Hibiclens is an antiseptic wash containing chlorhexidine gluconate, designed to kill bacteria on skin and is commonly used before surgery and to treat bacterial skin infections.

Is Hibiclens worth it?

Mostly yes. 5 of the 6 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 76%.

What is Hibiclens's Guru Score?

Hibiclens holds a Guru Score of 76%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is Hibiclens best for?

Hibiclens is generally suited to acne-prone skin.

Hibiclens: a Guru Score of 76% from 6 skincare experts

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Dr. Aleksandra Brown

142k subs

✓Yay

"Hibiclens, or chlorhexidine wash, is one of the most frequently used products in clinical dermatology, we use it in clinic as a pre-surgical scrub to clean skin before skin cancer surgeries. The active ingredient is chlorhexidine gluconate, a powerful antiseptic that kills a broad range of bacteria on contact, which is why hospitals and surgeons use it before procedures. Dermatologists reach for it consistently for patients dealing with recurrent skin infections. I use it for body acne and folliculitis on the back, chest, and shoulders, never on the face since it can be toxic to the eyes or ears. It's part of the treatment protocol for patients who get recurrent boils or staph infections, and it's great for stinky armpits. I dilute it one part Hibiclens to one part water because it can be very drying, and I put it in an old foam dispenser since I like the foaming action, though that's a personal preference, not a fact. I don't use it under my arms every night, maybe a couple times a week, and I never apply it to mucosal areas, only the outside skin. Besides dilution, I use it two to three times a week, definitely after workouts, leaving it on for a minute or two before rinsing."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.72M subs

✓Yay

"Another one is Hibiclens. This is one that we use prior to surgery. But you can use it as long as you're using it chest down, you're fine, um for butt acne especially. But the only warning with Hibiclens is do not get it in your eyes or ears as you're washing your body because that can lead to unwanted long-term side effects, autotoxicity, etc."

All 7 takes from Dr. Shereene Idriss

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"It is used for surgical procedures to help decontaminate the area. We tell patients to wash their body in Hibiclens two to three days prior to a surgery, especially the area that's going to get cut, like if you're getting a breast surgery or a C-section or whatever it is. But you have to make sure that you do not get this on your eyes or your ears. Why is it on my best of 2024? Because it works great for acne, especially if you have folliculitis on your butt or if you have back acne. It can work there as well. But just make sure that you do not get it near your eyes or your ears. And it can be drying, but the reason I prefer it to benzoyl peroxide is because it doesn't bleach your towels."

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"Hibiclens is an antiseptic that is often used prior to surgery to kill any bacteria on our skin especially before we go into a surgical procedure. It can work wonders if you are somebody who is breaking out especially below the belt on your butt and you have buttne. I'm talking about people who work out who wear their spandex who don't necessarily get out of them as fast as they should or who are chronically sitting or are just prone to having acne on their butt or even their back. Hibiclens can make a big difference. But there's a huge huge huge red flag with hibiclens: do not get it near your eyes or your ears. It can cause toxicity to your ears and your eyes so keep it below the neck for sure."

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"If you really want to take it old school you guys can buy Hibiclens which is chlorhexidine wash at the local drugstore just do not get this near your eyes or your ears because it can cause toxicity to the ears and the eyes but you can apply it to your butt area your chest or your back and let it sit it is going to kill any bacteria that is living on the surface of your skin and it is often used pre-operatively as a wash."

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"Hibiclens is used as an antiseptic for surgeries and you can find it in your local drug store around next to the pharmacy. You can use it on your butt every day but do not get it near your eyes or your ears because it can cause a little bit of toxicity there. When you apply it to your butt let it sit on your butt for a minute or two to get the benefit from it before rinsing it off and make sure you wash your hands well before you touch your face your eyes or your ears. This one can really help reduce inflammation in the long run, plus it helps to minimize body odor by minimizing the bacteria load on your skin, so if you are using it on your pits it might help with any body odor issues."

Derm Tips + Advice for Acne-Prone Skin! | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"Hibiclens is also known as chlorhexidine. This is a Walgreens dupe at five thirty-nine dollars. If you have butt acne or anything from the neck down, I would recommend using this. Just do not get it near your eyes or your ears because it can have unwanted side effects. This is the stuff that doctors recommend for patients before surgery to help clear any sort of bacteria on your body. I think it works really well for butt acne, back acne, chest acne. Just not on your face."

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"Hibiclens is amazing. It is one of these products that people prescribe or tell patients to buy before getting surgery because it minimized bacteria on your body. If you have a lot of acne, it's a very interesting product to incorporate into your routine once or twice a week. Just be careful not to get it in your eyes and ears because it can be irritating, so keep it below the neck and wash your hands well after using it."

Doctorly

3.58M subs

✓Yay

"When I do surgeries, my preferred cleanser of choice is Hibiclens, because when studied against something traditional like iodine, it is much more effective. It's not inactivated by routine things like saliva and blood, and it forms a complex with the top layer of the skin, so it has prolonged antibacterial benefits that last for up to an hour after using it, even after you're using it as your body wash in the shower. The only caution is that it can be damaging to the eyes and ears, so we don't generally use it as a face wash or in the ear area, but you'd want to use it from the neck down if you're using it at home."

208SkinDoc

2.09M subs

✓Yay

"You could also use Hibiclens in the shower, which is something that I actually use. After I'm working out or after I play pickleball, I will wash the armpits and the groin with Hibiclens just to prevent any bacteria there from flourishing and causing body odor."

