Chlorhexidine

Chlorhexidine (CAS 55-56-1), commonly abbreviated as CHX, is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent used across pharmaceutical, personal care, and healthcare manufacturing.

Where is Chlorhexidine used?

• Pharmaceutical and healthcare: active ingredient in surgical scrubs and wound irrigation solutions
• Catheter care protocols requiring sustained antimicrobial activity
• Oral care: prescription-grade mouthwashes and gels targeting periodontal bacteria
• Personal care: preservative and antimicrobial booster in skin cleansers, hand sanitizers, and topical preparations
• Water treatment and industrial hygiene: equipment sanitation and surface disinfection in controlled environments
• It disrupts microbial cell membranes at low concentrations.

Good to know: It disrupts microbial cell membranes at low concentrations, making it a go-to active ingredient for preservation and surface disinfection in regulated formulations. In oral care applications, it remains the clinical benchmark for plaque control.

Commercial specifications

• Salt forms: chlorhexidine digluconate, chlorhexidine diacetate, chlorhexidine dihydrochloride
• Digluconate solutions typically offered at 20% concentration