Hand sanitizer is one of the products that saw a dramatic spike in consumer demand during the pandemic, with sales peaking at $52 million each week in July 2020. The increased demand should have led to big business for Andrea Lisbona, who moved to the U.S. in 2018 to launch her hand sanitizer brand called Touchland. But the pandemic also upended the global supply chain, which meant she could not get the packaging and materials she needed to ship her product to stores. “Everyone thinks Touchland is a success from Covid — nothing could be less true,” said Lisbona.

As vaccines rolled out in 2021, the overall market for hand sanitizer shrank, but Touchland actually increased sales by focusing on a new target market: tweens and teens. School-age children and young adults liked the company’s product because it was a mist, not a gel, which made it less likely to spill in a backpack than other hand sanitizers. Young people also liked the palm-sized, candy-colored packs since they were easy to collect and trade. “Our teacher tells us we can only have one on our desk because we all have too many,” said Vaida Juanzemis, a 10-year-old student in Minnesota. 

Touchland really won younger customers over with smell. Its hand sanitizers come in many different scents — such as Peppermint Mocha and Vanilla Blossom — which were developed by a luxury perfume house. Touchland started 2021 with a handful of endcaps in a few Sephora stores, and every quarter sales were good enough that they got more space on the sales floor. By the end of 2025, the company expects to have 1,000 endcaps at Sephora stores along with partnerships at Ulta Beauty, Target, and Kohl’s. Touchland predicts its annual revenue in 2025 could be more than $100 million. 

Questions:

1. Why did hand sanitizer brands like Touchland struggle to keep with demand during the pandemic?
2. What aspects of Touchland’s branding are most appealing to young people? Do you think other consumer brands could find success with Touchland’s strategy? 

Sources: Kim Kavin, “She Wanted To Make Hand Sanitizer Sexy,” Entreprenuer, November 12, 2025. Fiorella Valdesolo, “The Latest Teen Status Symbol Is $10 Hand Sanitizer,” The Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2025.