the highly infectious novel coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing down in india with the number of cases soaring over 50 manufacturers are facing a huge number of new orders for hand sanitisers the result store shelves are empty as supplies dwindle to add to the woes pharmacies have little estimate of when sanitisers might become available ragini agarwal who owns a natural bath and body products range says with the coronavirus scare reaching its peak the situation is really worrisome so i decided to make natural sanitiser at home with ingredients like aloe vera gel vitamin e oil and lemon extracts people have used the product and given positive feedback it is safe to use on babies as well i am cleansing my toddlers hands with it while sanitisers are handy and can be used on the go if you dont have access to running water many feel that soap poses as a better defense against germs than a natural sanitiser kolkatans are certain that at some point they may have no choice sneha das a resident of dhakuria is making alcoholbased sanitisers at home i am making them at home since no pharmaceutical shops near my residence have them in stock while the ingredients are a few it is important to keep safety in mind while making them at home gloves are a must she says aishwarya biswas who also makes natural handmade soaps face washes and creams says though hand sanitisers are convenient antibacterial soaps are much more effective in getting rid of germs not only do they kill the germs but the water also washes away into the sewage people have become very conscious in the wake of the epidemic they are avoiding alcoholbased beauty products and opting for plantbased ones five easily available ingredients for hand sanitisers1 aloe vera extract2 vitamin e essential oil3 tea tree essential oil4 cinnamon or clove essential oil5 distilled wateraround 50 to 60 people are asking for hand sanitisers dailymost of the medicine shops are out of stock on hand sanitisers we are not getting supplies from the manufacturing companies the demand has spiked exponentially and the pricegouging on ecommerce sites has also contributed to more people thronging pharmacies every day around 50 to 60 people are asking for hand sanitisers at this point theres little clarity as to when we will be able to restock on supplies we are planning to put up a signboard that reads hand sanitisers out of stock somnath mukherjee a chemist from lake gardens diy natural hand sanitiser with alcoholl 23 cup of 99 rubbing alcohol isopropyl alcohol or ethanoll 13 cup of aloe vera gell 8 to 10 drops of essential oildo not rely on homemade therapies say doctorsany soap or alcoholbased hand sanitiser is good but one should not blindly rely on homemade therapies or naturopathy at this hour of crisis say doctors soaps be it solid or liquid are more effective than homemade hand sanitiser says dr pinaki chakraborty