Comparative in vitro tests on the efficacy and safety of 13 anti-head-lice products..

Head lice are an emerging social problem, not only in economically poor countries but also in practically all other societies. Several of the common anti-louse products have lost—at least in part—their efficacy due to increasing resistance of lice against insecticides such as permethrin or allethrin. Other compounds, like lindan, were redrawn or banned due to high toxicity. Some recently developed products are based on dimethicones or cyclomethicones and turned out to be easily inflammable. Other styled medicinal products are based on plant extracts— some were proven of high efficacy—others of ineffectivity. The present study investigated in in vitro tests the anti-head louse efficacy of 13 products, the contents of which are used worldwide: tested dermatologically as “very good”