Government & DefensePrivate Label & Co-Packing
Where to BuyRequest a SampleContactSign In
0
Utility & ElectricalHealthcare & NursingArborists & Tree CareFood ProcessingElectronics & ESDFleet & Mechanics
ConstructionOil & GasFirst RespondersMilitary & VACleanroom & BioscienceEducationGeneral ManufacturingWeldingAll industries
Nurse rubbing in I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream in a hospital corridor

Healthcare & Nursing

Hand care for nurses and healthcare workers

Wash, sanitize, glove, repeat. By second shift your hands are raw and you still have a full unit to cover. We make the hand care that keeps you working, and it plays nice with your CHG and your gloves.

Shop the healthcare kitSamples for your unit
R&R LOTIONUSA

What a shift does to your hands

Hand dermatitis is an occupational hazard for nurses

Most of what hurts your hands is part of doing the job right. Here’s where it comes from, and what helps.

Problem 01

Wash after wash

Frequent hand washing and sanitizing strip the skin’s oils. Over a shift that adds up to dry, cracked, painful hands, and cracked skin is harder to keep clean.

Contact dermatitis →
Problem 02

Lotion that fights your CHG

About 90% of the lotions staff bring from home use mineral oils that can interfere with chlorhexidine (CHG) and degrade latex gloves. Use a lotion made for the hospital.

Why healthcare-approved lotion →
Problem 03

Sanitizer that’s gone in seconds

Alcohol sanitizer evaporates in seconds and dries hands as it goes. I.C. sanitizers use BZK instead of alcohol.

BZK vs. alcohol →

The healthcare kit

Hand sanitizer, lotion and repair cream for nurses

One routine for the whole shift: sanitize, protect, repair.

All healthcare products →
I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream
SanitizeI.C. Hand Sanitizing CreamKills 99.99% of germs, in a cream. 3-year shelf life.From $6.99 ★★★★★ (6)Add to cart · $9.998oz. · other sizes
I.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer
SanitizeI.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand SanitizerBZK formula, kills in 15 seconds. 5-log or greater against most of 20+ pathogens tested, including CA-MRSA and VRE. NSF E3.From $7.49Add to cart · $8.0950ml Foaming Pump · other sizes
I.C. Lotion Fragrance Free
ProtectI.C. Lotion, Fragrance FreePre-gloving lotion with no silicones, lanolin, glycerin or mineral oils. CHG and latex compatible. Dermatologist tested.From $8.99 ★★★★★ (6)Add to cart · $8.998oz. · other sizes
I.C. Advanced Repair Hand Cream
RepairI.C. Advanced Repair Hand CreamDimethicone skin protectant that helps prevent and temporarily protects chafed, chapped or cracked skin.From $13.95Out of stock · $20.508oz Bottle · other sizes

Also for the unit: I.C. Lotion, Lightly Fragranced (4.8★) · I.C. Antibacterial Hand Cleaner · Foaming gallon pump

Healthcare worker with I.C. hand care product

For nurse managers & infection prevention

Build it into your hand-hygiene program

We’ve been APIC members for more than 20 years. Tell us about your unit and we’ll help with the rest: samples for the floor, dispensers for every station and a lunch-and-learn on hand care.

Book a lunch & learnTalk to our team
R&R LOTIONUSA
15 secKill time, I.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer
99.99%Of germs killed, I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream
0 of 50Subjects reacted in dermatologist patch testing, I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream
20+ yrsAPIC member, working with infection-prevention teams

On the floor

Made for every shift

Nurse working I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream into her hands
Med-surg
Cleanroom technician
Cleanroom & pharmacy
Nurse using a wall-mounted I.C. Foaming Hand Sanitizer pump in a hospital hallway
Hand-hygiene station
Hands with I.C. Hand Lotion beside a pair of blue exam gloves
Gloving off
Unit lead handing I.C. Hand Lotion bottles to nurses at the start-of-shift huddle
Unit huddle

Field Notes

What a 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 occupational health or a clinician.

CaptionThe loop a nurse runs all shift: wash, sanitize, glove, then do it again.

01 · The work

Wash, sanitize, glove, repeat

Hand hygiene is the job done right. You wash, you sanitize, you pull on nitrile or latex gloves, and you do it again for the next patient. Every step protects someone else. Together they’re hard on the hands doing them.

On the job, contact dermatitis shows up on the hands in about 80% of cases.Occupational contact dermatitis, as reported on the R&R Lotion blog (2023)

CaptionThe outer layer is skin cells (bricks) held together by natural oils and lipids (the yellow mortar). Each wash and sanitize takes some of that mortar with it.

02 · The barrier

Your barrier is a brick wall

  • Skin cells
  • Oils and lipids
  • Water

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

Frequent washing and sanitizing strip those oils. Do it enough times in a shift and the mortar wears thin, which is how hands end up dry and cracked.

