Ultra Defense Sani + Smart Team Reaches out to White House Administration to Eliminate Tariffs on Hand Sanitizer

NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ultra Defense Sani + Smart team has reached out to the White House administration to ultimately eliminate the tariffs on hand sanitizers, which is causing significant price increases within the industry. And keep in mind that there are already weaknesses in the current supply chain which will be exasperated with the openings of schools over the next month. With the 30 percent tariff, every dollar that buyers bid when to buy "Made in China" sanitizer had a purchasing power of just seventy cents if the product is for US consumption. Because US brands do not control Chinese factories, the Chinese hand sanitizer will go elsewhere. There is too much incentive facing global buying given the pandemic. In early June 2020, CNN reported that demand for hand sanitizer is outpacing the supply. As late as the last week of June 2020, Geoff Cooper, the CEO of the Renewable Fuel Association says that domestic production will not relieve the shortage for hand sanitizer as the need for hand sanitizer has grown with states experiencing resurgences. Giving a waiver to these products will ensure a robust supply chain with no shortages. 

In a world where every. single. person. uses a hand sanitizer multiple times a day, it causes a global shortage…as we all witnessed. Companies from other industries had to step in to fill the void and follow a recipe from the CDC in order to fulfill the tremendous amount of requests – alcohol distilleries, perfumeries, color cosmetic brands, and contract manufacturers are now producing sanitizing products. But at what cost?  When the FDA continues to issue recalls for the inclusion of potentially toxic ingredients (as of this release, the list of banned sanitizers has now surpassed 100), we all need a hand sanitizer that is safe, effective, affordable and pleasant to use.  Ultra Defense Sani + Smart is up to the challenge.

Ultra Defense Sani + Smart is a complete line of sanitizing solutions that feature best in class formulas to kill 99.9% of germs in 15 seconds, and leave hands feeling soft. When the pandemic hit, the team at Ultra Defense answered the call and immediately went to work formulating top-of-the-line sanitizing solutions. However, the business behind producing sanitizers for the United States has been far from clean.  All Ultra Defense Sani + Smart products are produced in OTC audited and approved factories in China, and all formulas are registered with the NDC/FDA website. The active ingredient is a plant based alcohol: non-toxic and highly effective in killing germs.  With a market now littered with cheap, subpar formulas, manufactured by companies simply looking to make a quick buck with utter disregard for customer's safety, now is the time for brands like Ultra Defense Sani + Smart to stand up, stand out, speak up, and provide safe and affordable products.

Safety For Our Kids

Children have recently started going back to school and parents are rightfully concerned about the health, safety, and well-being of their kids.  From elementary aged to college students, the need for safe and effective sanitizers is overwhelming.  There are conversations happening on every level from the President; to the head of the CDC; to the US Trade Representatives; to retailers; to manufacturers and although they don't all agree on everything, one thing is clear: the health and safety of the US population is first and foremost.  Now is not the time to cut corners on formulas just to get into the game.  The Ultra Defense Sani + Smart team have inserted themselves into the national conversation and checks all the boxes.  Their dedication to the consumer is first and foremost.

"While we are all dealing with a global pandemic, we are seeing the best and worst of human nature.  Some companies truly want to step up and help by providing PPE and essential products that will keep everyone safe and healthy.  Unfortunately, we have also seen companies that are just trying to cash in on fear and uncertainty as witnessed by the FDA pulling myriad hand sanitizer brands due to toxic ingredients.  My team at Ultra Defense has painstakingly put together a crystal clear, safe, effective, affordable hand sanitizer that will put consumer's minds at ease knowing that it kills 99.9% of germs and is 100% safe to use – even on children," says Ben Simmons, EVP of Ultra Defense.  He continues, "We have a long standing, close relationship with national retailers who are thrilled that they can come to us for a trustworthy, quality brand of sanitizing products.  Now we are on a mission to eliminate the current tariffs in place that are causing a significant price increase on goods and shipping that is being passed directly to the consumers."  

Information From the Top

On March 25, 2020, the United States Trade Representative published a notice entitled Request for Comments on Additional Modifications to the 301 Action to Address COVID-19: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. In light of the unprecedented national health crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the USTR seeks comments regarding products that should be excluded from the ad valorem duties applicable to goods of Chinese-origin under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The team at Ultra Defense sprang into action to make sure that not only their brand but all sanitizers be excluded from the tariffs which directly save consumers money while providing a safe formula they can trust.  Sanitizing products are essential to keeping American citizens safe and healthy and there is absolutely no reason why these products should be placed on a tariff list which increases pricing for everything from formula to components to shipping finished goods.

The President recently issued specific guidelines for all Americans to follow to slow the spread of COVID-19 ("15 Days to Slow the Spread"). Practicing good hygiene, which specifically includes the washing of one's hands, is one of the seven most critical steps that must be taken to slow the infection rate.  Ultra Defense Sani + Smart is trying to provide a safe sanitizer option at an affordable price to everyone, but the cost may increase if the exclusion isn't granted by the US Government.  Moreover, the FDA has warned the public that the addition of alcohol to an existing non-alcohol hand sanitizer is unlikely to result in an effective product, further acknowledging the urgent demand for additional properly formulated alcohol-based sanitizers in the United States. 

To date, the CDC has published three key advisories explaining the vital role of hand hygiene to slow the COVID-19 infection rate. Significantly, the CDC's guidelines specifically include the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer (such as the sanitizer covered by this exclusion request) for preventing the transmission of COVID-19, particularly in locations which lack sinks, stating:

[t]he ability of hand hygiene, including hand washing or the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to prevent infections is related to reductions in the number of viable pathogens that transiently contaminate the hands. Hand washing mechanically removes pathogens, while laboratory data demonstrate that 60% ethanol and 70% isopropanol, the active ingredients in CDC-recommended alcohol-based hand sanitizers, inactivates viruses that are genetically related to, and with similar physical properties as, the 2019-nCoV.

The Global Shortage of Hand Sanitizers and Extraordinary Price Increases Resulting from the Outbreak Necessitate the lifting of the Section 301 Tariffs

Due to the domestic shortage of both the ingredients required to make the hand sanitizer, as well as the unused pump dispensers, it is impossible for the United States to meet the urgent demand for hand sanitizer through domestic production and it is particularly important for the United States to have access to China's capacity in order to slow the infection rate here. The high prices currently being charged by the facilities in China as well as other facilities worldwide require the speedy lifting of the additional Section 301 duties so that Americans will have access to this desperately needed product.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is indispensable to the United States' efforts to slow the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. The global shortage of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and sanitary bottle and pump dispensers, as well as the significant price increases caused by the pandemic, necessitate the immediate exclusion of this product from the additional Section 301 Tariffs so that Americans will have greater access to this product which is critical to the fight against the COVID-19 spread. For these and all of the other reasons cited above, the Ultra Defense Sani + Smart team has respectfully urged the US Trade Representatives to exclude hand sanitizers from the current tariffs in place.  "We will do everything we can to bring safe, effective, and affordable sanitizers to the marketplace and that includes working closely with the government to eliminate tariffs which will increase cost.  The health and wellness of not only our customers but the entire US population is what drives us to go above and beyond simple product production," states Simmons.

Ultra Defense Sani + Smart products are available in retail stores nationwide, including CVS, Wal-Mart, Sam's, Kroger, Meijer, Kohl's and Albertsons, among other leading national chains.

SOURCE Ultra Defense Sani + Smart