Which Russian brands have face masks
One of the first, even before the spread of coronavirus in Russia, the Sirinbird brand, known for collections of silk scarves based on Russian art, was engaged in the production of face masks. The masks are made of natural silk and double-layered cambric and are decorated with old Russian patterns in bright colors. The founder of the brand, Irina Batkova, immediately emphasized that this is more of a cute souvenir than a really protective agent, explaining that it should be worn as a beautiful cover for a disposable mask. The medical accessory itself is included in a set worth 3000 rubles. not included, which Sirinbird also warned potential Instagram buyers about.
The same decorative and applied function is performed by the face masks produced by the Russian designer Alexander Arutyunov. “I can't look at all these ugly masks. Walk beautifully,”he wrote under the photo of the new products on his Instagram, indicating the cost - 5,000 rubles. a piece. As the agency L'Appart, which is engaged in PR for the Alexander Arutyunov brand, explained to, the use of cotton and hand embroidery influenced the price formation. It is made in the form of red lips with wildflowers or a lit cigarette.
For the Russian brand Inshade, the production of masks has also become a way to stimulate buyers at a difficult time for small businesses. A mask made of silk, cotton and viscose, plain or with a colorful print, can be obtained free of charge when ordering any item from the brand's online store, or purchased separately at a price of 1000 rubles. As the founder and designer of Inshade Maria Smirnova explained to, these masks, like other reusable ones, “protect people around from the personal microflora of the wearer” (that is, a person sneezes or coughs into the mask), and if desired, for greater protection, they “You can put in a charcoal filter” (it retains up to 99% of suspended dust and airborne particles) or “a disposable handkerchief soaked in miramistin”.
“At first we made them just for our team and began to wear them,” said Maria Smirnova. - There is less stress that you will get infected with some banal ARVI and then you will be afraid that it is IT. You don't touch your face with your hands, a psychological barrier appears, a reminder not to do this. We felt that a new kind of ethical behavior had emerged. If you wear a mask and come somewhere where people are forced to be (shop, pharmacy, transport, and so on), then they feel calmer. You have thought about them and do not "spread" anything. It's also not just a one-off thing. Wash, iron and wear again. You don't participate in the pollution of the planet. Therefore, gradually we began to make masks upon request, with joy."
The Krasnodar brand Matrona, which rebuilt its sewing production for the production of masks and promised to distribute them to everyone free of charge, also sees the meaning of this accessory in protection from simple infections and the temptation to touch lips and nose with hands. “This is the most dangerous factor in the spread of the disease,” the brand's team addressed its subscribers. "Therefore, we would like to ask you to wear our masks and wash your hands thoroughly and often."
Similar masks made of jersey, cotton, nylon or polyester are now produced by Russian influencers. So, from the soloist of "A-Studio" Keti Topuria you can buy a one-color version for 1,500 rubles, from blogger Vlad Bumaga - a model with the slogan "Put on to survive" for 600 rubles, and from the Little Big group - a mask with the image of the main character from the last clip for 1000 rubles.
1 of 3 Masks from the Little Big group © instagram.com/littlebigband.shop Mask from Keti Topuria © instagram.com/_ketione_ Mask from Vlad Paper © shop.vidak.by
Some domestic designers are trying to produce disposable masks that could be analogous to pharmacy masks. Most of them are not for sale, but go to medical institutions and charities - this practice already exists abroad, including the brands Saint Laurent and Balenciaga.
Designer Victoria Andreyanova decided to support older people. With the assistance of the Old Age in Joy Foundation, she produced 1,000 three-layer cotton masks for the benefit of the Uvarovsky boarding school for the elderly and disabled. In turn, the Bosco Di Ciliegi company, which opened a manufactory in Kaluga in 2019, began the production of millions of gauze masks, which will go to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and from there to those in need.
In addition to Victoria Andreyanova, Tina Kandelaki collaborates with the Old Age for Joy Foundation. Its cosmetics brand Ansaligy has shifted its manufacturing capacity to hygiene products, including three-layer masks made from spunbond nonwovens, which are often used in the medical industry. 10% of all hygiene products are sent to the wards of the foundation - for example, to the veterans' home in Velikiye Luki, while the rest go on the mass sale. A set of five masks, each of which needs to be changed every three hours, costs 980 rubles, which, as Ansaligy subscribers on Instagram noticed, is higher than the average price in the market. Tina Kandelaki was accused of "profiting from the situation in the country" by selling disposable masks at "unreasonable prices." The founder of the brand responded to these comments in her Telegram channel.
“The proletariat writes that Tina Kandelaki saddled her panic and decided to get rich - so here are a few words about responsibility. In my salon, in my office, in a restaurant and in a factory, the situation is exactly the same as everywhere else today. Sales of goods and services are falling, and the cost of components and ingredients is growing. Prices for old items are still unchanged. There are no tax holidays, rental holidays, and interest-free credits (I hope not yet). […] What to do? Cut staff, cut their already falling revenues, or shut everything down and say to hundreds of people, "It's not my fault"? Or give a job and bring the financial model everywhere so that people can feed their families? We have those in our country who can afford my protective masks. It is these people who will help not me, but my employees to work further. For this I will not be afraid of the damagewhich the mouse and keyboard masters are trying to inflict on me. We have a fundamentally different level of responsibility with them."
At the time of this writing, the first batch of hygiene masks has been sold out. Ansaligy started work on expansion and optimization.
