The growing reliance on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during global health crises has underscored the crucial role of sanitising products in infection control. Unlike soap, which primarily relies on mechanical removal of pathogens, sanitisers often have complex chemical formulations, raising concerns about their long-term impacts, such as bioaccumulation, carcinogenicity, and adverse environmental effects in the wake of emerging health crises that warrant NPIs. This article synthesises the current understanding of the impacts of chemical ingredients in sanitisers, using data from nine countries. We identify a suite of ~ 27 "ingredients of concern" (IOC) from the collated 130 ingredients by toxicological profiles using the Pred-Skin 3.0 predictive model and categorise these IOC by their potential to cause sublethal toxicity in humans and non-target organisms and present a critical and original appraisal of their ecological and health implications. The results showed that IOC are present in sanitisers from all the selected countries. Additionally, the article highlights an emerging nexus between sanitiser ingredients, One Health and policy perspectives. As the global community prepares for future pandemics and the continued emergence of immunity-evading pathogens, this study highlights the urgent need for stricter oversight and comprehensive risk assessment of sanitiser formulations to ensure that NPIs remain both effective and safe across human and environmental domains.
VishnuRadhan et al. (2026) studied this question.