Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap vs Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Pump Dispenser: which is safer?
Dial Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Dial
Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap
PFAS grade
Excellent 75/100
Overall grade
Good 57/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
aqueous liquid soap base (surfactants, glycerin, water)
Confidence
72%
PossibleFragrance allergens and sensitizers
PossibleAntimicrobial residue and skin colonization
ReportedAquatic toxicity and environmental persistence
Purell
Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Pump Dispenser
PFAS grade
Excellent 75/100
Overall grade
Good 51/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Ethyl alcohol (62%), water, inert ingredients, fragrance
Confidence
78%
PossibleFragrance allergens
ReportedSkin irritation from ethanol concentration
ReportedIngestion risk in children
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Fragrance allergens and sensitizers, Antimicrobial residue and skin colonization and Aquatic toxicity and environmental persistence on the Dial and not on the Purell.
- We flag Fragrance allergens, Skin irritation from ethanol concentration and Ingestion risk in children on the Purell and not on the Dial.
- The Dial is aqueous liquid soap base (surfactants, glycerin, water) where the Purell is Ethyl alcohol (62%), water, inert ingredients, 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: 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 soap: see the full ranking