Hand sanitizer has become a staple item for many people during the COVID-19 pandemic. With frequent handwashing and sanitizing recommended to help prevent the spread of illness, it’s understandable that some may be concerned about whether ingredients in hand sanitizers could impact urine testing results.
How hand sanitizers work
Hand sanitizers are liquid, gel, or foam products that typically contain alcohol (usually ethyl alcohol) as the active ingredient. Some may also contain isopropyl alcohol. Alcohol solutions have strong antiseptic properties and work by dissolving the lipid membrane of bacterial and viral cells, effectively killing many types of germs.
Applied to the hands and allowed to dry, hand sanitizer can significantly reduce microbes on the skin’s surface. Frequent use of hand sanitizer is an effective way to sanitize hands when soap and water are unavailable.
Active ingredients in hand sanitizers
The active ingredients in most hand sanitizers are either:
- Ethyl alcohol – usually 60% to 95% concentration
- Isopropyl alcohol – usually 60% to 70% concentration
Some other ingredients commonly found in hand sanitizers include:
- Water
- Glycerin – helps prevent drying of skin
- Hydrogen peroxide – helps kill germs
- Benzalkonium chloride – antiseptic agent
- Essential oils – for fragrance
- Vitamin E – antioxidant; hydrating to skin
- Aloe vera gel – soothing and moisturizing properties
Can using hand sanitizer affect urine test results?
In most cases, using hand sanitizer as directed is unlikely to influence urine test results or be detected in a standard urine drug screen.
Here are some key points on how hand sanitizer ingredients may relate to urine testing:
- Ethyl alcohol in hand sanitizers is unlikely to cause a positive alcohol urine test, as the alcohol does not actually enter the bloodstream when applied topically to hands.
- Isopropyl alcohol may rarely be detected in urine, but typically only when extremely excessive repeated use and exposure has occurred. Standard use of hand sanitizer would not yield high enough levels of isopropyl alcohol exposure to trigger a positive urine test.
- Other ingredients commonly found in hand sanitizers like glycerin, aloe, hydrogen peroxide, etc. are not known to cross-react with drug immunoassays or influence urine drug test results when hand sanitizer is used as directed.
Exceptions
In very rare cases involving significant intentional misuse of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (like drinking or huffing them), urine alcohol levels may become elevated and potentially trigger a positive urine alcohol test result for some period of time afterwards. This would require consuming substantial volumes of hand sanitizer.
Conclusion
When used appropriately on hands, ingredients in alcohol-based hand sanitizers are unlikely to be absorbed into the body at levels high enough to cross-react with drug tests or influence urine drug screening results. While not impossible, it would be very rare for use of hand sanitizer to affect a urine test.