Hand cleaning cream: why choose it?

The use of hand cleansing paste is nowadays a matter of course for many workers, but it was not always so. Many developments have led to the use of increasingly high-performance and safe products in the workplace, which have made skin care an easy habit to implement.

While handwash paste formulations have developed considerably over the years, hand cleaning creams are an even gentler version of them on the skin, but just as effective. These are liquid handwash pastes, suitable for frequent use for the removal of various types of stubborn soiling. How do hand cleaning creams and pastes work and why should they be used? Read more!

 

Mechanics, carpenters, electricians, door and window fitters, electricians, plumbers, building constructors: there are many professionals who make daily use of specific hand-cleaning products and who resort to the use of liquid handwashing paste, homemade handwashing solutions or other effective professional cleaning products.

Thoroughly cleaning and sanitising hands is important because it prevents the spread of pathogens and contamination, but also preserves the well-being of what are in effect essential working tools in many industries.

Hand-washing paste was created as an indispensable ally for removing stubborn dirt, without attacking the skin and altering its precious balance. Creating do-it-yourself handwash products is possible, but are you sure it is really the best choice for the health of your hands?

 

Hand-washing paste: what it is, what it is used for and how it came into being

Hand-washing paste is basically a detergent formulated in cream or paste form, which has an abrasive base capable of removing particularly resistant substances such as grease, oil, paint, silicones, petrol, ink, bitumen, graphite or rust from the skin.

The first appearance of hand-washing paste seems to date back to the 1950s. It was then that the inventor of this product was inspired by the methods that workers used to clean their hands and formulated the idea of an innovative cosmetic that could solve their cleansing and hygiene problems.

Until that time, there were no specific creams or soaps for removing dirt from industrial processes, and workers used to mix ordinary soap with earth or sand to achieve a particularly effective abrasive effect.

Starting from this basic strategy, the first hand-washing pastes were then created, with the help of components such as abrasive granules, surfactants and other detergents.

Success was, of course, immediate and many companies began requesting the new product to make it available to their employees.

Since then, hand-washing paste has never ceased to be an essential companion in the lives of many workers.

 

Hand cleaning cream, an extra solution

If handwash cream has been a revolution in working environments, the more modern formulations of this essential product meet the increasingly targeted needs of professionals. If, in fact, some prefer to use pastes with a thicker consistency, other workers prefer the use of creamy handwash pastes that are more fluid on the skin, yet have an identical cleaning effect.

Hand cleaning cream is exactly the answer to this need: it is a hand-wash formulation with a particularly creamy consistency, which borrows its high washing and degreasing power from the classic hand-wash parts and offers the skin even more gentleness.

The Nettuno line of hand cleaning creams meets the demands of the most diverse categories of workers, with products capable of removing tough soils such as grease, bitumen, lubricants, rust, inks, paints, graphite, dyes and hydrocarbons.

The extremely gentle formulation on the skin makes it suitable for daily use and offers professionals an extra partner for the health of their skin.

What are the best tips for always having a good handwash product that thoroughly cleanses your skin while protecting its health and well-being? Here are 5 tips directly from the Nettuno experts!

 

1.  Making hand-washing paste at home: is it possible?

The almost daily use of hand-washing paste prompts many workers to experiment with handicraft solutions for making an inexpensive but effective cleaner against the stubborn dirt that settles on their skin every day. Is it really worthwhile, however, to create a do-it-yourself handwashing paste for mechanics, carpenters, gardeners, bodyworkers and other craftsmen? And is it really safe to use a self-made hand-washing paste, liquid or thicker consistency, every day?

Given the frequent use of handwashing paste, it is essential that it is of high quality and not harmful to the health of the hands, an area that is particularly exposed but at the same time much more delicate than is commonly thought. Unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases, DIY products fail to meet these requirements.

Mixing ingredients available at home to make products with a cleansing effect is not the right way to take care of skin that is constantly exposed to even extreme stress. On the contrary, it is a habit that risks exacerbating skin irritation or sensitising it, favouring the appearance of dermatological pathologies and actually having the opposite of the desired effect.

 

2. Homemade hand-washing paste? Best to turn to the industry leaders

The issue of health and safety in the workplace is one of the most sensitive in the corporate world and cannot be treated superficially, neither by workers nor by employers.

In fact, the regulations that govern the obligations of business owners towards their employees (specifically Legislative Decree 81/08) require them to formulate a careful assessment of occupational hazards, as well as to devise risk minimisation procedures and provide employees with training, instructions and PPE appropriate to the performance of their duties.

