Formulation and Antifungal Activities of Syzygium Aromaticum Essential Oil Contained in Natural Bath Soap

Syzygium aromaticum essential oil (clove oil) has a promising potential as an antifungal. However, the potential has never been applied in bath soaps. This study aimed to produce an antifungal natural soap using clove oil as the additive. Natural bath soap containing clove oil was made through a cold saponification reaction of vegetable oils, sodium hydroxide, and various contents of clove oil (1, 2, and 3% w/w) as an antifungal agent. The soap quality was tested based on Indonesian National Standards (INS), including water content, total fat, insoluble matters in ethanol, free alkali, and unsaponified fatty matter. With a Kirby-Bauer diffusion method, the researchers carried out an antifungal activity est of clove oil soap on Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. All samples in the quality test of clove oil natural bath soap have met the standard. The antifungal activities of all tested clove oil soap performed growth inhibition of Candida albicans yeast and Trichophyton mentagrophytes mould in all treatments. However, there is no relationship between the clove oil concentration and antifungal activities in the range of clove oil content in this study. The formulation of clove oil in natural bath soap executed excellent antifungal activities against both yeast and mould. Due to the potential of clove oil as an antifungal agent, clove oil in bath soap is efficient to be used as natural cosmetics and medicinal soap in the future.