Luxury Perfumer LVMH Will Use Its Factories to Produce Hand Sanitizer Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak

"These gels will be delivered free of charge to the health authorities,” said the corporation in a statement this weekend.

FRANCE-LUXURY-PERFUME-COSMETICS-COMPANY-LVMH
(Image credit: AFP)

LVMH, the luxury conglomerate which owns brands like Louis Vuitton, Guerlain, Dior, and Givenchy, among many others, is doing its part to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak. Today, the company announced that it will use its perfume factories to manufacture hand sanitizer.

"LVMH will use the production lines of its perfume and cosmetic brands ... to produce large quantities of hydroalcoholic gels from Monday," the company said in a statement on Sunday. "These gels will be delivered free of charge to the health authorities."

According to CNN, the company will specifically provide this hand sanitizer to French health authorities and the Assistance Publique-Hospitaux de Paris.

"Through this initiative, LVMH intends to help address the risk of a lack of product in France and enable a greater number of people to continue to take the right action to protect themselves from the spread of the virus," reads the company's press release.

The CDC recommends washing your hands to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but if soap and water are unavailable, hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol can also be effective.

At this point, it's unclear if the company's beauty lines will be affected by the shift in production.

LVMH's announcement comes as restaurants, movie theaters, nightclubs, and shops in France were ordered to close following an exponential increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

"I have decided to close all non-essential locations, notably cafes, restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs and shops," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said. "We must absolutely limit our movements."

As of Sunday, the number of confirmed cases in France has surpassed 5,420, with 127 deaths.

RELATED STORIES

Family Having Food And Drink At Restaurant

(Image credit: Carlo Prearo / EyeEm)

Sick at home

(Image credit: Milos Dimic)
Caroline Hallemann

As the digital news director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers everything from the British royal family to the latest episodes of Outlander, Killing Eve, and The Crown.