Amyris Launches Sanitizer

In a shining example of speed-to-market, Amyris' Pipette hand sanitizer rolled out less than two weeks between ideation and full execution to help fight COVID-19, according to the company. The new plant-derived hand sanitizer is available at Pipettebaby.com in 8oz and soon 32oz and 2oz sizes.

“We've developed and scaled a hand sanitizer for the whole family. The response has been outstanding, and we are scaling quickly to meet demand of one million units monthly and more as this product becomes a part of our new daily life for all of us as consumers,” said John Melo, president & CEO of Amyris. “In addition to our Pipette hand sanitizer, we are also working with the pharmaceutical community and government agencies to apply our leading synthetic biology platform to help scale a vaccine adjuvant and potential therapies for COVID-19 as they evolve through trials.”

Since its launch, the product has seen demand well above expectations prompting the search for expanded supply capacity with a short-term goal of reaching 1 million units monthly. During the first three days after launch, Amyris sold in excess of $1.5 million of hand sanitizer and continues to experience very strong demand. The company is donating 21,000 family size 32oz units to front line health care workers battling the COVID-19 crisis, including UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Alameda Hospital, Fairmont Hospital & Rehabilitation Center, Highland Hospital, John George Psychiatric Hospital, San Leandro Hospital, UCLA, Cedars Sinai; and Elmhurst Hospital, Mount Sinai, St Francis Hospital and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Amyris has already donated hand sanitizer to corporations, like Bloom Energy, which is refurbishing much needed ventilators for hospitals. 

The Pipette hand sanitizer is safe for use by all ages and has a high-quality skin-feel, ideal for high use areas such as the medical field. The product contains 65% USP grade alcohol, plant-derived squalane, is fragrance-free, cruelty-free, vegan, non-sticky and fast-absorbing with no rinsing required. Amyris and Pipette are committed to the healthiest skin and clean ingredients at a time when skin health and cleanliness are a top priority for society.

“At Pipette our priority is to develop and deliver healthy products for babies, families and the planet,” said Caroline Hadfield, president, Pipette. “We quickly mobilized to create a clean, plant-derived hand sanitizer, to protect parents, families and the thousands of doctors, nurses and first responders who we rely on to keep us healthy.”