Luxury fragrance and cosmetic brand, LVMH, and skincare manufacturers Comfort Zone and SBC are amongst a number of brands that have branched out into the production of hand sanitiser to meet increased demand amid shortages driven by the COVID-19 outbreak.
In Italy, Comfort Zone has created its own hand sanitising gel named Good Hope Gel. The Parma based family run business, has donated 100,000 bottles to its partners, customers and collaborators, as well as charities, in collaboration with the Solidarity Forum in Italy which serves municipal rest homes, the Red Cross, Yellow Cross, Intercral, Bethany Community, Public Assistance and associations helping immigrants.
French luxury goods group LVMH last week switched to producing hand sanitiser at three of its perfume and cosmetics factories for distribution to French hospitals fighting coronavirus.
It’s anticipated the factory will produce up to twelve tonnes each week, instead of the Christian Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy scents and make-up usually manufactured at the three French sites.
UK brand SBC skincare also recently launched a hand sanitising gel. The brand reported they sold over 1,000 units within two hours of making the announcement and launching the product.
It comes amid shortages of hand sanitiser, which has been flagged as an important tool in combating the current COVID-19 pandemic. Many supermarkets and chemists have placed strict limits on the number of hand sanitising gels shoppers can buy as producers struggle to source enough ingredients and small plastic bottles.
With hand sanitiser in heavy demand, a slew of independent brewers and distilleries have also followed suit with BrewDog, Verdant Spirits, London Gin and Psychopomp Microdistillery just a handful of brands that have switched part of their production to the creation of hand sanitiser.
HMRC said it was prioritising applications from manufacturers to enable them to produce denatured alcohol, a type of spirit that is not for human consumption and exempt from excise duty. A range of chemicals are added to the alcohol to render it undrinkable.
Commenting on the move Davide Bollati, Comfort Zone owner and president, said; “We realised that launching our own hygiene gel was crucial during this emergency and we wanted to do something for the wider community.”
https://www.comfortzone.it/en-gb/ https://www.sbcskincare.co.uk
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