty industry situation, particularly in the light of the current pandemic. Hand sanitisers are not only the less desirable hand hygiene option (see Why soap and water hand washing is preferable to gels), but certain types of much-used gels could actually be doing you harm.

“What you may not know is that these products can also contain triclosan, an antimicrobial chemical also known to significantly disrupt the endocrine system and cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”

The Hair and Beauty Industry Authority (HABIA), in its guidance on hygiene in beauty and spa therapy, states hands must be washed before and after treating a client, as well as after handling food, using the toilet, and even after handling money. It advises using soap, preferably from a liquid soap dispenser, where the whole assembly is disposed of once the soap has run out. It advocates a 10-20 second wash and taps that can be operated hands-free.

What Does Clean Beauty Actually Mean? »

The Teal beauty range of portable hand wash units

With 80% of bacteria and diseases spread by touch, there are high risks of cross-contamination between clients and practitioner and their tools which makes good hand hygiene essential. See the range of hand wash units for the beauty and aesthetics industry »

The Teal HandSpa (below). Delivering superb hand washing – at the point of need. The automatic sensor delivers a hygienic hand wash without having to touch a tap or button.

Download the HandSpa fact sheet »