Formulation and Evaluation of Polyherbal Hand Sanitizer
Abstract
Background: Hand hygiene plays a crucial role in preventing the transmission of infectious diseases, especially during pandemics such as COVID-19. Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective, their frequent use is associated with skin dryness, irritation, and other adverse effects. Herbal formulations containing bioactive phytoconstituents offer a safer and skin-friendly alternative with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Objective: The present study was aimed at formulating and evaluating a polyherbal hand sanitizer using selected medicinal plants and to assess its antimicrobial efficacy, physicochemical properties, and safety for regular use. Materials and Methods: Polyherbal extracts were prepared from Azadirachta indica leaves, Ocimum tenuiflorum leaves, Rubia cordifolia roots, Eclipta alba roots, and Pongamia pinnata oil using Soxhlet extraction and maceration techniques with ethanol as the solvent. Preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out to identify active constituents. The hand sanitizer gel was formulated using Carbopol as a gelling agent along with aloe vera gel, ethanol, herbal extracts, and natural fragrance. The formulation was evaluated for organoleptic properties, pH, viscosity, spreadability, and skin irritancy. In vitro antimicrobial activity was assessed by agar well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results: Phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, and glycosides. The formulated polyherbal hand sanitizer showed acceptable physicochemical properties with suitable pH, good spreadability, and non-irritant nature. Significant zones of inhibition were observed against all tested microorganisms, indicating effective antimicrobial activity comparable to the standard drug. Conclusion: The developed polyherbal hand sanitizer demonstrated effective antimicrobial activity along with good stability and skin compatibility. Hence, it can be considered a safe, economical, and natural alternative to conventional chemical-based hand sanitizers for routine hand hygiene.
Keywords: Polyherbal hand sanitizer, Antimicrobial activity, Medicinal plants, Phytochemical screening, Hand hygiene.
Keywords:
polyherbal hand sanitizer, antimicrobial activity, medicinal plants,, phytochemical screening, hand hygieneDOI
https://doi.org/10.22270/jddt.v16i5.7645References
1. Prajapati P, Desai H, Chandarana C. Hand sanitizers as a preventive measure in COVID-19 pandemic, its characteristics, and harmful effects: a review. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2022; 97: 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00094-x PMid:35133535 PMCid:PMC8823197
2. Sontakke KE, Surwase KP, Surwase KP. Formulation and evaluation of herbal hand sanitizer based. Int J Adv Res Sci Commun Technol. 2025;5(1):1-10.
3. Siddiqui A, Nulkar S, Patil S, Patil S, Sawant S, Mulla P. Herbal alternatives to chemical hand sanitizers: a review of their effectiveness and benefits. World J Pharm Res. 2025;14(10).
4. Fayisa WO, Tuli NF. Review on Staphylococcus aureus. Int. J. Nurs. Care Res. 2023 Sep 11;1:1-8. https://doi.org/10.47363/JIMRR/2023(2)125
5. Gambushe SM, Zishiri OT, El Zowalaty ME. Review of Escherichia coli O157:H7 prevalence, pathogenicity, heavy metal and antimicrobial resistance: African perspective. Infect Drug Resist. 2022;15:4645-4673. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S365269 PMid:36039321 PMCid:PMC9420067
6. Qin S, Xiao W, Zhou C, Pu Q, Deng X, Lan L, Liang H, Song X, Wu M. Pseudomonas aeruginosa: pathogenesis, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance, interaction with host, technology advances and emerging therapeutics. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2022;7:199. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-022-01056-1 PMid:35752612 PMCid:PMC9233671
7. Morita Y, Tomida J, Kawamura Y. Responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antimicrobials. Front Microbiol. 2014;4:422. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00422 PMid:24409175 PMCid:PMC3884212
. Ali MA, Yusof YA, Chin NL, Ibrahim MN. Processing of Moringa leaves as natural source of nutrients by optimization of drying and grinding mechanism. J Food Process Eng. 2017;40. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.12583
8. Luque de Castro MD, Priego-Capote F. Soxhlet extraction: past and present panacea. J Chromatogr A. 2010; 1217:2383-2389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2009.11.027 PMid:19945707
9. Azwanida NN. A review on the extraction methods use in medicinal plants, principle, strength and limitation. Med Aromat Plants. 2015;4:196.
