Helping hands in fight against virus
A MIAMI businessman and two friends have hit upon a new product they believe can help people keep their hands clean while protecting the environment at the same time.
Entrepreneurs and friends Kevin Painter and brothers Jason and Mark Alpen are the brains behind Hoap – a natural hand sanitising product they launched earlier this month.
The fully-biodegradable Hoap container contains 100 “cleanser” leaves formulated using natural plant-based ingredients to kill germs and bacteria while moisturising the skin.
Users place one of the leaves in the palm of their hand while rubbing both hands together with water until the product dissolves, which takes about 20 seconds.
Mr Painter, who runs Scout Brand Supply, said he was concerned by statistics showing millions of singleuse hand sanitiser bottles were heading straight into landfill.
At the same time he wanted to make a difference in the fight against COVID-19 and create a product that was non-toxic and would not dry out hands.
“After the Australian summer bushfires, there was a real push to improve our footprint and to be more environmentally-conscious with our consumption,” he said.
“Then, given the understandable concern over health and hygiene during the pandemic, the issue of single-use plastics went out the window.”
Mr Alpen said he was concerned about the ingredients in some hand sanitisers and wanted a product which could help fight the spread of the virus using plant-based ingredients.
“With all of the negative things going on in the world, Kevin and I would always talk about how we could make a stand, and were passionate about making something that was actually really good for you,” Mr Halpen said.
“Hoap is free of alcohol and toxic chemicals and really does cleanse the skin of dangerous bacteria but is also nourishing and leaves your hands feeling hydrated.”
He said the product, which in on the market for for $18, was priced competitively compared to bottles of hand sanitiser.