© ansaligy.com
Which face masks really protect
Most experts agree that no mask provides guaranteed protection against coronavirus infection and does not prevent its spread by 100%. General practitioner, head of the emergency department of the European Medical Center, Alexander Dolenko, in a conversation with, comments on the situation as follows: “It makes sense for healthy people to wear a mask only if they are dealing with a sick or potentially infected 2019-nCoV. If you cough or sneeze, wear a mask to protect others."
This is also confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasizing that masks are effective only in combination with regular hand rubbing with alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water. It is undesirable to touch the mask during use, and it should be changed to a new one as soon as it becomes damp (on average, after two to three hours).
The main requirement, according to Alexander Dolenko, is that a medical mask should adhere to the surface of the face as much as possible, while covering the mouth and nose, and also be light and hypoallergenic. “The most common and in demand are three-layer disposable masks with an elastic band. The inner layer, which is located on the face, absorbs liquid, the middle layer filters it, and the outer hydrophobic layer repels. Today, meltblown material is most often used for the production of masks. It is a fine mesh that traps bacteria."
Alexander Gorelov, Deputy Director for Research at the Central Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, emphasizes that such a mask protects only if it is worn by both the patient and the one who does not want to get infected from him. At the same time, in addition to common pharmacy masks, it emits special respirators FFP2 and FFP3. Thanks to the valve, these masks moisturize much slower and last not two to three hours, but four to eight, but still they do not guarantee protection against coronavirus.
What Russian brands produce sanitizers
The Russian company Mixit was one of the first to announce the production of antiseptic products for hands. To ensure that they are always available in the brand's stores - and these are 33 points only in Moscow - and online, Mixit has suspended the release of its other cosmetic products. At the same time, the company considers it important to keep "pre-crisis" prices and not raise them in the face of increased demand.
Mixit antiseptic hand gel
Now, Mixit Hand Sanitizer, which contains isopropyl alcohol (according to the product description, it destroys 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in less than 30 seconds), panthenol (moisturizes and softens the skin) and phenoxyethanol (has a bactericidal effect), is worth 245 RUB This is 150 rubles. less than the cost of the previous Mixit sanitizers in the original colorful packaging with aromatic fragrance and care components, which can still be purchased in stores and on the website. It should be noted that before the pandemic, the price of antiseptics in ordinary cosmetic stores varied from 100 to 250 rubles.
Mixit antiseptic hand spray, which the company launched before the pandemic
“Since we have already produced antiseptics, our task in the conditions of an increased risk of infection was to sell an analog product, but in more economical packaging and at an affordable price in uninterrupted sale for everyone,” said Anastasia Cherdantseva, CEO of the company, to. - The release of these funds for us is a socially directed measure with practically zero project margins, since we are in the framework of the economic crisis of the market with inflated prices from raw material suppliers. We will keep prices in an accessible format as long as necessary."
Mixit now sells sanitizers exclusively through its own distribution channels, while representatives of the company express their readiness to adapt to reality and needs, supplying their products to other points. “We will work according to the rules of the market, if there is demand, we will give an offer. But in no case do we want to speculate on the difficult epidemiological situation in Russia and in the world."
The Russian brand Windsor's Soap, known for its collections of scented candles, soaps, bath bombs and diffusers for the home, also started to produce sanitizers. According to the founder of the project, Yana Windsor, her antiseptics "do not kill the skin" - they do not dry, do not tighten and smell good. The fact is that even with an increased alcohol content (83% by volume - pharmaceutical ethyl alcohol) and hydrogen peroxide in the composition, D-panthenol, aloe vera and essential oils prevent skin dehydration. In addition, the bottles of Windsor's Soap sanitizers are made of glass, and the dispensers are made of metal, which allows you not to litter the planet after their use and disposal. Antiseptics are sold in sets of various formats, costing from 1190 to 6190 rubles.
1 of 6 Windsor's Soap Sanitizers: Family pack
© Press Service Windsor's Soap Sanitizers: # 911 © Press Service Windsor's Soap Sanitizers: Dynasty pack © Press Service Windsor's Soap Sanitizers: # 990 © Press Service Windsor's Soap Sanitizers: Single pack © press service
“Why such a price? After all, you mean why the same 30 ml of Byredo sanitizer cost 10 times more, although the brand can afford to produce them in huge quantities, which significantly reduces the cost of production? - Yana Windsor commented. - Seriously, the prices are determined by the volume of production - this is a new, urgently released product. The margin of this product is understated. By entering large production volumes, we may be able to reduce the final cost in comparison with the first batches. And also supply sanitizers to charitable organizations. " According to the entrepreneur, you won't have to wait long: Windsor's Soap sanitizers are already very popular.
The production of antiseptics on an industrial scale (1.5 million tubes per week) was announced by the Russian cosmetics company Faberlic. By April 10, the first batch of disinfectant gel will be ready, intended for donation to the headquarters for the fight against coronavirus, if by that time the issue of certification of the new product is resolved. With him, the president of Faberlic, Alexei Nechaev, has already addressed the head of the working group of the State Council of the Russian Federation to counter the spread of coronavirus, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. In addition, Nechaev announced the production of a disinfectant gel for retail sale: it will be possible to buy it through the Faberlic website and catalog at a price of 99 rubles.
The French company LVMH has come up with a similar initiative abroad. Since March 16, factories that produce perfumes for the brands Christian Dior, Givenchy and Guerlain have been transferred to the production of antiseptics. They are sent to the health authorities to compensate for the lack of funds in hospitals. In the first week, the company planned to create 12 tons of product, stressing that the production of sanitizers will continue as long as necessary.
As of March 24, 19,856 cases of coronavirus infection and 860 deaths due to the disease were confirmed in France. In Russia, the number of cases on March 23 was 438.>