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

03 · What develops

Irritant contact dermatitis

  • Water escaping
  • Irritants

Keep exposing skin to harsh substances and the barrier breaks down. That’s irritant contact dermatitis. It starts as redness, itching and dryness and can progress to cracking and blistering.

Cracked skin is harder to keep clean, and it’s a way in for germs. That’s a risk to you and to your patients.

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

CaptionA light lotion layer goes on first and helps seal moisture in. The glove goes on over it.

04 · Why we built it

Built for hospital hands

Most lotions brought from home weren’t made for a hospital. About 90% of them use mineral oils, and petroleum or mineral-oil products can break down latex gloves. So we left those out.

I.C. Lotion, Fragrance Free

Purified DI water base. No silicones, lanolin, glycerin, mineral oils, fragrance or dye. Use it before nitrile, latex or vinyl gloves. Lab-tested with CHG with no interference. NSF E4. Dries with no oily residue.

See the lotion →

I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream

Alcohol-free. Benzalkonium chloride 0.13% kills 99.99% of germs, and dimethicone 1.5% with shea and sunflower butters keeps hands moisturized while you sanitize.

See the cream →

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

CaptionFour moments on shift: start, between patients, after every wash, and before you head home.

05 · On shift

When to put it on

  1. 1
    Start of shiftI.C. Lotion, Fragrance Free, before you glove.
  2. 2
    Between patientsI.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream. Apply liberally and rub your hands together until it’s absorbed and dry.
  3. 3
    After every washLotion after each hand-hygiene session, then glove back up.
  4. 4
    End of shiftAfter your last wash, lotion once more before you head home.

Follow your facility’s hand-hygiene policy, and use the sanitizing cream as directed on its label.

Healthcare hand care Samples for your unit
Sources
  1. R&R Lotion, I.C. Hand Lotion (Cleanroom) Technical Data Sheet, 08/01/2022.
  2. R&R Lotion, I.C. Sanitizing Cream Technical Data Sheet, 08/01/2022.
  3. ALS / BioScreen, Human Repeat Insult Patch Test, Study 22-522A, November 2, 2022.
  4. BioScreen Testing Services, CHG compatibility test, Pre-Glove Fragrance-Free Cleanroom Lotion, 2008.
  5. Protecting your skin with barrier creams (2023).
  6. Understanding occupational dermatitis and I.C. hand lotions (2023).
  7. Protecting healthcare workers from contact dermatitis (2022).
  8. Hand hygiene in medical facilities (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030) (2022).
  9. The importance of moisturizing in hand hygiene programs (2023).

Learn

Hand care articles for healthcare workers

Plain-English guides from our team. Every article links back here.

All articles →
May 2024 · LotionWhy are healthcare-approved lotions a must-have for nurses?Read → Dec 2022 · DermatitisProtecting healthcare workers from contact dermatitisRead → Oct 2023 · DermatitisUnderstanding occupational dermatitis and the role of I.C. hand lotionsRead → Jan 2023 · ProgramsThe importance of moisturizing in hand-hygiene programsRead → Jan 2023 · SanitizerBZK is an effective alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizers in healthcareRead → Mar 2023 · GlovesDouble gloving: protecting workers and environmentsRead →

Join the crew

A community of the trades

Pick your work. We’ll send what’s useful for your job: plain-English guides, seasonal reminders and invites to short webinars for crews and safety managers.

Coming soon

Be the nurse who tells her unit

We’re building an ambassador program for the people crews already listen to.

  • Your own code to share with your crew
  • A seat at our webinars, with early product news
  • Samples for the trailer, the unit or the shop

Join the crew and you’ll be the first to hear when it opens.

Field notes for your trade

Articles and webinar invites matched to the work you do. A few emails a month.

Questions nurses ask

Hand care for nurses: FAQ

Will R&R’s lotions interfere with CHG (chlorhexidine)?
No. I.C. lotions don’t interfere with chlorhexidine (CHG) and don’t degrade latex gloves.
Is there a hypoallergenic option?
Yes. I.C. Advanced Repair Hand Cream and I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream were dermatologist tested in a 50-subject patch test (HRIPT) with no reactions, and are hypoallergenic.
How fast does the alcohol-free foaming sanitizer work?
It kills in 15 seconds, with 5-log or greater reductions against most of the 20+ pathogens tested, including CA-MRSA (USA400) and VRE.
What’s the difference between BZK and alcohol hand sanitizer?
Alcohol evaporates in seconds and leaves nothing behind on the skin. I.C. Foaming Hand Sanitizer is alcohol-free and uses benzalkonium chloride (BZK) instead.
Can our unit get samples or a lunch and learn?
Yes. Request free samples for your unit or book a lunch and learn, and we’ll bring product and talk hand care with your team.

Skin care that cares about the worker and about the work

Try it on your unit first.

Free samples for nurse managers and infection-prevention teams. Buy through your distributor or on GSA.

Request samplesFind a distributor

Other trades we make skin care for

Utility & Electrical Food Processing Electronics & ESD Construction Arborists First Responders Military & VA Education