Handwashing brand, Gelo, recently partnered with The Benchmarking Company to conduct a national survey on the impact the pandemic has had on personal hygiene routines across the country. Launched in April 2020, Gelo Hand Soaps were developed with the idea of eliminating excessive waste and offers a reusable shatter-proof bottle, along with concentrated, plant-based hand soap refill pods, designed to be activated by water. Industry sources say the brand is on track to generate at least $10 million in sales by the end of the year.

The survey, which was conducted the week of Sept 21 and included 4,000 participants from across the US, reveled a substantial increase in handwashing as well as consumers’ growing interest in high quality hand soaps. Here, a summary of the results:

Frequency

  • Over 1/3 (36 percent) of Americans now report washing their hands more than 10 times a day – versus only 14 percent of participants who reported washing at the same frequency prior to the pandemic.  Moreover, over two thirds of survey respondents reported now washing their hands at least 8 times a day.

Purchasing behavior

  • Two-fifths (43 percent) of Americans report buying more hand soap refills since the start of the pandemic to avoid running low.
  • Only 16 percent of participants reported making the switch to shopping for hand soap online instead of in-store.

Hand soap preferences

  • Moisturizing Matters: 78 percent of survey participants want hand soaps that moisturize their hands, providing skin care benefits to complement frequent washing.
  • Non-Toxic Formulas: 71 percent of respondents surveyed prioritize formulas with clean ingredients that avoid parabens or phthalates.
  • Green Clean: Over two-thirds of participants (67.1percent) stated that being “Sustainable and Eco-Friendly” is an important or very important feature of the hand soaps they desire.