Bioscience & Labs

Non-contaminating skin care for labs

Q: What's left out of I.C. Lotion Fragrance Free?

No silicones, lanolin, glycerin, mineral oils, dyes, fragrance or VOCs. It's made with purified DI water, so it doesn't leave residue that can cause cross-contamination.

Q: Can it be worn under gloves?

Yes. Use it before nitrile, latex or vinyl gloves. It won't break down latex gloves.

Q: Is it compatible with CHG?

Yes. Testing showed I.C. Lotion Fragrance Free does not interfere with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG).

Q: Will the workstation cleaner leave residue?

No. I.C. Workstation Cleaner is a mildly cationic, non-abrasive, quick-drying cleaner designed for cleanroom or sterile environments, with less than 100 ppm of trace metals and contaminants.

Q: Can our lab get samples?

Yes. Request free samples and tell us about your lab. You can buy through your distributor or on GSA.

Double gloves, constant sanitizing and a lab that can’t tolerate a stray residue. Your hands crack, but drugstore lotion isn’t an option in a controlled space. We make lab-ready lotion, sanitizer and ESD-safe bottles that protect your hands without touching the work.

Shop the lab kit Samples for your lab

R&R LOTIONUSA

What a lab shift does to your hands

Gloved hands in a controlled space

NIOSH counts skin disease among the most common work illnesses, and labs are no exception. Here’s where it comes from, and what helps.

Problem 01

Glove dermatitis

Somewhere between 20% and 60% of cleanroom workers who glove all day develop dermatitis. Double gloving makes it worse unless the lotion underneath is glove compatible.

Double gloving →

Problem 02

The wrong lotion contaminates

Silicones, lanolin, glycerin and mineral oils can transfer to samples and surfaces, and oil-based lotions degrade latex. Cosmetic contamination is a real failure mode.

Cosmetic contamination →

Problem 03

Static and stray particles

Ordinary plastic bottles hold a charge and attract particles. Static-dissipative bottles and a residue-free surface cleaner protect sample integrity.

ESD programs and ESD-safe bottles →

The lab kit

Lotion, sanitizer, cleaner and bottles made for controlled spaces

Every product here is free of the silicones, oils and residues that cause cross-contamination.

All ESD-safe bottles →

ProtectIC Lotion Fragrance Free (Cleanroom)Cleanroom pre-gloving lotion made with purified DI water. No VOCs, silicones, lanolin, glycerin or mineral oils. CHG compatible.From $8.99 ★★★★★ (5) 4.3 on Amazon · 29 ratings Add to cart · $8.99 8 oz. · other sizes

SanitizeIC Alcohol Free Foaming Hand SanitizerAlcohol-free, fragrance-free BZK foam with no VOCs. Helps decrease bacteria on the skin, no sticky residue.From $10.11 4.0 on Amazon · 22 ratings Add to cart · $10.11 50 ml Foaming Pump · other sizes

CleanIC Workstation CleanerMildly cationic, residue-free surface cleaner. Made for cleanrooms, silicone-free, under 100 ppm trace metals and contaminants.From $15.60 ★★★★★ (1)Add to cart · $15.60 16 oz. ESD Safe Spray Bottle · other sizes

DispenseESD Wash BottlesStatic-dissipative blue wash bottle with a 90-degree bent stem for solvents and DI water at the bench.From $12.60 ★★★★★ (1)Add to cart · $12.60 8 oz. · other sizes

Also for the crew: ESD solvent pump dispensers · ESD spray trigger bottles · I.C. Topical Anti-Stat · I.C. Antibacterial Hand Cleaner · I.C. Antibacterial Microfiber Cloth

For lab, QA & EHS managers

Skin care your quality team can sign off on

Pharma, therapeutics and life-science teams use I.C. because it was built for controlled environments from day one. Our first lotion was made in 1983 for a circuit-board plant that couldn’t risk contamination. Tell us about your lab and we’ll send samples and the spec sheets your QA team needs.

