Scientists Develop Formulation That Boosts Antimicrobial Properties of Natural Hand Barrier

Scientists from Kao Corporation recently discovered the mechanisms by which the natural human hand barrier can fight off pathogens, and have leveraged this information to develop a novel, long-lasting skin coating agent that boosts the antimicrobial properties of the hand barrier. This development opens the doors for new hand hygiene solutions that could potentially help food handlers prevent cross-contamination.

In 2021, researchers from Kao Corporation found lactic acid to be the main active component of the natural hand barrier and elucidated the mechanisms by which the hand barrier helps kill pathogens. Specifically, sweat causes lactate to accumulate on the skin of the hands, where the low surface pH converts lactate into lactic acid. The relatively high temperature of the hands disrupts the membrane of microbes and makes them permeable to lactic acid. Once inside a pathogen, lactic acid transforms back into lactate and releases a proton that lowers the internal pH of the microbe, causing DNA and metabolic damage.