The short answer: alcohol-based hand gels kill germs by stripping oils, which is also why they can leave skin dry, tight, and irritated. Kine hand wipes kill 99.99% of germs without alcohol, using lemon myrtle and eucalyptus on a plant-based cloth, made in South Australia.
Last updated: September 2026. By Mark Yates, Founder, Kine Australia.
The squirt that started this post
Yesterday I was handed no choice. Entry required a squirt of antibacterial gel from the pump or small bottle at the door, so I used the gel and rubbed it in like everyone else.
Ten seconds later my hands smelled like a hospital corridor. A few minutes after that came the feeling anyone who used 2020's worth of sanitiser will remember: tight, sticky, then dry. By the evening the skin between my fingers was irritated enough that I was thinking about it, which is how you know it's bad, because nobody wants to spend an evening thinking about their hands.
So I did the thing this blog always does. I turned the pack over.
What the label actually said
The gel was a market-leading brand, the kind in half the entryways in Australia. The first ingredient: Alcohol Denat. Further down: fragrance and limonene, two of the most common contact irritants in personal care. Country of origin: made in Thailand from local and imported components. And there, in the warnings, in the brand's own words: discontinue use if skin irritation occurs.
The label anticipated my exact experience. It just assumed I'd read it after, not before.
Why alcohol gels feel like that
There's no mystery here, and no conspiracy either. Alcohol kills germs by dissolving the fatty membranes that hold microbes together. Skin's protective barrier is also held together by fats. Alcohol can't tell the difference. Every application strips a little of the oil layer your skin uses to hold moisture in, and the alcohol evaporating pulls moisture out with it. Once that barrier is stripped, fragrance compounds that intact skin would normally shrug off have a direct path in, which is where much of the stinging and irritation comes from, especially with repeated use or on skin that's already cracked.
None of that makes alcohol gels useless. In clinical settings and places where soap, water, and time are scarce, they do an important job, and health authorities recommend them for good reason. If a venue asks you to sanitise, sanitise.
But for everyday moments (sticky hands at a picnic, the shopping trolley, the servo, the school run), you are allowed to prefer something that doesn't treat your skin as collateral.
How our hand wipes kill germs without alcohol
Kine hand wipes are antibacterial and kill 99.99% of germs, with no alcohol anywhere in the formula, on a cloth made from 100% plant-based fibres with lemon myrtle and eucalyptus for a clean, Australian scent. They're dermatologically tested. And a wipe does something a gel can't: it physically cleans. A gel sits on whatever is on your hands, while a wipe lifts the grime off and takes it with it. Find them here.
Frequently asked questions
Are hand wipes bad for your skin? Alcohol-based wipes and gels can dry and irritate skin with repeated use. Kine hand wipes are alcohol-free, dermatologically tested, and formulated to clean without stripping skin.
Do alcohol-free hand wipes actually kill germs? Yes. Kine hand wipes kill 99.99% of germs using an alcohol-free antibacterial formulation, independently tested. No alcohol means no hospital smell and no stripped skin.
Why do my hands feel dry after hand sanitiser? Alcohol dissolves the oils that keep your skin's moisture barrier intact and draws moisture out as it evaporates. A stripped barrier also gives fragrance compounds a direct path to the sensitive skin underneath, which is where much of the irritation comes from. Kine hand wipes are alcohol-free and dermatologically tested, so the lemon myrtle and eucalyptus scent sits on intact skin, not stripped skin.
Where are Kine hand wipes made? South Australia, from 100% plant-based fibres. Available in a 25 pack and a 10 pack travel size.
Can I flush Kine hand wipes? No. Hand wipes are bin disposal only. Only Kine body cloths and baby wipes are certified flushable to AS/NZS 5328.
Kine for you. Kine for your hands. Kine for the environment.
