Bad news: There are well over a million germs living on your hands right now. Worse news: There are well over a billion women living on less than $2.50 per day. Inspiring news: You can now reach for the outstretched hands of Eve Echo, who’s conquering both predicaments at once. Eve Echo is a brand new collection of chic liquid hand soaps and sanitizers that not only helps eliminate germs, but also helps women reach financial independence in third world countries.

With a great deal of passion and vision, Eve Friedman left her career as a successful ad executive to launch her uniquely charitable brand, Eve Echo. I had the pleasure of getting to know Eve over lunch the other week, and after one delicious whiff of her Grapefruit Honeydew soap and one minute of learning about her business model, I was hooked. Eve declared: “My mission is to build an enterprise that is defined as a distinctive platform for the global empowerment of all women.”

But how? Eve Echo will give 100% of all net profits to the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA) which offers low interest loans to women to help them build businesses that give them financial independence and help the overall community. After one year, the original loan, plus interest, will be returned to Eve Echo. “As profitability increases,” Eve explained, “so does our ability to lend large amounts of capital to organizations that focus on social change for women, bringing us closer to our mission: Eliminate gender inequality, and free women from oppression.” Natalie Portman is the national spokesperson of FINCA and has been very critical in getting the message out there:

But a charitable mission is hardly possible for a beauty brand without the a meaningful product that people will love. More good news! You can finally throw away all your hand sanitizers that look and smell like an inpatient hospital wing – Eve Echo is solving that problem too.

The liquid hand soaps come in four luxurious scents: pure lavender vanilla, energizing pomegranate peppermint, adventurous coconut butter, and my favorite, rejuvenating grapefruit honeydew. The  hand sanitizers come in two aromas: uplifting lavender vanilla and my new purse addition/addiction, tantalizing sweet mango, all portable and refillable. All Eve Echo products are cruelty-free, sulfate-free, and triclosan-free.

Ready to buy? Head over to their newly-launched, socially-savvy website where you can purchase the products, and very soon, start looking for them in high-end beauty retailers, department stores and duty-free shops. At $8 for the sanitizers and $14 for the soaps, these products are a little luxury, affordable for anyone who shares the vision of empowering the world’s poorest entrepreneurs… and clean hands that smell like you’ve always dreamed they would.

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Disclosure

It’s aphrodisiac season and Cupid is confused. Cupid is pressuring you to reel in your Valentine by eating aphrodisiac-filled chocolate (Yikes! Not THAT much), showering in Axe (use at your own risk), hanging out with Rhinos (questionable) and sweating out your good ol’ natural stank. Right?

Well, it came to my attention that for many people, cleanliness can be the biggest aphrodisiac of all. “I like a girl with a nice fresh lemony scent,” a friend explained last night. “Being clean is the #1 thing I look for in a girl.”

So today, to help you land a Valentine, find love, maintain a healthy relationship, or at least kill 99.99% of the germs in your life… we’re going to be giving away 5 bottles of Clean Well Hand Sanitizer.

I’ve been using it for a month or so, and believe me, this stuff is as fresh and lemony as it gets, and no illnesses to report… not even a sneeze! Are men falling in love with my clean, lemony self left and right? I’ll get back to you.

To Enter:
In the comments below, tell us the germ-iest thing you’ve touched recently. The 5 of you who we think need it most will win a 4 ounce bottle of Clean Well All-Natural Hand Sanitizer. That’s 900+ sprays of sexy, germ-free clean! Enter until Monday, 2/8, 11:59 pm EST.

PS. Bonus points for our friends on Facebook and Twitter who already carry around hand sanitizer to keep aphrodisiac-quality clean! We asked about it last week. Su’Ona Johnson Thompson carries around Purell, @heavensfear and Ravinder Kaur like their germs killed by stuff from Bath & Body Works, Kim Hopkins keeps Germ-X Wipes in every possible spot she could be, and @amymartinG told us Clean Well is her favorite because it’s great for kids and it’s non-drying. (Because all kids could use a good aphrodisiac…)

Update: THE WINNERS

Congratualtions to the 5 of you, you’ve won a bottle of CLEAN WELL Hand Sanitizer! (There are a lot of germs to kill – I hope you guys use this stuff regularly! Contact me with your address to claim your prize – michelle @ spaweekmedia.com or DM me @michellejoni.

Susan @grumpy1970 - I had to dig through our outside garbage can for my sons lost tooth that was wrapped in a napkin. Ugh! Thanks for teh opportunity to win your giveaway!

Dianestokes – I was going to say grocery store carts, but I remembered reading once that elevator buttons and escalator rails are actually the germ-iest things we touch. They never get sanitized. :/

JM @pbrandpbj – I have an adorable 3-year old Yorkie who will eat and chew on pretty much anything. Most recently, on one of our evening walks he sniffed out a half eaten chicken wing that someone so lovingly discarded for him on the sidewalk. I had no choice but to pry open his mouth and pull out the food item with my bare hands.

Melissa Finley @mymendinghands – New York City Subway Poles and Handles….multiple times a day….every day.

Zachary Adam Cohen @zacharycohen – I touched a homeless persons mouth the other day, i was taking a cigarette out of their mouth because smoking is bad for you.