Request samples Talk to our team

R&R LOTIONUSA

0 VOCsI.C. Lotion Fragrance Free and I.C. Foaming Hand Sanitizer

<100 ppmTrace metals and contaminants, I.C. Workstation Cleaner

10^9-10^10Average surface resistivity, I.C. ESD-safe blue bottles

Since 1983Non-contaminating lotion, made in Scottsdale, AZ

In the lab

Made for every shift

Bioscience & Labs worker using R&R Lotion skin care (Cleanroom) — Cleanroom

Bioscience & Labs worker using R&R Lotion skin care (Bench work) — Bench work

Scientist in a cleanroom gown working hand cream into her hands — Gowning room

Bioscience & Labs worker using R&R Lotion skin care (Bench setup) — Bench setup

Bioscience & Labs worker using R&R Lotion skin care (Hood wipe-down) — Hood wipe-down

Field Notes

What a lab shift does to your hands

Five short animated chapters: the work, the exposure, what happens in the skin, why we built the product, and how to use it on the job.

Education, not medical advice. If your skin cracks, bleeds or won’t settle down, talk to your EHS lead or a clinician.

CaptionThe loop into a controlled space: gown, sanitize, double glove, work the bench, and start the loop again at every glove change.

01 · The bench

Gowned, gloved, hands on the samples

In a lab or cleanroom you gown up, sanitize, pull on one pair of gloves and then a second, and work the bench for hours: pipettes, sample racks, wash bottles, hoods. Every glove change starts the loop again.

The rules keep the samples clean. They also keep your hands sealed in, washed and sanitized all shift, with drugstore lotion off the table.

NIOSH counts skin disease among the most common work-related illnesses, and wet work, with hands wet or gloved for long stretches, is one of its main causes.CDC / NIOSH, Skin Exposures and Effects

CaptionUnder two layers of glove, sweat has nowhere to go and soaks the outer layer of skin. Every wash and sanitize at a glove change takes more of the oils and lipids (the yellow mortar) that hold it together.

02 · Double gloved

Two gloves, no way out

Skin cells
Oils and lipids
Sweat and water

The outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum, is dead skin cells held together by natural oils and lipids. Picture bricks and mortar. The mortar holds moisture in and keeps irritants out.

Double gloving seals sweat against that layer for hours, and constant sanitizing and washing strip the oils away. The usual fix, a hand lotion, is the one thing a controlled space can’t take on faith.

CaptionWith the mortar gone, moisture escapes, irritants work their way in, and the skin underneath reddens and cracks.

03 · What develops

Glove dermatitis

Water escaping
Irritants

Keep exposing skin to the inside of a glove, sanitizer and water and the barrier breaks down. That’s irritant contact dermatitis. It starts as redness, itching and dryness and can progress to cracking and blistering.

Somewhere between 20% and 60% of cleanroom workers who glove all day develop dermatitis.As reported on the R&R Lotion blog, Double gloving (2023)

There’s a second type, allergic contact dermatitis, where skin becomes sensitized to something it touches, including some glove materials. If your hands won’t heal, get them looked at.

CaptionSilicones and oils from an ordinary lotion can transfer from gloved hands to samples and surfaces. I.C. Lotion is made without them, so there’s none to carry over.

04 · Why we built it

Built for controlled spaces

Silicones, lanolin, glycerin and mineral oils can transfer to samples and surfaces, and oil-based lotions degrade latex. Our first lotion was made in 1983 for a circuit-board plant that couldn’t risk contamination, and we left all of them out. The rest of the lab line follows the same rule.

I.C. Lotion, Fragrance Free (Cleanroom)

Purified DI water base. No VOCs, silicones, lanolin, glycerin, mineral oils, fragrance or dye. Use it before nitrile, latex or vinyl gloves; it won’t break down latex gloves. Lab-tested with CHG with no interference. Dries with no oily residue.

See the lotion →

I.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer

Alcohol-free, fragrance-free benzalkonium chloride foam with no VOCs. Helps decrease bacteria on the skin. Non-flammable, with no sticky residue.

