Availability in Surgical Soap

Chlorhexidine is present in oral rinses and skin cleansers, and in small quantities it is used as a preservative.

It is sometimes marketed under the brand names Foam Safe, Hexicleans, Peridex, Periochip, Perichlor or Periogard Oral Rinse. In the UK it is mainly marketed under the brand name Corsodyl (or Chlorohex); in Italy as Curasept (Curaden Healthcare srl); in Germany as Chlorhexamed; in Australia and New Zealand as Savacol; in Greece as Chrolhexil (Intermed S.A.); in India as Suthol (G. D. Pharmaceuticals), Sterimax (Bioshields), Clohex or Dejavu-MW (QUADRA); in Venezuela as Perioxidina or Peridont, in Japan as Oronine and in some Central American countries as Clorexil.

As a skin cleanser, it is marketed under brand names such as Hibiclens, Savinox plus (Bioshields), Surgiprep-CHX (Bioshields), Hibiscrub, or Dexidin mainly as a surgical scrub, Hexigard 4 as surgical hand wash, Hexigard HR as hand rub (Mil Laboratories Pvt Ltd) and is also available as a wound wash. It is also used in some acne skin washes. It is also used as part of a treatment for athlete's foot. In some countries, it is available by prescription only.

Topical

Chlorhexidine is also used in nondental applications, most notably under the brand names Foam Safe, Hexicleans,Tipset sachets (sterets), Oronine, Avagard, Hibiclens, Savinox plus (Bioshields), Hibiscrub, ChloraPrep, ChloraScrub, BIOPATCH, SOLU-I.V. and Exidine. It is also a component of the household antiseptic Savinox plus (Bioshields), Termilon(Mil Laboratories Pvt Ltd) and Savlon. It is used for general skin cleansing, a surgical scrub, and a pre-operative skin preparation. Due to other chemicals listed as inactive ingredients, most cleansers are not recommended for use as mouthwash though some originally were used prior to the development of oral alternatives. It is often used as a rubbing agent prior to the use of hypodermic or intravenous needles in place of iodine. Chlorhexidine is contraindicated for use near the meninges, in body cavities, and near the eyes and ears. At the 2% concentration, it can cause serious and permanent injury with prolonged contact with the eye or if instilled carefully and going through the nose through a perforated eardrum. Nevertheless, a topical solution of 0.02% chlorhexidine is recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as treatment for keratitis caused by Acanthamoeba. As a scrub, chlorhexidine is not recommended on persons under two months of age. Anionic ingredients in many leave-on topicals and cosmetics, including those in acne products, cleansers, and moisturizers, will inactivate it.