In this post-pandemic era, people have let their guard down when it comes to hand hygiene. We're seeing the reemergence – resurgence, even – of old habits that compromise hand hygiene, especially the one where people wet their fingers with the condensation on a cold drink, passing it off as 'handwashing' and thinking they're sufficiently clean.

Lifebuoy wanted to remind people about the importance of hand hygiene post-pandemic, especially during mealtimes, and reaffirm its commitment to improving access to good hand hygiene in an innovative manner.

Instead of trying to rectify this widespread habit as one would traditionally expect, Lifebuoy leaned into it and turned it into a legitimate way to clean hands through the Condensation Cleanser. These were stickers infused with Lifebuoy’s patented anti-bacterial formulation and designed to be activated by condensation. Upon contact with condensation, the dry agent dissolves, instantly dispensing the cleanser which cleans hands without leaving any residue.

Both a reminder and solution for good hand hygiene, this simple sticker approximately 5cm by 3cm turned every conceivable cold drink – ironically more accessible than handwashing facilities – into a demonstration of Lifebuoy's hand hygiene credentials and commitment, and more importantly, into a proper handwashing opportunity in a key market where poor hand hygiene and access to handwashing facilities remains a widespread problem.

Through existing research, Lifebuoy's on-ground market insights and conversations with public health experts, it was clear that rates of handwashing had declined in recent years, down from the high frequency of handwashing established during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In fact, public health experts Lifebuoy spoke to revealed almost half of Indians do not wash their hands before meals, attributed to a lack of handwashing facilities when outdoors; gone were the days where hand sanitisers and handwashing facilities were made available freely and abundantly for a population that was much more diligent and sensitised to the importance of hand hygiene.

Additionally, people indicated high levels of communication fatigue towards pandemic era messages focused on encouraging handwashing. With this, Lifebuoy knew it wasn't enough to merely provide an effective means of handwashing – we had to get it in people's hands in an innovative and seamless manner too.

The Condensation Cleanser was first introduced in March 2024 at The Lil Flea, one of Mumbai's most vibrant summer festivals. This year's edition was scaled-up and highly-anticipated with it being The Lil Flea's 10th anniversary, drawing more than its usual crowd of over 50,000 attendees. The festival was chosen for its sprawling grounds and massive crowds, which meant handwashing facilities were usually inaccessible or perennially facing snaking queues – common reasons why people would compromise on hand hygiene, and the perfect opportunity to showcase the Condensation Cleanser as a much-needed, true-to-behaviour way of ensuring good hand hygiene.

As part of the campaign, the promotional distribution of the Condensation Cleanser was extended to F&B establishments in Mumbai, India, with a concerted focus on street-side food stalls and other establishments where proper handwashing facilities were found lacking.

The launch saw over 50,000 hands cleaned and an estimated 100 street-side food stalls and F&B establishments gain improved access to handwashing facilities at no cost, with the number expected to grow as the campaign continues.

More important than just traditional engagement, usage and media results were plans to further scale and democratise the Condensation Cleanser; these are currently in progress, with ongoing discussions had with major beverage brands, F&B restaurant chains and retail stores who have expressed interest in incorporating and distributing the Condensation Cleanser through their own distribution channels too. (Note: Parties involved cannot be disclosed at this point due to the confidential nature of these discussions.)