PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL SOAP

Herbal products have become an item of global importance both medicinally and economically. Although usage of these herbal products has increased, their quality, safety and efficiency are serious concerns in industrialized and developing countries. The present research has been undertaken with the aim to formulate and evaluate the pure herbal formulation. An herbal soap was formulated using the leaf and bark extract of Azadirachta indica, and tulsi. The natural content in the herbs does not have any side effect on the human body. Most herbal supplements are based on several botanical ingredients with long histories of traditional or folk medicine usage. Numerous chemical toxins, microorganism present in the atmosphere may cause chemical infection and damage to skin. Cosmetics alone are not sufficient to take care of skin and body parts. Neem (Azadirachta indica) tree has attracted worldwide prominance owing to its wide range of medicinal properties. neem leaves and its constituents have been demonstrated to exhibit anti– inflammatory, antihyperglycemic, antiulcer, antimalarial, antifungal, antibacterial, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of aqueous, ethanolic and ethyl acetate extract from neem leaves. The physicochemical parameters of formulations (Physical evaluation, pH, Foaming ability and foam stability) were determined. The results showed that formulation have pH level nearly equal to skin pH, Foaming index is excellent. Saponification is the chemical reaction in which triglycerides are mixed with strong base to form fatty acid metals salts during soap preparation. The herbal extracts were tested for the microbial growth inhibition of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans by anti-microbial testing. The herbal extracts formulated and prepared herbal soaps were calculated for hardness, cleansing, conditioning, bubbly, creamy, and INS (Iodine and Saponification Value).