hand gel

noun

plural hand gels

: a quick-drying, gelatinous cleanser containing primarily alcohol (such as ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) that is rubbed on the hands especially to kill many bacteria and viruses

If you're wondering whether that sanitizing hand gel really does you any good, a new report in Pediatrics says yes. In a five-month study of 292 Boston-area families, those who regularly rubbed on the alcohol-based gels had a 59% reduced risk of gastrointestinal infections.—

Time

… the CDC is encouraging health-care professionals to switch to fast-acting, more effective alcohol-based hand gels in an effort to minimize the spread of hospital-acquired infections.—

Lucy Atkinson