See the foam →

I.C. Workstation Cleaner

A mildly cationic, residue-free surface cleaner for cleanroom and sterile environments. Silicone-free, fragrance-free and non-flammable, with less than 100 ppm of trace metals and contaminants. It’s a cleaner, not a registered disinfectant.

See the cleaner →

ESD-safe blue wash bottles

Static-dissipative MDPE with a 90-degree bent stem for DI water and solvents at the bench. Surface resistivity 10⁹–10¹⁰ ohms per square, free of amine and amide antistatic additives. Supports an ANSI/ESD S20.20 program.

See the wash bottles →

I.C. Lotion is dermatologist tested: a 50-subject patch test with zero reactions.ALS / BioScreen, FDA-registered lab, Study 22-522A (2022)

CaptionFour moments on shift: the gowning room, bench setup, every glove change, and the end of the shift.

05 · On shift

When to use what

1
Gowning roomWash, then I.C. Lotion, Fragrance Free. Let it dry completely, then glove and double glove.
2
Bench setupWipe the bench and hood surface with I.C. Workstation Cleaner and a lint-free wiper, then disinfect per your lab’s SOP. Keep DI water and solvents in ESD-safe bottles.
3
Every glove changeI.C. Foaming Hand Sanitizer, rubbed in until dry, then fresh gloves.
4
End of shiftAfter your last wash, lotion once more before you head home.

Follow your lab’s gowning, contamination-control and hand-hygiene SOPs, and use the sanitizer as directed on its label. Ask us for the spec sheets your QA team needs.

Bioscience & lab skin care Samples for your lab

Sources

CDC / NIOSH, Skin Exposures and Effects (skin disease and wet work).
R&R Lotion, I.C. Hand Lotion (Cleanroom) Technical Data Sheet, 08/01/2022; I.C. Foaming Hand Sanitizer and I.C. Workstation Cleaner product data; ESD-safe blue bottle specifications.
ALS / BioScreen, Human Repeat Insult Patch Test, Study 22-522A, November 2, 2022.
BioScreen Testing Services, CHG compatibility test, Pre-Glove Fragrance-Free Cleanroom Lotion, 2008.
Double gloving: protecting workers and environments (2023).
Beauty and the Beast: cosmetic contamination in electronics factories (2022).
Proper surface cleaning procedures for particle removal and static control (2022).

Learn

Articles for lab and cleanroom teams

Plain-English guides on gloves, contamination and static control.

All articles →

Mar 2023 · GlovesDouble Gloving: Protecting Workers and Environments in Various IndustriesRead →Aug 2022 · ContaminationBeauty and the Beast – Cosmetic Contamination in Electronics FactoriesRead →Mar 2023 · ESDPreventing Electrostatic Damage: Understanding ESD Programs and ESD Safe BottlesRead →Aug 2022 · CleaningProper Surface Cleaning Procedures for Particle Removal and Static ControlRead →Oct 2023 · DermatitisUnderstanding Occupational Dermatitis and the Role of I.C. Hand LotionsRead →Jan 2023 · Hand careThe Do’s and Don’ts of Skin Care Products in Industrial SettingsRead →

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Questions lab teams ask

Skin care for bioscience labs: FAQ

What’s left out of I.C. Lotion Fragrance Free?

No silicones, lanolin, glycerin, mineral oils, dyes, fragrance or VOCs. It’s made with purified DI water, so it doesn’t leave residue that can cause cross-contamination.

Can it be worn under gloves?

Yes. Use it before nitrile, latex or vinyl gloves. It won’t break down latex gloves.

Is it compatible with CHG?

Yes. Testing showed I.C. Lotion Fragrance Free does not interfere with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG).

Will the workstation cleaner leave residue?

No. I.C. Workstation Cleaner is a mildly cationic, non-abrasive, quick-drying cleaner designed for cleanroom or sterile environments, with less than 100 ppm of trace metals and contaminants.

Can our lab get samples?

Yes. Request free samples and tell us about your lab. You can buy through your distributor or on GSA.