Purely dazzling: dangerous "non-freezing" is still on sale in the Russian Federation
Despite the ban on the production and sale of "non-freezers" with methanol in Russia for more than a quarter of a century, such liquids are still freely available. Methyl alcohol was detected by experts from a specialized laboratory in three of the seven samples of windshield washers purchased by Izvestia editorial office in Moscow and the Moscow region. Izvestia found out the danger of buying such "non-freezers" and where it is more likely to run into a deadly poison.
The wealth of choice
In early December, Izvestia purchased seven cans of non-freezing liquid for a glass washer. The choice was based on data on the most popular nezamerzayki brands among motorists, submitted at the request of the editorial staff by analysts of the Kontur project.Market", as well as the press service of Ozon. The "experimental" samples were Arctic Formula, Grass liquids, as well as LAVR concentrate. In addition, a Gleid Clean Effect glass washer was purchased — at the beginning of the year, its import and sale were banned in Belarus due to exceeding the permissible concentration of methanol. For the same reason, this "non-freezing" has repeatedly come to the attention of the Russian Rospotrebnadzor. All four cans were purchased on a major marketplace.
Three more samples from the list were purchased at a large network gas station (Sintec brand), in a hypermarket (Every Day brand) and a non—chain fruit and vegetable store randomly selected in the Krasnogorsk district of the Moscow region (Horizon brand) - cans of liquid are obviously offered there as a related product and stand in front of the entrance.
Kontur Analytics.Market studied about half a million receipts for non-freezing liquids issued in October and November, and found that the average price of the Arctic Formula bestseller increased by 31% compared to last year, while Grass rose in price by 34%. The first was purchased by Izvestia for 584 rubles for a five-liter canister, the second cost 581 rubles for four liters. LAVR concentrate cost 546 rubles per liter, Gleid cost a little less — 437 rubles per five liters. Liquids "Every day" and "Horizon" turned out to be the most affordable — 390 rubles for the declared volume of three liters and 150 rubles for 4.5 liters. The Sintec canister became the most expensive — 870 rubles for four liters. Moreover, it is designed not for -30, like the others, but only for -25.
Meat is not reported
All purchased samples of windshield washers for the study were delivered to the laboratory of Transconsulting LLC near Moscow, which has the necessary equipment and qualified experts to check the non-freezing liquid.
First of all, the laboratory staff checked that the actual volume of the liquid corresponded to what was indicated on the package. Underfilling was detected in all "non-freezers", however, in most samples it is uncritical. So, in four cans, the underflow was 30-50 ml, the concentrate was only 10 ml less. The manufacturers of Horizon and Gleid were the most "under—positioned" - 0.23 and 0.63 liters. At the same time, when recalculating the price per liter of liquid, they turned out to be the cheapest — 35 and 100 rubles. A liter of Arctic Formula costs 118 rubles, a liter of "Every Day" costs 132 rubles, and a liter of Grass costs 147 rubles. The most expensive were Sintec (220 rubles) and LAVR concentrate — a liter of a mixture of concentrate and water will cost 363 rubles.
With a score of 3:7
According to the "Uniform sanitary-epidemiological and hygienic requirements for products (goods) subject to sanitary-epidemiological supervision (control)", approved by the decision of the Customs Union Commission dated May 28, 2010 No. 299, the content of methyl alcohol in "non-frozen" should not exceed 0.05%. A quantitative analysis conducted in the laboratory for the presence of methanol in the liquids acquired by Izvestia (it was carried out by mass spectrometry with the transfer of methanol from glass-washing liquids to the equilibrium vapor phase, followed by its analysis on a gas chromatograph with a capillary column and a mass-selective detector) showed that in three of the seven samples the content of this substance exceeds the established norms.
In particular, a methanol content of more than 0.063% was found in non-freezing liquids Arctic Formula, Gleid Clean Effect and Horizon. In cans with Grass, LAVR, "Every day" and Sintec, the content of methyl alcohol did not exceed the established standards.
The Ozon press service told Izvestia that they had already conducted an inspection.
"We are hiding brand—name glass washing liquid from sale, which contains an increased content of methanol," the company said. "User safety is our priority, so we always respond promptly to complaints and product complaints, especially if the seller could not confirm the safety of the product."
Ozon reported that they regularly monitor the showcase.
"Our specialists use a whole range of measures to combat low–quality products — we check cards manually and using machine learning models, use neural networks and study customer reviews," they noted.
Izvestia also sent a request to Auchan's press service.
At the same time, the widespread opinion that if a non-freezing liquid does not smell of anything, it means that prohibited methanol has been added to its composition, since isopropyl alcohol, which is allowed for use, has a pungent and unpleasant odor, has not been confirmed. Almost all the tested "non-freezers" smelled about the same. And only the sample from Sintec had a pungent odor.
