High-End Brands Like LVMH Are Pitching In to Make Hand Sanitizer

Luxury goods company LVMH, which produces fragrances for Christian Dior, Givenchy, and Guerlain, is pivoting to hand sanitizer—and it expects to provide the French government with a whopping 12 tons of hydroalcoholic gel by the end of this week. Other companies that work with alcohol-based products are also lending a hand to combat COVID-19.

Sigil Scent, an American fragrance maker that uses essential oils, is launching a new hand sanitizer to provide "emotional, mental, and physical comfort in these trying times," according to their website. The bottles are fairly priced at cost, and customers can choose between "Grounded" or "Uplifting" fragrances—at times like these, there’s a need for both. Carts are limited to three bottles per person to discourage hoarding, and customers can also donate $5 to the L.A. LGBTQ Center’s food pantry at checkout.

When followers of AMASS—a gin and vodka distillery based in Los Angeles—saw that the company had crafted a no-water hand wash to keep their employees safe, they requested it en mass—and the company delivered.

"The ingredients are inspired by the ‘four thieves recipe,’" says master distiller Morgan McLachlan. "It’s a blend of botanicals believed to prevent the spread of the plague in medieval Europe." The two-ounce bottle is infused with cinnamon, allspice, clove, and eucalyptus, balancing medieval folklore with meeting the CDC’s standards for actual germ killing.

Across the country in Durham, North Carolina, Durham Distillery is using the same corn-based ethanol they use in their gin to make restaurant and bar disinfectant. Local officials passed a law over the weekend enabling distilleries to produce cleaning agents for their network of establishments.

And Brooklyn-based New York Distilling is making a hand sanitizer that begins with their signature gin. As such, it’s already scented with juniper, spices, and citrus peels. "I’m using it myself—it’s a lovely aroma," says company founder Allen Katz. Though not for sale to the general public, he’ll be distributing it amongst restaurants and retailers that they already do business with.

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