Purell

Purell is an American brand of hand sanitizer invented in 1988, and introduced to the consumer market in 1997, by GOJO Industries. Its primary component is ethyl alcohol, and is used by wetting one's hands thoroughly with the product, then briskly rubbing one's hands together until dry. Purell was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2006, then reacquired by GOJO in 2010. That year, Purell Green Certified Instant Hand Sanitizer became the first hand sanitizer to meet EcoLogo CCD-170 standards. In early 2020, some of Purell's claims, including that it kills "99.99% of most common germs", have been met with regulatory warning to desist the claim. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, GOJO faced unprecedented demand for Purell products due to its reputation as a leading name-brand for hand sanitizer.

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A Conversation with Kayla Ivey: Lead formulator of Purell hand sanitizer talks about rising to COVID-19’s challenges and gaining a soapbox on Twitter.