Nevertheless, when choosing a wiper, Denis Persikov, head of the chromatographic testing department for non-food products at Transconsulting LLC, advises using your own sense of smell.
— The absence of a pungent odor in the washing-up liquid should alert the consumer. One of the risks is the similarity of the smell of methyl and ethyl alcohols. Isopropyl alcohol smells sharper," he told Izvestia.
As the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation informed Izvestia, starting from September 1, 2025, mandatory labeling of de-icing liquids and antifreeze has been introduced in Russia. At the same time, according to information on the official website of Rospotrebnadzor, from December 1, 2025, the sale of unmarked residues is prohibited.
As expected, all packages of liquid containing methanol did not have the necessary QR code. However, even on containers with legal "frost-free" it was not found everywhere. In particular, it was not on the "Every Day" canister purchased on December 3 (this is confirmed by a receipt) at the hypermarket. At the time of publication, the press service of the hypermarket chain did not respond to how such a liquid ended up on sale.
Freeze, freeze, methanol
Practically all liquids, regardless of the presence or absence of methyl alcohol in them, showed the temperature of the beginning of crystallization significantly lower than indicated on the package. The most "frost-resistant" liquid turned out to be "Every day": -38.4 at the declared -30. Sintec was also surprised, the manufacturer of which was clearly modest, stating a limit of -25. According to laboratory tests, it reaches -34.7.
The "methanol" Gleid and Arctic Formula froze at -34.3 and -35.8. The popular Grass froze at -32.7 degrees. To test the LAVR concentrate, it was previously diluted with water. According to the table on the label, to obtain a liquid with a crystallization start temperature of minus 33, you need to add one part of water to two parts of the concentrate. The resulting mixture froze at a temperature of -36.9, which is also a good result. And only the "methanol" Horizon, designed for -30, has already frozen at -25.5.
— The freezing point of the washing liquid is affected by the concentration of alcohol, regardless of its type. The larger it is, the lower the crystallization temperature," Denis Persikov noted.
The crystallization parameters of non-freezing liquids obtained in the laboratory still do not fully reflect the properties that are important to the consumer, says Maxim Slezkin, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, who for a long time held the position of process engineer at a large international company for the production of auto chemicals and automotive cosmetics.
— Any alcohol, whether it's methanol or isopropanol, is a highly volatile substance. Therefore, as soon as the "frost-free" gets on the glass of the car, especially if it is moving at high speed, the alcohol evaporates and the liquid freezes instantly, forming an "ice pattern". To avoid this, winter windshield washers must include de-icing additives. It can be ethylene glycol, propylene glycol or glycerin," he told Izvestia.
Maxim Slezkin noted that in industrial production they always try to strictly follow the established recipe. Liquids with methanol are produced artisanal, and such "manufacturers" may well save on de-icing additives, he noted.
— As a result, liquid sold on the side of the road or just standing on the street in a closed container may well remain liquid even in severe frost. But if there are no de—icers in it, the glass of the car will simply freeze," he said.
Phantom Manufacturers
Izvestia tried to contact the manufacturers of the liquids in which methanol was detected. The manufacturer of Gleid, according to the information indicated on the label, is Grif LLC (Vladimir region, Vladimir city, Dvoryanskaya St., 16a). According to the Rusprofile counterparty verification service, the company is listed as liquidated in July 2024. At the same time, the liquid purchased by Izvestia was released in August of this year. Thus, it is not possible to establish who actually produced this wiper.
The manufacturer of Horizon liquid, the capital company Alekon, is listed in the February list of "phantom false manufacturers" of Rospotrebnadzor, whose activities are not carried out in Moscow - an inspection conducted by the supervisory authority did not find the company at the address indicated on the label. The liquid itself was allegedly manufactured in the fourth quarter of 2022. Thus, its shelf life (3 years), if not expired, is close to completion.
The manufacturer of Arctic Formula, Lilia LLC, is listed as active, but the main activity of the company is "Retail sale of beverages in specialty stores." In addition, the company mainly sells food and tobacco products in non-specialized stores. The production of the liquid, according to the label, is carried out in the village of Krivosheino, Kaluga region, judging by the panorama of Yandex Maps, in some kind of hangar. Izvestia sent a request to the company to find out how the banned methanol appeared in the liquid produced by Lilia. No response had been received at the time of publication.
What is the danger of methanol?
Methyl alcohol is considered a "silent killer," it can lead to systemic chronic diseases, serious poisoning, and even death, Zarema Omarova, a dermatologist, cosmetologist, and co-owner of Dr. Omarov's clinic network, told Izvestia. Moreover, the lethal dose has not been established, it can be very small, everything is very individual, she noted.
— Even the ingestion of methanol on the skin can be dangerous, especially if it is damaged. In this case, the risk of the substance entering the bloodstream and rapid intoxication increases significantly. Methanol is absorbed in just 1-2 hours, the substance is distributed in organs and tissues. In the bloodstream, methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde, two very dangerous components that are many times more toxic than methanol,— emphasized Zarema Omarova.
