Hand Sanitizer Recalled Because It's Not "Edible Alcohol"

Bottles of hand sanitizer were voluntarily recalled this month because of a major label mistake. At some point in the design / pre-press process, the latest batch of Leafree Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe Vera was labeled as "EDIBLE ALCOHOL." This substance should not have been labeled as edible, as it is not safe to ingest.

It's not clear why, or even really how, these bottles of hand sanitizer aloe vera came to be labeled EDIBLE ALCOHOL. The company does not appear to sell any product that'd otherwise require such a label.

The label itself is odd – it looks like a warning. It's white text on a red background. This is one of the most common, universally-understood combinations of color and text in a label – it means ALERT. It implies that the user should PAY ATTENTION to the label, and READ the label before using the product to which it is attached.

This product's been distributed without the EDIBLE ALCOHOL label since April of this year, or earlier, per DailyMed, but you can still find the EDIBLE ALCOHOL version available for sale online at sources like Alibaba's "SHOP" marketplace: see the archived listing from September 17, 2020. That page links to MAX Electronics & Home Mart, a web store source that appears to continue selling said product as of publish time for this article.

If it were not already clear, hand sanitizer is not edible. It's a product that's meant to be used on the outside of the body. If one "eats" or drinks hand sanitizer, there's a good chance they'll get very sick, and potentially die. It's not just shocking that the "EDIBLE ALCOHOL" label found its way to this product, it's criminally negligent.

This is just the latest in a line of mishaps this year dealing with hand sanitizer, the early rush on hand sanitizer and related products in stores earlier this year, and the major missteps made by leadership in the United States with respect to Donald Trump suggesting that injecting disinfectant would be a good way to destroy COVID-19.