Two thirds of parents say using hand gel is ‘new normal’ for children

By Becky Bargh | Published: 27-Oct-2020

Since the coronavirus pandemic, hand gel sales have boomed worldwide and its use is becoming the ‘new normal’ for children

Virtual meetings, social distancing and face coverings are all part of society’s ‘new normal’, but the coronavirus pandemic is not just affecting the way consumers interact with one another, children are also forming new habits since the outbreak of Covid-19.

According to a new study, published by body and bathroom brand Baylis & Harding, more than two thirds of parents admit using hand gel has become a habit for their children.

The results reported 64% of respondents with children said that using hand gel is part of the ‘new normal’ in their daily hygiene routine.

Almost 40% of respondents with children between the ages of ten and 12 said their children always have hand gel with them everywhere they go, while 50% of parents with 16-year-old children or older also carry hand gel with them everywhere.

Nearly 20% of parents with children younger than three said they use hand gel regularly at home but nowhere else and 25% with children between four and six send them to school with hand gel but do not use it in the home.

Meanwhile, almost 90% of respondents with children 16 or over said they strongly agree that using hand gel has become as important and as much a part of my daily routine as hand washing.

Baylis & Harding said: “The survey confirms that hand hygiene habits have irrevocably changed and that the use of hand gels as an effective alternative to hand washing is ingrained in the nation, now and for the foreseeable future.”

Early into Covid-19’s outbreak in Europe and America many beauty brands repurposed their production lines to manufacture hand gels.

Personal care behemoths L’Oréal, LVMH, Coty and Estée Lauder Companies began hand sanitiser production in March and April in response to the pandemic.

Beauty brands also joined the fight against Covid-19 transmission with a host of brands, including Pai, Sparitual, So…? and Five Dot Botanics, launching hand gels at the peak of the pandemic.

You may also like