Fatal outcome is possible if very small doses of methanol enter the body, about 30-50 ml, says Olga Shuppo, founder and scientific director of the Grand Clinic network of immunorehabilitation, adaptive and preventive medicine clinics. According to her, due to the risk of high concentrations of methanol vapors in the interior of a closed car, it is strictly forbidden to use low-quality or homemade liquids for washing windows.
As for isopropanol, which is allowed for use in the production of non-freezing liquids, it is not toxic to humans by itself, she noted. However, much will depend on the alcohol concentration in a particular liquid, how long a person has been in contact with isopropyl alcohol vapors, and whether alcohol has been in direct contact with the skin, the expert said.
— For allergy sufferers, there are also additional risks of exacerbation of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, and allergic reactions, — said Olga Shuppo.
As the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation informed Izvestia, the sale of glass washing liquid with methanol on the territory of Russia in case of serious or especially serious harm to health falls under the signs of crimes provided for in Articles 234 and 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The department said that in 2023, under this article, the general director of a company from Pushkino near Moscow, which produced Artic Frost based on methyl alcohol, was brought to criminal responsibility. In the same year, a criminal case was initiated under the same article in the Ryazan region, when, as a result of investigative actions and operational search measures, 13 thousand liters of methyl alcohol, more than 10 thousand liters of a non-freezing liquid solution with methanol, as well as products prepared for sale and packaged in 5-liter containers were seized.
"Considering the low culture"
The ban on the production and sale of non-freezing liquid based on methanol was introduced by the decree of the Chief Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation on July 1, 2000. It is noteworthy that the text of the document states that "the use of glass washing liquids for their intended purpose does not have a harmful effect on human health, which is confirmed by the long-term practice of using them abroad and the absence of poisoning in our country." However, despite this, "non-freezers" with methanol were still banned. As follows from the resolution, this was the result of "a low level of culture and hygienic education of a part of the population, disregard for factors harmful to health, and an increase in recent years in "socially reduced persons" without a fixed place of residence."
Gennady Onishchenko, the former chief sanitary doctor of Russia, who signed the document, recalled that in the 2000s a series of Rospotrebnadzor resolutions were issued, not only on methanol, but also on other "all kinds of alcohol-containing solutions for various purposes."
— Methanol is an independent problem, and then opponents actively argued that glass washing liquids without methanol would be too expensive. Although the citizens had enough money for a car. But glass washing liquids with methanol are dangerous for a person behind the wheel, its vapors enter the cabin, and this is a direct path to poisoning. Maybe in small doses, so it's not fatal, but it's poisoning," Gennady Onishchenko said in an interview with Izvestia.
Tatiana Klimenko, director of the National Scientific Center of Narcology, a branch of the National Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Narcology named after V. P. Serbsky of the Ministry of Health, speaking about the "drinking culture in Russia," recalled that there is no safe dose in the context of alcohol consumption. She warned against using alcohol substitutes.
"This is not just low—quality alcohol, but a deadly poison, most often containing methanol or other industrial alcohols," she said. — The use of such substances is a real lottery with an extremely low chance not only of preserving vision or other vital functions, but also of survival in general. The consequences can be lightning-fast and irreversible: severe poisoning, blindness, coma and death."
Legalization is required
Methanol has been banned for many years, is on the list of toxic substances and its illegal trafficking falls under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, said Anton Shaparin, Vice President of the National Automobile Union (NAS). Accordingly, all organizations that use it now must bear the appropriate responsibility, he noted.
— However, the whole country uses methanol-containing glass washing liquids, as they are much cheaper, have no pungent odor, and behave better in the cold than those containing isopropyl alcohol. It is used even by those who oppose the legalization of methanol. WE have been consistently advocating for the legalization of the use of methanol in washing fluids for a long time: the ban was introduced due to the fact that some citizens use such liquids as alcohol substitutes. We are confident that the use of denaturing additives that immediately cause a gag reflex will overcome this problem," Anton Shaparin told Izvestia.
As the Ministry of Industry and Trade informed Izvestia, the turnover of methanol and methanol-containing liquids under mandatory denaturation is one of the requirements of Federal Law No. 108-FZ, which authorizes the government to develop and approve the procedure for denaturing methanol and liquids.
— In this regard, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation, has developed a draft resolution regulating the procedure for adding a denaturing additive to methanol, as well as establishing cases in which denaturation is optional. Currently, the draft resolution is undergoing the approval procedure," the press service of the department noted.
At the same time, the ministry also recalled that currently a ban on the use of methanol in the production of glass washing liquids has been introduced both at the EAEU level and by the decision of the Chief sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation.
"At the moment, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade is not considering the possibility of using methanol in the production of glass washing liquids," the ministry's press service stressed.
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