Cosmetics maker Shiseido Co. said Monday it will begin selling hand sanitizer to the general public from early August, responding to popular demand for the product it started making available for medical institutions three months ago.
The firm's hand sanitizer for general consumers will hit the shelves in cosmetics and drugstores in Tokyo first, before being distributed to other areas across the nation.
Containing moisturizing ingredients to prevent hands becoming too dry, the product will be sold in 500-milliliter bottles at a price that has yet to be set, the company said. Refill packs of the same volume will also be available so the pump can be reused.
Shiseido will produce 100,000 liters of the sanitizer each month at its factories in Tochigi and Osaka prefectures and two other domestic plants.
Major companies in the nation have been branching into new fields to address shortages caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus, with beverage maker Suntory Holdings Ltd. providing alcohol disinfectants free of charge to hospitals since April.
The government has also been encouraging firms to step up production, offering subsidies to those installing more manufacturing equipment.
