Hand wash recall: the two batch codes to check

What has been recalled

Source: Office for Product Safety and Standards, 16 September 2026.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards has published product recall 2609-0060 for the Baylis & Harding Oud, Cedar & Amber 1L Hand Wash Refill. The alert type is Product recall, the risk level is Low, the product category is Cosmetics, and the measure type is recall of the product from end users. The notification was published on 16 September 2026 and was notified by Local Authority Trading Standards under PSD notification number 2609-0060. The affected batches are 6210A and 6211A, and the batch number is printed on the base of the pouch. That printed code is the single most useful thing a household can check, because it distinguishes an affected pouch from an identical-looking one bought in the same shop on the same day.

The product is a 1 litre eco refill of oud, cedar and amber scented hand wash, sold via Ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, with country of origin United Kingdom. The products have been recalled from end users by Baylis and Harding, Amazon, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. Sainsbury's and Waitrose have published their own recall pages for the product. Consumers are told to stop using the product immediately and return it to their place of purchase for redress. The recall covers end users rather than only the supply chain, which means the notice is aimed at people who already have the pouch at home rather than at warehouses or store rooms.

The hazard

Testing identified the presence of Pluralibacter gergoviae. OPSS states that contamination with this microorganism may lead to infection or adverse health effects, particularly in vulnerable users or those with a compromised skin barrier. OPSS also states that the product does not meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, the Cosmetics Regulation. The risk level recorded on the register for this recall is Low, and risk levels on the OPSS register run from Low to Serious. The level reflects the assessed severity of the hazard rather than how many units are affected, so a Low rating is not a statement about the number of pouches in circulation.

The practical instruction attached to the notice is straightforward. Consumers should stop using the product immediately and return it to their place of purchase for redress. A hand wash is used on skin, often on hands that are already dry, cracked or otherwise compromised, which is why the wording of the notice singles out vulnerable users and those with a compromised skin barrier. Anyone who has already used an affected pouch and has concerns about their skin should seek advice from a pharmacist or GP rather than rely on the recall notice, which addresses the product rather than individual medical circumstances.

Getting the money back

A recall notice asks for return to the place of purchase, and the retailers named in this recall have published their own recall pages. On refunds generally, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires goods to be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, and the retailer is responsible to the consumer. A product subject to a safety recall is not of satisfactory quality, so the retailer rather than the manufacturer is the right party to approach. That matters here because the product was sold through Ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, and the recall was actioned by Baylis and Harding, Amazon, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. A shopper who bought the refill from a supermarket returns it to that supermarket, not to the brand owner.

Proof of purchase helps but is not usually the deciding factor. A bank or card statement, a loyalty account record or an online order history is commonly accepted as evidence of the transaction, and supermarket recall policies commonly waive the receipt requirement for a product that is the subject of a published recall. Do not dispose of the product before the return, since the batch code on the base is the evidence that links the pouch to batches 6210A and 6211A. A photograph of the base of the pouch, taken before the item leaves the house, is a sensible precaution if the return is made in person and the packaging is handed over.

Three other recalls the same week

OPSS also published a recall on 16 September 2026 for the Smyths Toys Wooden Cornhole Board with Bean Bags (2609-0108) and for the Cambridge Audio Ceiling Speaker Fire Hood (2609-0010). On 15 September 2026 OPSS published a recall for the Diall 16A Blue Site Connector and Blue Site Socket, male and female (2609-0064), risk level High, category electrical appliances and equipment. The Diall item is the only one of the four at High risk level, while the hand wash recall sits at Low. The clustering of notices within two days is a reminder that recalls are published continuously rather than in occasional waves.

Risk levels on the OPSS register run from Low to Serious, and the level reflects the assessed severity rather than how many units are affected. A Low rating can still cover a widely sold grocery item, and a High rating can cover a specialist electrical component with a small number of units in trade. Reading the level alongside the product category and the measure type gives a fuller picture than the level alone. For the hand wash, the category is Cosmetics and the measure type is recall of the product from end users, which is the strongest form of action on the register because it reaches the people who already own the item.

How to see recalls before the newspapers do

The OPSS register at GOV.UK lists every product safety alert, report and recall and can be filtered by alert type, risk level, product category, measure type and date. The register lists 3,723 reports and offers an email subscription and a feed, so a household can receive notices as they are published rather than waiting for a news story. Filtering by product category is the quickest route for anyone who wants to watch a single area, such as cosmetics or electrical appliances, without reading every entry on the register.

Registering appliances with the manufacturer, or through the AMDEA appliance register, means recall notices reach the owner directly. That route works because the manufacturer holds the contact details attached to the model and serial number, so a notice can be sent to the household rather than published and left to be found. For food and drink the equivalent is the Food Standards Agency's own alert list, which is separate from the OPSS register. A household that checks both lists, and keeps the base of a refill pouch long enough to read the batch code, has the two habits that make a recall notice actionable rather than merely informative.

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Frequently asked questions

Which batch codes are affected by the Baylis & Harding hand wash recall?

2 batch codes are affected: 6210A and 6211A. The batch number is printed on the base of the pouch.

What is the OPSS recall number and when was it published?

OPSS product recall 2609-0060, published 16 September 2026, notified by Local Authority Trading Standards. The risk level is Low and the product category is Cosmetics.

Why has the hand wash been recalled?

Testing identified the presence of Pluralibacter gergoviae. OPSS states that contamination with this microorganism may lead to infection or adverse health effects, particularly in vulnerable users or those with a compromised skin barrier, and that the product does not meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, the Cosmetics Regulation.

Where was the product sold?

The 1 litre eco refill of oud, cedar and amber scented hand wash was sold via Ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, with country of origin United Kingdom. Sainsbury's and Waitrose have published their own recall pages for the product.

Can a refund be claimed without a receipt?

Proof of purchase helps but a bank or card statement, a loyalty account record or an online order history is usually accepted, and supermarket recall policies commonly waive the receipt requirement. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the retailer is responsible to the consumer, so the place of purchase is the right party to approach.