Compare hand sanitisers from Sukin, ALDI Tricare, Palmolive, Dettol, Aqium, Purell, Thankyou, Careline and Scotts, on ease of use, smell, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Aussies have rated Sukin best for hand sanitiser in Australia, leading the way from eight other brands on customer satisfaction.
It’s basically hygiene in a bottle and since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, hand sanitiser has become a must-have everywhere we go. In fact, more than half (53%) of Aussies who responded to our survey purchase and use instant hand sanitiser more regularly now than they did BC (before coronavirus), almost on par with the 50% of people who take a bottle with them any time they leave home. But, with so many options available – including sanitising sprays, gels, soaps, and wipes – how do you know which hand sanitisers are worth picking up?
That’s where we can help. Canstar Blue has surveyed nearly 2,000 Aussies for their feedback on the instant hand sanitisers they’ve purchased and used over the last six months. Respondents compared and rated brands on important factors such as ease of use, smell, packaging, value for money and overall customer satisfaction. Brands that received the minimum required survey sample size of 30 responses are featured in our results. So, what did we find?
Sukin topped our ratings as the best hand sanitiser, after receiving five-star reviews for packaging and overall satisfaction.
Here are the best instant hand sanitisers in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s 2020 review:
Aussies rated Sukin’s hand sanitisers best for packaging design and overall satisfaction. The brand also scored a solid four stars on value for money, ease of use and smell. Meanwhile, runner-up ALDI Tricare was the only brand to receive top marks in the bang for your buck category and got four stars overall.
Notably, bronze winner Palmolive managed to score five-star reviews in three categories, namely smell, packaging design and ease of use, but it landed on four stars in the remaining areas. Dettol impressed Aussies with its ease of use and packaging, achieving five stars in these categories and four stars overall. Aqium and Purell also received full marks for ease of use.
Sukin is an Australian skincare brand founded in 2007, on the philosophy that everything we need to nourish our skin (inside and out) can be found in nature. That’s why Sukin’s range, which comprises of face masks, moisturisers, oils, serums and the like, is said to be derived from natural ingredients. The brand’s products are also vegan, carbon-neutral and made on home soil. The company also sells hand sanitiser sprays and gels, made with 70% v/v alcohol made from natural sources such as wheat, sugarcane and sorghum. Sukin’s range includes the following products:
Sukin was the only brand to be rated five stars for overall satisfaction. It also got full marks for packaging design and four stars in the remaining categories.
ALDI Tricare is the discount supermarket’s budget line of personal care products which includes antibacterial soaps, gels and hand wash. If online reviews and the wild world of social media are anything to go by, this line offers both quality and bang for your buck. ALDI’s Tricare hand sanitisers come in two versions – original with vitamin E, and one with aloe vera. Both options are labelled as non-sticky, and paraben-free. Tricare is stocked exclusively at ALDI. Check out prices below:
ALDI Tricare was rated best for value for money with five stars, and got a solid four stars overall.
Palmolive is a leading brand of personal care products (owned by Colgate-Palmolive), with a history dating back about 200 years, when William Colgate started a starch, soap and candle business. Fast forward to today and Palmolive is one of the most recognised brands when it comes to shampoos, soaps, hand washes, hand sanitisers and more. It’s sold in most major supermarkets and grocers in Australia. Palmolive offers two scented hand sanitiser options, both available in a 48ml travel size and 200ml pump bottle. Options include:
Palmolive received a five-star rating for ease of use, smell and packaging design. It got four stars for overall satisfaction and value for money.
Dettol came to the (operation) table over 80 years ago and was first used to clean and disinfect skin for surgical procedures in hospitals. Today, the brand is still synonymous with all things antibacterial, but mostly for its soaps, sprays and wipes. Dettol products are stocked at Coles, Woolworths and most pharmacies. The brand offers cleaning products for your bathroom, kitchen and laundry, as well as personal hygiene products. This includes antiseptics, soaps, antibacterial hand wipes and of course instant hand sanitisers, which come in convenient travel-size bottles and 200ml pump bottles. Here’s a sample selection from the Dettol range:
Dettol was rated five stars for packaging design and ease of use, but landed on four stars overall.
Aqium is a pharmacy brand of hand sanitisers, which boasts a hospital-grade formulation to apparently kill 99.99% of germs ‘fast’, so the brand claims. Aqium’s products are manufactured by Ego Pharmaceuticals and sold in most major chemists in Australia, including Priceline, Amcal and Chemist Warehouse. The brand is made up of three lines of hand sanitisers, Aqium Original, Aqium Ultra and Aqium Aloe. Products come in three formats, including a 60ml purse pack, 375ml pump pack and 1L pump. Check out prices below:
Aqium scored a five-star rating for ease of use, but finished on four stars overall.
Purell is an American brand of hand sanitisers. It’s owned by GOJO Industries, a wholesaler of health and hygiene products which services the healthcare and hospitality industry, as well as the industrial and retail market. Purell products are also stocked at Woolies and certain pharmacies. Purell hand sanitisers are available in different formats and dispensing options, including foam and gel options, and in sizes ranging from 30ml to 1200ml. Here’s a product selection:
Purell was rated five stars for ease of use and four stars in the majority of categories, except value for money where it got three stars.
Thankyou markets itself as a consumer movement and a company that operates as a social enterprise. Thankyou commits 100% of its profits from sales to global projects to end poverty. The company says it doesn’t have any private shareholders, which means it can focus on people instead of profits. The brand has over 55 products, from personal care products to nappies, baby care and water. Thankyou sells original and scented instant hand sanitisers, including:
Thankyou scored a solid four-star rating across the board.
Founded in 1990, as a small Australian business, Careline has grown to become a leading brand in skincare products and natural health supplements, including infant formula and adult milk powders. Manufactured in Australia, Careline products are sold exclusively in Woolworths supermarkets and other independent stores. Check out prices below:
Careline was rated four stars for ease of use and smell, but finished on three stars overall, including for value for money and packaging design.
Scotts is an Australian brand of cleaning and hygiene products, typically sold at Bunnings, on Kogan and in independent pharmacies around the country. Scotts only deals in antibacterial hand gel, with options including:
Scotts rounded out the results with three stars across the broad.
According to the Australian Department of Health, alcohol-based hand sanitisers kill a broad spectrum of bacteria and viruses, but not all germs. That’s why health experts still recommend washing your hands with soap and water whenever you can, which is much more effective at removing certain kinds of germs, like Cryptosporidium and Norovirus.
Instant hand sanitisers with a higher alcohol concentration are more effective at killing germs than those with a lower concentration or non-alcohol-based options. The general advice is to look for a hand sanitiser with a formulation of at least 60-80% alcohol, to kill 99.9% of germs. Anything below that may only work to reduce the growth of germs, rather than kill them. Most hand sanitisers will contain a combination of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol, which are approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
With that said, alcohol-based hand sanitisers can often dry out the skin, so look for products which also contain moisturising ingredients like Vitamin E and aloe vera. Naturally, you might like a hand sanitiser that doesn’t smell like a shot of vodka, so bonus points if you can find a scented option!
Besides this, you’ll also want to consider what type of hand sanitiser you might like best. An overwhelming majority of our survey respondents (94%) had recently purchased a liquid/gel option, while just 5% picked up a spray, our results show. Lastly, don’t forget to check the expiry date on the label to ensure your hand sanitiser is fit for use and keep our review in mind if you’re ever unsure on what to look out for.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health & beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.
Picture credits: Bogdan Sonjachnyj, Shutterstock.com.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and used instant hand sanitiser in the last six months – in this case, 1,925 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.