Peha®-skin

The new benchmark for safety and comfort of surgical gloves

Meet Peha®-skin and Peha®-skin Touch: latex-free and accelerator-free gloves built to a zero-holes manufacturing standard.

Surgical gloves designed around daily risks in the OR

Not every glove failure begins in the operating room. Some gloves are flawed before they are donned; others are damaged during surgery by needles, instruments or bone; and many ‚latex-free’ gloves still carry accelerators that trigger skin reactions.

The Peha®-skin range was developed to address the avoidable parts of this reality — removing defects before they reach the OR, offering better protection in case of accidental puncture, and freeing it of both latex and accelerators. Because protection this close to the patient should leave nothing avoidable to chance.

Try Peha®-skin samples in your own OR

More safety: zero holes, zero latex, zero accelerators.

Peha®-skin helps reduce often-overlooked risks in glove use — manufacturing defects, pathogen transfer through punctures, and allergies — so surgeons and hospitals can stop settling for compromises.
Start surgery with zero holes.
Statistically zero manufacturing defects thanks to AQL 0.1 and Molecular Layer Technology for better safety.
Stronger barrier if punctured.
Reduced transmission of pathogens and bacteria from accidental needle punctures compared to latex and isoprene materials.
Preventing allergies for all.
Zero latex and zero accelerators avoid related allergic reactions and hand dermatitis.
Less waste, lower cost.
Fewer defective gloves mean less waste and a lower cost per procedure.

Three facts that make the case for a higher glove standard.

Glove breaches are part of everyday surgery — and can go unnoticed. When a glove fails, both surgeon and patient are exposed. Peha®-skin is built to address avoidable risks.
56% of orthopaedic trauma procedures involve at least one glove perforation, mainly from needles, instruments and bone. [1]
68% of glove perforations go unnoticed by surgeons. [2]
25% is the average prevalence of glove-related hand dermatitis accross western European countries. [3]

What makes Peha®-skin surgical gloves safer.

No holes: AQL 0.1, the strictest industry standard.

Peha®-skin is produced to AQL 0.1 — a statistical zero-defect standard under ISO 2859-1 (AC=0). From every production lot, 200 gloves are filled with water and inspected; a single leak rejects the entire lot – the strictest industry standard. Flexylon Molecular Layer Technology builds each glove as a uniform film, without the micro-pinholes that can pass standard quality controls. So statistically, there is zero risk of a defective glove reaching your OR.

AQL explained, ROI calculated: download the guide

Advanced barrier material: less pathogen transfer if accidentally punctured.

No glove can prevent every intra-operative cut or needle-stick — but the material determines how much gets through if a breach occurs. In vitro testing shows that Peha®-skin reduces the transmission of pathogens and bacteria through needle punctures compared with latex and polyisoprene (PI) gloves. This means Peha®-skin provides an additional layer of protection beyond the physical barrier, particularly relevant in high-risk surgical procedures.

Stronger material, less waste, lower costs.

Peha®-skin is made from Flexylon, a synthetic film built for strength, tested to exceed standard force-at-break requirements (up to 16N vs. the 9N minimum). Together with the AQL 0.1 standard – which eliminates the micro-defects that make gloves prone to tearing during donning or use – this reduces tear rates and mid-procedure glove changes. Fewer defective and torn gloves mean less waste, fewer interruptions and lower total glove costs per procedure. Less medical plastic waste supports hospitals‘ growing sustainability and procurement targets under the EU MEAT framework.

AQL explained, ROI calculated: download the guide

Latex-free and accelerator-free: both allergy triggers removed.

Peha®-skin contains no natural rubber latex and no chemical accelerators, removing both major glove-related allergy pathways simultaneously.

Feels as soft as latex.
Tested by 17 surgeons in surgical setting in Cologne in May 2026.

Choose your Peha®-skin surgical glove.

Surgical Gloves

Peha®-skin

• Multi-specialty surgical glove for general, abdominal and routine procedures
• High tactile sensitivity: feels as soft as latex [4]
• Worn on its own, or as the outer glove when double-gloving
Surgical Gloves

Peha®-skin Touch

• Extra-thin glove for microsurgery and procedures needing maximum tactile feel – feels as soft as latex [4]
• Worn on its own, or as an underglove in trauma and high-risk surgery
• Under a white outer glove, it makes a breach in the outer layer visible

Try Peha®-skin in your own OR.

