Masks and hand sanitizers are hot again in the U.S., with fashionable styles becoming more popular

With the spread of the Delta variant virus, the average daily increase in cases in the United States in the past seven days has once again exceeded 100,000, reaching the highest level in the past six months. Consumers have begun to stockpile masks and hand sanitizers again.

In July, Instacart reported sales of hand sanitizer and medical masks increased by 24% and 16%, respectively, compared to June. In addition, on the first day of August, sales of both categories exceeded the previous week. On the Amazon US site search rankings, the keywords related to masks and hand sanitizers are also ranked red.

However, the growth of anti-epidemic products this time is not as explosive as it was at the beginning of the epidemic. In addition to meeting basic protection needs, consumers are looking for more fashionable and trendy products. Some brands are also launching new styles to solve consumers' aesthetic fatigue.

Scott Geftman, president of New York City-based fashion brand Rowing Blazers, said there is no shortage of protective products during the recent coronavirus outbreak, and these products can also shift from necessities to fashion items.

“There is no longer a mask shortage in New York City, so right now we’re just focused on making masks that people will actually enjoy wearing, upgrading them so they can stay cool and be affordable,” Geftma said.

The brand is currently working with shirt brand Warm & Wonderful to release new mask styles. The masks will feature a "black sheep" pattern similar to the famous shirt worn by Princess Diana.

Similarly, John Lin, operations director of accessories brand Pacific Mason, said overall sales of its foldable masks were three times that of the brand's regular masks.

“A foldable mask is more versatile, covers a wider area of ​​the face, and rarely fogs up glasses,” said John Lin. “Not to mention, it’s more fashionable for most people.”

Last week, hand sanitizer brand Ouchland partnered with a perfume company to release four new disinfectants that, in addition to their disinfecting function, have the same scent as perfume, including blue sandalwood, velvet peach, apple, and lemon. Ouchland said that these disinfectants are aimed at young people, especially those who like to socialize and party.

Although anti-epidemic items are hot-selling again, the market situation has also changed this year, and sellers still need to select products based on the actual market situation.

Epidemic in the United States

Delta mutant virus

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