Efficacy and safety of a novel skin cleansing formulation versus chlorhexidine gluconate

Background This study evaluated whether a multi-ingredient surfactant colloidal silver technology was noninferior to a 4% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) antiseptic on immediate and persistent antimicrobial activity. Methods The inguinal regions of 81 healthy adults were demarcated into 4 quadrants, and 3 were used for testing each product at baseline, 10 minutes, and 6 hours postapplication. The log of the number of colony forming units was obtained using a cylinder sampling technique. The 95% confidence interval of the test product to the control product with a margin of 0.65 was established as the upper limit of noninferiority. Results A total of 81 individuals were enrolled. The colloidal silver product was found to be noninferior to 4% CHG at both 10 minutes and 6 hours postapplication. Conclusions The colloidal silver-based product was noninferior to the 4% CHG product at 10 minutes and 6 hours postapplication.