10. Yadav M, Chatterji S, Gupta SK, Watal G. Preliminary phytochemical screening of six medicinal plants used in traditional medicine. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2014;6(5):539-542.
11. Doss A. Preliminary phytochemical screening of some Indian medicinal plants. Anc Sci Life. 2009;29(2):12-16.
12. Raphael E. Phytochemical constituents of some leaves extract of Aloe vera and Azadirachta indica plant species. Glob Adv Res J Environ Sci Toxicol. 2012;1(2):14-17.
13. Goyal S, Sharma P, Ramchandraiahgari RM, Ghosh M. Phytochemical profiling and biological activities of medicinal plants: a comprehensive review. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(20):2011.
14. Kumar S, Babu G, Reddy YR. Phytochemical screening and stability studies of herbal formulations. Int J Pharm Sci Res. 2013;4(9):3567-3573.
15. Surwase VB, Savale MM, Jadhav RS, Kadam AB, Shinde PP. Polyherbal natural hand sanitizer: formulation and evaluation. J Univ Shanghai Sci Technol. 2021;23(6):932-939. https://doi.org/10.51201/JUSST/21/05360
16. PK, Misal AA. Formulation and evaluation of polyherbal human health amiable hand sanitizer: A need to fight COVID-19. IP Indian J Anat Surg Head Neck Brain. 2021;7(2):47- 50. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijashnb.2021.010
17. Jyotsana singh.c, s. mansoor, asha Agarwal, rupa g nandi, n. ganesh. Formulation of herbal sanitizer from Indian herbs, journal of pharmaceutical sciences and res. Jul 2021.
18. Arun Kumar, Sharma VK, Singh GP, Shukla R, Bijuliya RK. Formulation and evaluation of herbal hand sanitizer. Int J Pharm Pharm Res. Aug 2022;25(1):1-8.
19. Sarraf S, Panda S, Parveen S, Panda S, Swaraj S. Formulation and evaluation of herbal hand sanitizers based on plants producing essential oil. Eur J Med Plants. 2024;35(6):249-258. https://doi.org/10.9734/ejmp/2024/v35i61223
20. Bauer, A. W., C. E. Roberts Jr, and W. M. Kirby. "Single disc versus multiple disc and plate dilution techniques for antibiotic sensitivity testing." Antibiotics annual 7 (1959): 574-580.
21. Bauer, Alfred W., DAVID M. PERRY, and WILLIAM MM KIRBY. "Single-disk antibioticsensitivity testing of staphylococci: An analysis of technique and results." AMA archives of internal medicine 104, no. 2 (1959): 208-216. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1959.00270080034004 PMid:13669774
22. Gawai AA, Dhore B, Solanki M, Morey S, Biyani KR. Formulation and development of oral herbal liquid dosage form with its quality evaluation parameters. Int J Ayurvedic Med. 2022;13(4):944-951. https://doi.org/10.47552/ijam.v13i4.3043
23. Dingar A, Deshmukh S, Fulpagare N, Jadhav N, More J, Salunkhe A. Formulation and evaluation of herbal hand sanitizer. Int J Pharm Sci. 2025;3(5):545-549. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15335496.
24. Sakthivel M, Prathap B, Mahendiran R, Arivananthan M, Parthiban M, Naveetha M. Review about liquid dosage form. Int J Res Pharm Pharm Sci. 2021;6(5):24-30.
25. Rathore T, Vidya M, Shekar SC, Govindraj R. Formulation and evaluation of saponin-based alcohol-free polyherbal hand sanitizer. Vet Integr Sci. 2023;21(3):959-97. https://doi.org/10.12982/VIS.2023.069
Published
Abstract Display: 0 
PDF Downloads: 0 PDF Downloads: 0 How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 D Venkateshwari, K. B. Ilango , V Alageshwari , N Dhanush Kumar , Irfan M Mohammed , G. Nithish , Praveen Sekar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
How to Cite
.