Abstract
Human hygiene is an important concept and practice in preventing, controlling, and reducing healthcare-acquired infections. The ideal way of achieving it is by proper hand washing and drying methods that break the chain of transmission of deadly pathogens from hands to other parts of the body. The usage of effective hand sanitizer reduces nosocomial infections occurring due to various bacteria. Most healthcare products in the category comprise harmful chemicals and polymer derivatives from petroleum. The long-term use of sanitizers containing chemical antimicrobial agents may pose the hazards like the development of resistant microbes, adverse effects on the human immune system, and skin infections. Customary additives used for fragrance like aldehydes and phthalates can cause disruption and imbalance in endocrine secretions. During pre- and post-COVID times, the need for more hand sanitizer use around the world made it important and opportune to develop a recipe for hand sanitizers that is sustainable and free of derivatives from fossil fuels. One argument for reducing the usage of fossil fuels and consequently, the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere to stop climate change is sustainability. Herbal hand sanitizer solutions produced from plant extracts and natural oils seem to be the perfect answer. These healthcare products are free from harsh chemicals and are termed natural disinfectants. These herbal products do not provoke an allergic reaction and have no negative side effects, are biodegradable, skin-friendly, and cause less irritation and dryness.
The goal of this study is to make a herbal hand sanitizer with leaves extracts of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) and Azadirachta indica (Neem) and Zingiber officinale (Ginger) and Citrus limon (Lemon). The study tests are concentrated on testing its antimicrobial efficacy and hand safety against E. coli, and S. aureus.
The research suggests and supports the use of natural herbs in the formulation for a better tomorrow.
Keywords: – Sustainability, pathogens, antimicrobial, and hand sanitizers.
Komal Arora1*, Om Sharma2