Press Releases

• INEOS Hygienics, the new global healthcare business from INEOS, is launching its first consumer advertising campaign including TV, outdoor and digital to support its new range of sanitiser products.
• The TV adverts, produced by RSA Films, features everyday heroes alongside INEOS’ sporting icons including six-time World Champion and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, seven-times Tour de France winners the INEOS Grenadiers and the British challenger for the 36th America’s Cup, INEOS TEAM UK.
• The TV adverts will be supported by a UK-wide outdoor and digital campaign highlighting the effectiveness of the hospital grade products including hand sanitisers, sprays and wipes, as INEOS Hygienics challenges the more established brands in the market.
• George Ratcliffe, COO of INEOS Hygienics says, “As a new entrant into the market we want to offer a trusted alternative to consumers. Our hospital grade sanitisers are made of the purest pharmaceutical grade alcohol, killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. Used by hospitals at the height of the pandemic we are proud to be able to bring these sanitiser products direct to consumers at a time when hygiene continues to be of huge importance.”

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The first-ever TV advertising campaign for new healthcare brand INEOS Hygienics will air tonight (Friday 23 October) on ITV and Channel 4:

The advertising campaign, which will include outdoor and digital advertising, has been created to help increase brand awareness of this new challenger brand in the sanitiser market, giving consumers a trusted alternative to the more established brands.

Produced by RSA Films, the TV advert features everyday heroes alongside INEOS’ sporting icons including six-time World Champion and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team driver Lewis Hamilton, seven-times Tour de France winners the INEOS Grenadiers and the British challenger for the 36th America’s Cup, INEOS TEAM UK, who use INEOS Hygienics products during training and when competing.

Created at the height of the pandemic in response to the global shortage of hand sanitiser, INEOS Hygienics provided millions of bottles of the purest, most effective hospital grade sanitisers for free to healthcare workers in the UK, Europe and USA. Now, INEOS Hygienics is able to offer this same trusted sanitiser products direct to consumers, initially through Amazon, with other retailers stocking over the coming months.

The TV advert will first be seen on screen on ITV on Friday evening at 20:45 during Coronation Street and on Channel 4 at 21:15 during Gogglebox, before playing out in a number of prime time slots across ITV, Channel 4, Sky and other channels over the winter.

George Ratcliffe adds, “Bringing our first TV advertising campaign to screens is an important milestone for INEOS Hygienics as we look to continue to build awareness amongst consumers. Used and trusted by hospitals and elite sports teams, INEOS Hygienics sanitiser products can provide the public with the confidence they need in challenging times.”

ENDS

Media Contacts
Richard Longden (INEOS) 0041 21 627 7063 or 0041 7996 26123
Mark Killick (Media Zoo) 020 7384 6980 or 07836 634449
Andrew McLachlan (Media Zoo) 020 7384 6980 or 07931 377162

NOTES TO EDITORS

At INEOS, our business is to make the products that society needs. So when the coronavirus pandemic led to a global shortage of sanitising products, we set about manufacturing and distributing the large volumes needed to meet the shortfall, firstly to health authorities, and then more broadly to all.

In just three months we installed new plants in the UK, Germany, France and the USA and are now producing five million bottles of hand sanitiser every month.

Alcohol based disinfectant has long been recognised by the scientific and medical communities as the simplest and most effective way of destroying both viruses and bacteria when soap and water is not readily available (ref 1). The viruses and bacteria cannot build up resistance (ref 2), meaning that no matter how often you use it, the cleansing effect will be just as good. Even where soap and water is available, alcohol provides an additional deep clean of viruses and bacteria that is quick and convenient (ref 3). Its use is standard procedure in health care environments and hospitals. And although the virus associated with Covid-19 is new, a study by Swiss and German scientists has already confirmed alcohol’s effectiveness at killing it (ref 4).

At the core of our sanitiser is our own high purity ethanol (1), which is manufactured under strictly controlled conditions to meet the specialist requirements of pharmaceutical, medical and other applications. Our product is free of impurities seen in many agricultural sources of ethanol and of concern to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) (ref 5). Because of its high purity, it is already being used as a pharmaceutical grade reagent to purify RNA and DNA in the UK’s covid-19 testing programme.

In contrast with many suppliers, we formulate our sanitiser hand gel with 75% alcohol, as advised by The World Health Organization (ref 6), the US FDA, and health services in Europe. This ensures that it is effective in eliminating 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. It also ensures that, after use, it evaporates quickly, and leaves hands feeling clean and dry.

In responding to extraordinary circumstances, our first instinct was to supply the UK’s National Health Services and other European health services free of charge to see them through the peak. From project go-ahead to first deliveries took just 10(?) days. Now, with production ramped up and the initial peak of demand met, our sanitiser range is available through a wide range of retailers.

As the world’s largest manufacturer of high purity synthetic ethanol, steeped in safety and operational excellence in a highly regulated environment, we are uniquely placed to assure continuity of supply and the highest levels of product quality.

Notes
(1) Isopropanol can be substituted for ethanol but provides the same level of purity and sanitising performance. INEOS is also a major manufacturer of isopropanol.

References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings: Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. MMWR 2002;51(No. RR16):[1-56].
2. Kampf and Kramer, Clin Microbiol Rev. 2004 Oct; 17(4): 863–893.
3. Todd et al, Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 73, No. 11, 2010, Pages 2128–2140
4. Kratzel A, Todt D, V’kovski P, Steiner S, Gultrom M, Thao TTN, et al. Inactivation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by WHO-recommended hand rub formulations and alcohols. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 April 13 th 2020. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2607.200915
5. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/guidances-drugs
6. https://www.who.int/gpsc/information_centre/handrub-formulations/en/