Leading gel alcohol brand in the US arrives in Brazil

The American brand Purell, which practically invented gel alcohol and popularized the product during the pandemic, begins to be sold on a large scale starting this month in Brazil. Until then, the sale of the product was exclusive to some independent distributors, who advertised it on e-commerce sites, such as Mercado Livre.

From now on, the distribution of the brand to pharmacies across the country is up to Viveo, a group that brings together businesses in the health area, such as the manufacturer of first aid products Cremer, the brand of flexible rods Topz and the distributor of medicines Mafra Hospital.

The attack takes place at a time of new cases of Covid-19 in Brazil, with a rise in hospitalizations in ICU beds (Intensive Care Unit) in the state of São Paulo and the explosion in the positivity rate of tests in the private network, from of the arrival of the new BQ.1 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus.

Purell, manufactured by Gojo, bills itself as a “hand sanitizer” with 70% alcohol and “proven effectiveness, with 99.99% against bacteria and/or germs”. It is especially used in hospitals.

The brand’s differential, according to Viveo, is that it doesn’t dry out the hands, because the formula maintains the skin’s moisture. The company intends to take Purell to 90% of pharmacies in Brazil. According to Viveo, the expectation is that, by 2025, the market for hand sanitizers will move R$ 450 million.

The distribution begins with pharmacies in São Paulo and the southern region of the country, in packages of 60 ml and 354 ml.