All 2 takes from 208SkinDoc

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"Some people like to use hydrogen peroxide or even Hibiclens to clean a wound, which is fine. Hibiclens certainly is going to be great, though puncture wounds are going to be harder to clean and sometimes those need a little more medical attention."

Dr Dray

2.68M subs

✓Yay

"It is pretty intense, broad-spectrum, and it kind of wipes out your microflora, so I don't suggest using it too too regularly. Although if you have hidradenitis suppurativa, that's a scenario where it can really be helpful for controlling flare-ups. And it's great that they have this foaming antiseptic skin cleanser here. I think that's a nicer, that's a really great vehicle for delivering the antiseptic to the skin."

All 9 takes from Dr Dray

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"One that I recommend you can buy at the drugstore is called chlorhexidine 4% sold under the brand name Hibiclens, but you don't have to buy that name brand version in the drugstore. You will find the store brand often has their own version same active drug. The way to use this is when you get in the shower, rinse the skin in lukewarm water and then put a small amount into a washcloth and lather it to the affected areas. Try and let it sit on your skin for about 10 minutes. Letting it sit on there for a good 10 minutes really helps to allow for the chlorhexidine to get in there and help to reduce the burden of bacteria and then rinse it off. As a side note you can use this for helping with body odor as well. If you don't have hidradenitis suppurativa you might want to try this just under the arms as a wash to help control body odor. It's also wonderful to use on your feet to help control foot odor. One word of warning about chlorhexidine is you don't want to use it around your ears. There's concern that if it gets into your ears it could be damaging."

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"Hibiclens is an antiseptic chlorhexidine. It's good for body odor. It's great if you suffer from hidradenitis suppurativa, it's a condition where you get painful boils under the arms that break open and can be just, it's a really uncomfortable condition to live with, it's quite inflammatory, and consistently using Hibiclens under the arm, like in the shower you lather it there, you let it sit on the skin for a while and then you rinse it off. It has a lasting antimicrobial effect that actually can help cut down on hidradenitis severity. One note about Hibiclens: do not get it around your ears or your eyes. This can also be helpful though if you're someone who is dealing with foot odor, like really foul-smelling feet, maybe you have pitted keratolysis which is a bacterial skin infection on the feet. This can help cut down on the bacteria load and help control the odor and help it to go away."

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"When it comes to personal hygiene you might consider using an antiseptic wash like chlorhexidine, brand named Hibiclens, especially to areas that are more likely to house the staph bacteria and these areas include skin folds like under your arms, under the breast. So lather this antiseptic wash, let it sit on the skin in the shower for about 10 minutes and then rinse it off. This can also help cut down on recurrences."

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"This is chlorhexidine solution, usually sold under the brand name Hibiclens, and if you use this under the arms, let it sit on the skin for a few minutes and then rinse off, it's a great way to cut down on body odor. In contrast to benzoyl peroxide, it tends to be less drying. It's also really good to use it that way if you have hidradenitis suppurativa, and it's also helpful as a foot wash to cut down on foot odor. And if you get recurrent little pimples on the rear end, the thighs, known as folliculitis, this can help cut down on recurrences."

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"The first is Hibiclens or chlorhexidine, it is a topical antiseptic that's okay to use maybe once a week but I don't recommend using that as part of your everyday routine because it is pretty broad spectrum and you don't want to completely wipe out all the microflora but it definitely can be a game changer for people who have significant odor related to the bacteria under their arms, just kind of restart things."

Drugstore Skincare NOT WORTH THE PRICE

"Hibiclens, whether it be name brand or store brand, is chlorhexidine. It is a topical antiseptic. This is another thing that you can use under the arms to help cut down on the bacteria that break down sweat and lead to body odor. So it could be used as a deodorant."

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"Hibiclens, chlorhexidine, is a very effective broad spectrum antiseptic, but I'm not a huge fan of using it for the everyday purpose of hand hygiene, because simple soap and water gets the job done and antibacterial washes carry a risk of antibiotic resistant bugs. It's not a treatment for acne, you won't find it recommended in any acne treatment guideline, and I'd encourage leaning towards benzoyl peroxide instead since it does the same thing without the resistance risk. That said, it can certainly help with body odor and foot odor by cutting down on the bacteria that break down sweat, it can help people with recurrent folliculitis from staph bacteria when used as a body wash a few times a week, and it can be really helpful for people with hydradenitis suppurativa. It's safe when used as directed, though there's a small risk of allergic contact dermatitis and even anaphylaxis, and you have to be careful not to get it near your eyes or ears. Overall I'd say be conservative with it and not use it for every little thing under the sun."

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"This is a staple too for body odor, Hibiclens. It's an antimicrobial, it's also great for hand hygiene, and the active ingredient is chlorhexidine. This is great to have on hand, especially if you get a cut and want to disinfect it, but you can also use it under the arms."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

720k subs

✓Mixed

"Hiboc Cleanse is a great medicated cleanser. It has chlorhexidine gluconate which is a powerful antiseptic. I actually use that when I'm going to do an excision. You can just buy this over the counter and if you use it on your underarms, it kills the bacteria that causes body odor. But I do worry about bacterial resistance and how we're going to develop new bacteria that are going to be resistant to such a great antiseptic that I only use in special cases to clean a surgical area. We are making bacteria by overusing chlorhexidine. I'd rather have patients alternate it with benzole peroxide cleansers to help with that bacterial component and not use Hiboc Cleanse all the time. Plus, Hiboc Cleanse can be dangerous around the eyes, the ears definitely can be oculotoxic and ototoxic."