PAUL HARTMANN AG processes the personal information provided exclusively for the purpose of customer care. For this purpose we might share your personal information within the responsible employee in the relevant country within the HARTMANN Group. The personal information is not stored, transferred or used for any other purpose. The personal information is not transferred to any third parties outside the HARTMANN Group.

Frequently asked questions

What does AQL 0.1 mean for surgical gloves – and why does it matter?
AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) defines how many defective gloves are permitted in a production lot before it is rejected. Standard surgical gloves are manufactured to AQL 0.65 – meaning up to three defective gloves in a 200-glove test sample are acceptable. An AQL 0.4 allows 1% defective gloves in the production lot. Peha®-skin is manufactured to AQL 0.1 (ISO 2859-1, AC=0): if even one defective glove is found, the entire lot is rejected. This makes pre-existing manufacturing defects statistically unlikely to reach the OR.
How does Peha®-skin‘s AQL 0.1 compare to the standard for surgical gloves?
The EN norm for surgical gloves requires an AQL of 0.65 – meaning up to three defective gloves in a 200-glove test sample are accepted before a production lot is released. Peha®-skin achieves AQL 0.1 with zero-defect acceptance (AC=0) per ISO 2859-1: if even one defective glove is found, the entire lot is rejected. This is the strictest manufacturing quality standard currently available in the surgical glove market.
Can Peha®-skin prevent surgical glove perforations during procedures?
No surgical glove can prevent all intra-operative perforations – most are caused by needles, sharp instruments or bone contact during surgery. Peha®-skin is designed to eliminate manufacturing defects as a source of glove breaches, so surgeons start every procedure with an intact barrier. In addition, the Peha®-skin material has been shown in vitro to reduce pathogen transmission through needle punctures compared with latex and polyisoprene gloves.
We already use latex-free surgical gloves – why would we still need accelerator-free gloves?
Switching to latex-free gloves removes the risk of Type I latex allergy, but most synthetic surgical gloves still contain rubber accelerators such as thiurams and carbamates. These chemicals can cause Type IV allergic contact dermatitis, and studies show that up to 26% of healthcare workers test positive for carba mix [5] – one of the most common accelerator groups. Peha®-skin contains no latex and no chemical accelerators, removing both major glove-related allergy pathways simultaneously.
How does Peha®-skin compare to latex on tactile sensitivity?
In a 2026 surgical user test, 86% of surgeons who normally use latex gloves rated Peha®-skin as soft as — or softer than — their usual latex glove. 82% reported no hand fatigue at all. Test conducted with 17 surgeons in a surgical setting.
Are Peha®-skin gloves with AQL 0.1 more cost-effective than conventional options?
The unit price of Peha®-skin can be higher than other latex-free surgical gloves. However, fewer defective gloves per lot means less waste, fewer mid-procedure glove changes and less time spent handling defective stock. Internal modelling indicates savings of approximately 10.000€ per year at a typical hospital consumption of 50,000 pairs annually – though actual savings depend on individual usage patterns and current glove pricing.

[1] Maurício Pandini Monteiro de Barros, Thales Thiago Ferreira Godoi, Mario Ferretti Filho, Helio Jorge Alchavian Fernandes, Fernando Baldy dos Reis, 2021, Surgical Gloves in Orthopedic Trauma Procedures: How Many Lose Their Integrity? Rev Bras Ortop 2021;56(3):379–383. DOI https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1722591.

[2] “The global incidence and associated factors of surgical gloves perforation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation (SAGE/IOS Press), 2022. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3233/WOR-210286

[3] Jeevasunthari Gunasegaran, Ying-Ying Teh, Chin-Keong Lim, Shiow-Fern Ng “Review on Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Research Advancements on the Use of Medical Gloves Concerning Hand Dermatitis Among Health Care Workers”. Safety and Health at Work 15 (2024) 129e138

[4] Tested by 17 surgeons in surgical setting in Cologne in May 2026.

[5] Bauer A et al. „Occupational contact allergy: The European perspective – Analysis of patch test data from ESSCA between 2011 and 2020.“ Contact Dermatitis. 2023;88(4):263–274. DOI: 10.1111/cod.14280 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36694979/