FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF HERBAL HAND SANITIZER USING ARGEMONE MEXICANA AND CALENDULA OFFICINALIS PLANT EXTRACT

The main objective of developing a herbal hand sanitizer would be to promote "hand hygiene." It is a key element in the detection, control, and elimination of any acquired infection. Hand sanitizer will break the chain of microorganisms and other bacteria spreading from the hands to other areas of our bodies. Hand hygiene is essential and among the most common important steps in food processing, food service, and in the preparation of homes and other day care facilities. Hand sanitizer prevents itching, scratching, dermatitis, and other unpleasant side effects. So, maintaining hand hygiene as the key approach, an attempt to formulate an herbal hand sanitizer using extracts from widely available plants such as Argemone mexicana and Calendula officinalis, instead of a synthetic formulation. Physical parameters of the formulation were assessed. These ingredients, in combination, have seemed to act as an effective hand sanitizer.