Hand sanitizers have become a must-have accessory amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

They are now one of the most sought-after products, with price gouging driving prices up and panic buying sweeping them off shelves in supermarkets. 

Responding to shortages, perfume makers and distilleries are lending a hand by shifting productions to make sanitizers instead.

In France, LVMH Moet Hennessy, which carries brands like Dior and Givenchy, announced it will use its perfume and cosmetics factories to produce hydroalcoholic gel for public hospitals.

Distilleries and breweries in Scotland, U.S., and Europe – with their experience in alcohol production – have also gone from spirits to sanitizers to help make up the shortfall. And in some cases, these sanitizers are infused with botanicals and in-house fragrance usually used for flavor.

In the UK, the HM Revenue and Customs agency has fast-tracked non-drinking alcohol application so more anti-bacterial gel using denatured alcohol can be produced.

While they are mostly giving it away for free to health authorities and customers, this may just have handed distilleries and luxury perfume makers a whole market to tap on.

Making hand sanitizers cool again, again

Due to an increase in demand, the global hand sanitizer market size is expected to reach 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, according to a 2017 report published by Research and Markets. In 2020 alone, the market is expected to see a nine-percent growth, according to Technavio, a global market research firm.

The drive in demand is in a large part due to the SARS outbreak in 2002/2003, followed by other swine and avian flu outbreak and the Ebola crisis. The demand to clean in a pinch transformed what mainly belonged in the halls of hospitals, or nursing homes pre-2000s into a travel essential.

It is now not uncommon to see adults and children carrying around handy bottles of sanitizers and using them on trains or before having a meal.

Beyond its anti-bacterial function, these handy bottles have managed to reinvent itself into a fashion statement while some have even garnered a cult status.

In 2009, U.S. company Bath & Body Works, known for its scented candles, saw its sale of PocketBac hand sanitizers spike.

With its colorful packaging, quirky names and fragrances ranging from "unicorn petals" to "warm vanilla sugar," the company has gained a following among teens. A search for "PocketBac haul" on video streaming site YouTube has some videos racking up to 430,000 views.

As of the time of writing, these hand sanitizers are now sold out on Bath & Body Works' U.S. website. 

Luxury hand sanitizers for clean and moisturized hands

During the this year's Paris and London  Fashion Week, celebrities and models embellished their couture with this season's must-haves – masks and hand sanitizers.

As coronavirus spreads globally, luxury brands are cashing in on the demand for clean, moisturized and lightly scented hands.

Thanks to the coronavirus, hand sanitizers selling for 35 U.S. dollars for a mere 30 milliliters are selling out online, promising to clean while also giving your hands a moisture boost. Byredo, a modern Swedish luxury house, is now sold out on their rinse-free hand wash, which is 50 times the price of a Purell hand sanitizer.

While it may be a pinch for some to get hand sanitizers with price gouging there are others who say: "If I'm going to get charged exorbitant prices for hand sanitizers, they might as well smell nice and make my hands look better."

And this may just give luxury cosmetic the push to make rinse-free hand wash for those with deep pockets. 

(Cover: Valerie Beland (R), a St. Patrick's Day reveler from Pompano Beach, Florida, squirts hand sanitizer on the hands of bartenders at the Briny Irish Pub during the establishment's last minutes being opened for alcohol service, March 17, 2020. /AP)