How to Identify Fake Hand Sanitizers and Masks – KEBS

With a growing demand for both hand sanitizers and masks in Kenya and around the world, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has raised an alarm on the influx of fake hand sanitizers and masks in the market.

Supermarkets and pharmacies across the country have reported shortages of both hand sanitizers and face masks after Kenyans scrambled to buy the products, shortly after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed.

According to Chief Manager of Inspections at KEBS, Ahmed Antar Amid, there has been an influx of fake hand sanitizers and masks that are being sold informally, either on the streets, online channels and even in supermarkets.

KEBS says that only 36 plants have been certified to manufacture and distribute hand sanitizers locally in the market.

Here is how to identify and differentiate between genuine and fake hand sanitizers and masks according to KEBS:

According to KEBS, all products that have been certified usually have a permit number which is below the Standardization logo.

Therefore, to verify if the hand sanitizers and masks that you are using is fake or genuine, you are required to send the permit number to 20023 and get an SMS response on the validity status of the product.

If you discover that the permit number is invalid KEBS says that you should report the case on their toll-free line of 1545.

For any hand sanitizer product to be certified by KEBS, it has to meet the following minimum requirements:

• Ethanol content of 60 percent by volume
• a pH of between 6-8 and,
• Microbial efficacy of 99.9 percent

Read Also: Government Vows to “Flood” the Market with Hand Sanitizers