These 14 hand sanitizers kill germs without wreaking havoc on your skin

As we get out of self-isolation and back into the streets again, there is one additional, critical item that you should have on your person when you do the “phone, keys, wallet” check in 2020—hand sanitizer. When you’re away from home, and washing your hands with soap and water frequently (and I repeat, frequently) is impossible, having hand sanitizer with you is a great (and necessary) backup. And if you’re anything like us, your local CVS is picked over (or stocked with hand-chapping, high-alcohol options that smell like a doctor’s office).

We found 14 portable, easily packable, and better-than-basic Purell alternatives—thanks to thoughtful details such as delicious natural scents, moisturizing ingredients, and eco-conscious packaging—and they’re not out of stock.

100% Pure Hand Sanitizing Spray
This gluten-free, vegan sanitizing spray from 100% Pure has just four ingredients: ethyl alcohol, aloe vera, tea tree leaf oil, and glycerin. All of this adds up to a simple formula that is perfect for keeping sensitive skin germ-free and well moisturized. 

Vegamour Hand Sanitizing Spray
This quick-drying 6 oz. bottle of sanitizer spray from Vegamour has a whopping 75% isopropyl alcohol in it—making it anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. But to save your skin from all that alcohol and the dryness it brings, this formula also contains marula oil and aloe vera, along with lavender and orange peel essential oils.

Touchland Power Mist
If scent is your thing, then Touchland’s Power Mist hand sanitizer allows you to carry around whichever fragrance you fancy—from lavender to watermelon to citrus to aloe. Each mighty little TSA-approved spritzer boasts up to 500 sprays and will leave your hands feeling clean, never sticky.

Public Goods Hand Sanitizer
This no-fuss hand sanitizer comes in a 12 oz. size, so it will last much longer than other pocket-sized sanitizers. Public Goods has left harsh chemicals such as triclosan and benzalkonium chloride out of the formula and padded the 62% ethyl alcohol solution with glycerin and aloe vera for added moisture.

Megababe Squeaky Clean Hand Sanitizer
This 2 oz. hand sanitizer is perfectly sized for being on the go and has a very pleasant scent, thanks to natural bergamot and orange oils. And to keep the 62% ethyl alcohol from drying out your skin, this formula features sweet almond oil, marula oil, and aloe.

Maapilim Hand Sanitizer
Yes, your hands can smell nice after bathing them in sanitizer, and Maapilim is here to prove it. This gel sanitizer is scented with an essential oil blend of cedarwood, bergamot, and jasmine—which leaves you with a faint fragrance that’s just strong enough.

Lather Hand Sanitizer with Aloe
This simple, citrus-scented hand sanitizer from Lather has an ingredient list that includes lots of natural botanicals—witch hazel, orange peel oil, aloe extract, and green tea extract, to name a few—along with a 65%-70% ethyl alcohol content. Plus, you can customize the size that’s right for you, from a 2 oz. travel size to a six-pack of 10 oz. pump bottles.

Earth tu Face Tea Tree and Aloe Sani
Another sanitizer that’s more about what’s not in it than what is, Earth tu Face’s version has an effective ingredient list of just 65% 200-proof SDA (specially denatured alcohol), organic aloe leaf juice, organic tea tree essential oil, and organic lavender essential oil. It’s a dream for lovers of boutique brands, too, as it’s handmade in small batches at Earth tu Face’s apothecary in California.

Clark’s Botanicals Hand Sanitizer
If you prefer a classic gel over spray, this formula from Clark’s Botanicals is perfect. Made with 71% isopropyl alcohol and less than 1% synthetic fragrance, a 4 oz. bottle of this straightforward sanitizer has all of the ingredients an effective formula needs, and nothing else.

Cabinet Hand Sanitizer Duo Pack
This convenient two-pack of sanitizer sprays is available for a can’t-beat price of $8, and it even comes to you via carbon-neutral shipping. Plus, the specialty blend of lemongrass oil, lemon, pine, orange peel, and cypress leaves makes this sanitizer one of the best-smelling out there. Subscribe to your purchase and you can save 15% (and never worry about running out).

by Humankind Hand Sanitizer
This sanitizer from by Humankind is made to save you from germs—and the world from a bunch of single-use plastic bottles. The formula contains 65% alcohol, as well as hyaluronic acid to keep your skin hydrated. Plus, you can subscribe to refill bottles.

Orly Hand Sanitizer Bundle

This hand sanitizer from Orly is about as simple as they come, made of just 75% isopropyl alcohol, glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, and purified water. And Orly allows you to purchase the sanitizer in bundles so you can stock up and save with a kit that includes four 2 oz. hand sanitizer sprays and two 16 oz. refill bottles.

Dr. Bronner’s Hand Sanitizing Spray
We love Thrive Market, and we love that the brand carries Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Organic Hand Sanitizer. The sanitizer is a spray—so it has a slightly different texture than a gel sanitizer does, and none of the sticky feeling. Dr. Bronner’s has also scented the sanitizing spray with fresh organic lavender oil, which leaves a lovely light fragrance behind.

Pipette Hand Sanitizer
If you are sensitive to fragrances or prefer a scentless sanitizer, you can’t do better than Pipette’s vegan hand sanitizer, beloved by many. The formula (which was originally designed for babies’ supersensitive skin) contains sugarcane-derived squalane, which is clinically proven to balance your skin’s microbiome, and glycerin to keep hands soft and moisturized.