Reducing the incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses should be a goal shared by the company and its employees, and to achieve this goal, it is undoubtedly useful to turn to the safest and best performing products and strategies.

Since skin diseases are one of the most common illnesses in working environments, it is definitely a good idea to leave aside ‘home-made’ skin care formulations and only use the most effective professional products.

Focused on the objective of offering professionals from the most diverse sectors high standard hand care products, Nettuno is one of the companies that has developed over the years an extensive catalogue of proposals aimed at satisfying even the most demanding needs: not only hand-washing pastes and hand cleaning creams, but also protective creams, soaps, moisturising products, UV lotions, sanitising gels and accessories.

The basis of the company’s international success is its high technological component. For more than 50 years, Nettuno has put the updating of its processes and ingredients, as well as scientific research and collaboration with leading universities, at the forefront of its efforts to continuously optimise its formulations.

 

3. Do-it-yourself hand-washing paste Vs professional products: make the right choice

The well-being of the skin is at the heart of the research that has led to the latest formulations of handwash products. New discoveries about the safety and skin tolerability of ingredients and the evolution of regulations for professional cosmetics have led to the development of products that are now much more effective and much less aggressive than homemade handwash pastes.

The production of handwash solutions is regulated by the regulations on products that come into contact with the skin, according to EC Regulation 1223/2009. The ingredients used in the production of handwash creams and pastes effectively cleanse the skin, eliminating even the most stubborn dirt residues, while respecting the pH of the epidermis and the hydrolipidic film that protects it from external aggression.

The first of the ingredients of hand-washing pastes to have changed over time is precisely the abrasive component: initially obtained through the use of sand or similar substances, synthetic abrasives were also later used for the purpose, such as polyurethane foam powder, which had the advantage of not clogging up drains with substances that easily created traffic jams. As of 1 January 2020, however, Law No. 205 of 27.12.2017 expressly banned the marketing of cosmetic rinse-off products, with exfoliating or cleansing action, that contain microplastics.

From the more refined and less aggressive mineral microgranules, we have come to the use of increasingly natural and biocompatible ingredients, such as microspheres of mineral or vegetable origin, or a combination of the two, options that leave the cleaning action of the paste intact, reducing aggressiveness on the skin and increasing environmental sustainability.

In addition, emollient, moisturising, nourishing ingredients with a protective effect are a must in today’s best hand care products: the main purpose of hand-washing pastes is to deeply cleanse the skin, respecting the fragile balance of the skin barrier and exerting a preventive effect on possible irritation, redness, dermatitis or other occupational diseases.

 

4. Liquid, extra-liquid, handwash paste: find your formula

Companies like Nettuno are called upon to be spokesmen for a true culture of hygiene and worker well-being: companies that choose to rely on our brand today do not want to find a simple supplier, but a partner that can accompany them in the implementation of effective procedures for health protection and risk prevention.

The Nettuno catalogue is made up of a huge variety of products, which take care of the hands of professionals at 360° and allow safe processes to be organised to preserve the health of the hands. What characterises them is a meticulous selection of raw materials and compliance with the most stringent criteria of quality, reliability and compatibility, both with the skin and the environment.

In addition to handwashing pastes, such as those of the Blanca Line, the Linea Più and the Rossa in Pasta, Nettuno has also developed the most innovative handwashing creams, essentially creamy handwashing pastes, an evolution of the classic paste now in a more fluid format, but just as effective. The MacroCream (also in an Ecolabel version), the Linea Blanca Extrafluida and the Rossa in Crema are today among the most popular hand-washing products among professionals, together with detergents for special dirt, such as INKO Special and COLOR Special.

 

5. Choose Nettuno as your partner for occupational safety and health

Protecting the health of hands in industry is the mission of Nettuno, a company founded in 1970 in the province of Bergamo, against the backdrop of a booming industrial scenario. By listening to the concrete needs of workers and the constant commitment of its R&D department, Nettuno has succeeded in establishing itself as a leader in the production and distribution of professional hand washing products.

The competent and knowledgeable Nettuno sales team can help you choose the most suitable solutions for your reality and guide you through the many options for protection, washing, care, cleaning and accessories.

Constant and attentive support also allows you to keep your internal hygiene management at an optimal level, providing you with customised refills and supply programmes to keep your cleaning points and dispensers up and running at all times.

In addition, a far-sighted vision of the future drives the company towards innovation that has as its main objective the ability to combine corporate growth with sustainability, both environmental and social.

 

Explore Nettuno products on our website and contact us for more information!