About Carex
Carex is a British antibacterial hand wash brand established in 1993 and owned by PZ Cussons, the Manchester-headquartered consumer goods group whose history goes back to a West African trading post set up in 1879. PZ Cussons describes Carex as the UK's number one antibacterial hand wash brand; the range includes hand washes and sanitisers. Our entries include a Forest Fruits hand wash, a soap and the Moisture Plus hand gel.
Hand wash basics
Liquid soaps and a hand sanitiser make up the 4 Carex products we list. GLYCERIN, AQUA and PARFUM appear in all 4, and a typical hand wash base follows in 3: SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, POLYQUATERNIUM-7, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE and TETRASODIUM GLUTAMATE DIACETATE.
Every product declares fragrance (100%); denatured alcohol (ALCOHOL DENAT.) appears in 1 (25%) – most likely the hand gel – and there are no parabens or silicones.
Gel versus wash
A leave-on hand gel works differently from a rinse-off wash – so compare it only with other sanitisers. In the washes, POLYQUATERNIUM-7 is a conditioning polymer that leaves a smoother after-feel; the scent variants differ mainly in the allergens such as LIMONENE, LINALOOL and HEXYL CINNAMAL.
Sources: PZ Cussons – Carex and The Gruffalo press release (March 2024), PZ Cussons plc – Company History
Products (4)
Most common ingredients
Ingredients that appear most often in Carex formulas (excluding water, glycerin and fragrance).