Journalist David Castello-Lopes, in the program Historically yours on Europe 1, looks back every day on the origins of an object or a concept. On Wednesday, it goes back to the birth of our new best friend in society because of the coronavirus epidemic. Where does hydroalcoholic gel come from? What was it used for initially? Why was it suddenly a hit almost 20 years ago? Here is the story of a product that has become indispensable to humanity this year.
“There is one category of people that I think about a lot since the start of the pandemic: people who used hydroalcoholic gel before. You know, these people who took out their little vials every time they touched a handful of They were rubbing their hands together with a little pinched head and we normal people would look at them and say 'God their sexuality must be complex'.
What about the "pioneers" of freezing?
Today, therefore, I think of these people. These people who saw their niche taste for hydroalcoholic gel become one of the most shared passions in the history of mankind in a few months. There are certainly some who must be a little pissed off. When they walk down the street there is nothing to tell that they are aristocrats pioneering hydroalcoholic gel, which sets them apart from the mass of those who started using hydroalcoholic gel three weeks ago.
They must feel like us when you're a fan of an obscure writer who suddenly becomes super popular and feels like you've been stolen part of your identity. We want to yell at everyone 'Guillaume Musso, I knew him before he was known, ok!'. It's the same for hydroalcoholic gel lovers: they must want to scream 'Me, hydroalcoholic gel, I liked it before it was cool!'. Some must still be a little happy. Maybe there are even a few who are mildly grieving.
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When I was little, there was no hydroalcoholic gel. Now it is everywhere. What happened ? So the prehistory of hydroalcoholic gel comes back, very simply, to alcohol. We realized in the 19th century that it could kill bacteria. He could kill them in a pretty cool way, not by making them sick, but by dissolving the skin of the bacteria.
Crazy success with garage owners
However, alcohol is not ideal for the hands, because it makes them all dry. From the 1960s onwards, several people around the world had the idea of mixing alcohol with other things, including gel. So there are several competing stories, including that of the American company that made hydroalcoholic gel in people's daily lives: GOJO, created by a couple made up of Goldie ('Go') and Jerry ('Jo').
The first product invented, in 1946, was a substance that allowed mechanics to remove the sludge they had in their hands. It was Jerry who was going to canvass the mechanics and before shaking their hands, he put a little product in his palm. When the mechanic removed his hand, it looked like a small clearing of cleanliness.
Why it exploded in 2002
GOJO has invented many other soaps. One day, they said to themselves: 'Hey, sometimes it's suck for nurses to wash their hands with soap and water. What if we offered a too good product that replaces that? In 1988, they released their first hydroalcoholic gel under the name of Purell. It was a total and absolute flop. Nobody bought it, neither hospitals nor people.
Until 2002. That year, there was a real thunderclap. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the body responsible for saying what's right and wrong with health in the United States, reports that alcoholic hand rubs work better than soap at killing most people. bacteria and viruses. An opinion based on the various studies they have carried out.
The Purell then explodes, not only in hospitals but also in people. It is since this period of the early 2000s that we see it everywhere in pharmacies. I can tell you now: when I was talking about those people who put on hydroalcoholic gel before the coronavirus epidemic… It was me. "