How irritant are n‐propanol and isopropanol? – A systematic review

Background The use of alcoholic hand rubs (ABHR) is an important tool for hand hygiene, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible irritant effects of ABHR may prevent their use by persons at risk of infections. Materials and methods This systematic review is based on a PubMed search of articles published between January 2000 and 2020 in English and German language and a manual search related to the irritation potential of alcohol based disinfectants restricted to n-propanol (1-propanol) and its structural isomer isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol, 2-propanol). Results The majority of the included studies show a low irritation potential of n-propanol alone. However, recent studies provide evidence for significant barrier damage effects of repeated exposure to 60% n-propanol in healthy, as well as atopic skin in vivo. The synergistic response of combined irritants, i.e. a combination of n-propanol or isopropanol with detergents like SLS, is greater, compared with a quantitatively identical application of the same irritant alone. Conclusion While recent studies indicate a higher risk of skin irritation for n- and isopropanol than reported in the past, this risk still seems to be lower than that for frequent handwashing with detergents as proposed by some recommendations to prevent COVID-19 infections. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.