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◆ Quality Series · Part 3
In short: efficacy is proven, not assumed. It is verified by laboratory testing against defined organisms, with a fixed contact time and minimum log reductions.
What we test to
| Organism | Contact time | Log reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Bacteria — S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa | 1 min | ≥ 5.00 |
| Candida albicans | 1 min | ≥ 4.00 |
What a "log reduction" means
A 5-log reduction means 99.999% of the test population is killed; 4-log means 99.99%. The higher the log value, the stronger the kill. Contact time matters too — our targets are met at 1 minute, a realistic working time for skin antisepsis.
Why efficacy depends on the earlier chapters
Kill performance is downstream of available iodine, pH and fluid content. That is why efficacy is validated on finished product — the assembled swab, as the user will open it — and verified by laboratory testing.
For buyers — what to ask for: the kill-log test report, the method and organisms used, and confirmation that efficacy was tested on the finished swab, tied to the production lot.
