Instant Hand Sanitizer 50ml vs Advanced Refreshing Gel Hand Sanitizer: which is safer?
PURELL Advanced Refreshing Gel Hand Sanitizer is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Dettol
Instant Hand Sanitizer 50ml
PFAS grade
Excellent 75/100
Overall grade
Poor 37/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 5
Material
Aqueous alcohol-based liquid sanitizer (ethanol, water, glycerin)
Confidence
82%
PossibleFragrance allergens
ReportedSkin irritation and drying from ethanol
PossiblePreservative safety (methyl/propylparaben or phenoxyethanol risk)
Our pick
Purell
Advanced Refreshing Gel Hand Sanitizer
PFAS grade
Excellent 75/100
Overall grade
Good 61/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
aqueous gel (alcohol, water, carbomer, glycerin, fragrance)
Confidence
78%
PossibleFragrance allergens
ReportedSkin irritation from alcohol
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Skin irritation and drying from ethanol, Preservative safety (methyl/propylparaben or phenoxyethanol risk), Flammability and improper storage risk and Eye and mucous membrane irritation if misused on the Dettol and not on the Purell.
- We flag Skin irritation from alcohol on the Purell and not on the Dettol.
- Both carry a flag for Fragrance allergens, so neither choice avoids it.
- The Dettol is Aqueous alcohol-based liquid sanitizer (ethanol, water, glycerin) where the Purell is aqueous gel (alcohol, water, carbomer, glycerin, fragrance), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More hand sanitizer, see the full ranking