Evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of different hand sanitizer gel formulations: a comparative study between carbopol and carboxymethylcellulose blends

The prevention of public exposure to harmful health agents is achieved through proper implementation of basic hygiene measures, mask use, and social distancing. Among the recommended guidelines, frequent handwashing with soap and water or sanitizing with 70% alcohol—either in liquid or gel form—stands out. Hand hygiene is a crucial measure in preventing various infectious diseases, with alcohol-based hand gels being one of the most effective and convenient products for this purpose. In this study, hand sanitizer gels were produced by blending gel bases formulated with Carbopol and Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), with concentrations ranging from 0.3% to 0.6% for Carbopol gels and from 0.8% to 1.0% for CMC gels. The tested blend ratios were 50% Carbopol – 50% CMC, 60% Carbopol – 40% CMC, 70% Carbopol – 30% CMC, 80% Carbopol – 20% CMC, and 90% Carbopol – 10% CMC, where these percentages refer to the volume of the mixture. The combination of CMC with Carbopol, especially at the 50:50 ratio, showed good stability, closely matching the performance of the gel formulated exclusively with Carbopol.