Hexetidine is very safe oral antiseptic with broad antibacterial and antifungal activity in vivo and in vitro. It has local-anesthetics, astringent and deodorant activity. Also, it has very strong antiplac effects. Resistention of microorganisms on hexetidine is short and transient. These characteristics give important therapeutic role in treatment of oral infections. In the UK, hexetidine is the active ingredient in the medicated mouthwash branded Oraldene. Oraldene contains 0.1 g/100 ml of hexetidine. In Germany, hexetidine is used for vaginal antisepsis.

Bithionol is a synthetic sulfanediyl-bis-dichlorphenol), potent photosensitizer with the potential to cause serious skin disorders, formerly marketed as an active ingredient in various topical drug products. Bithionol has antibacterial and anthelmintic properties along with algaecide activity. Bithionol has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC, Adenylate cyclase type 10 ), an intracellular enzyme important in the catalysis of ATP to cAMP. Bithionol is the first known sAC inhibitor to act through the bicarbonate binding site via a mostly allosteric mechanism. Bithionol is used for treatment of tapeworm infections of dogs, cats, and poultry and for tapeworm and rumen fluke infections of sheep, horses, cattle, and goats.

Chlorothymol is a derivate of thymol. Thymol is a known antifungal agent, which was applied as a dusting powder for superficial infections now only found as a general antimicrobial agent used in mouthwashes. Chlorothymol more potent germicide, but severely irritating to the mucous membranes. It is used in cosmetic biocides, denaturants, deodorant agents, oral care agents, and preservatives. Chlorothymol was not considered an ocular irritant. Chlorothymol was nonmutagenic compound in the paper-disk method using E. coli. No adverse reactions were noted during the course of the study of AMA Laboratories in 1996 performed to assess the skin irritation and sensitization of an OTC topical cream. OTC topical cream containing 0.032% Chlorothymol under semiocclusion was considered a nonprimary irritant and a nonprimary sensitizer.

Salicylanilide (Salinidol). It is anilide of salicylic acid. It is an antifungal agent useful in the treatment of tinea capitis. Due to its inritant action on the skin, the concentration used should be 5 per cent or less. Salicylanilide is an oxidative phosphorylation uncoupler. Salicylanilide inhibits mycobacterial isocitrate lyase. Shows antifungal, antimycobacterial and antihelmitic effects in vivo.

Sulfabenzamide is an antibacterial/antimicrobial. Often used in conjunction with sulfathiazole and sulfacetamide (trade name - Sultrin) as a topical, intravaginal antibacterial preparation against Haemophilus (Gardnerella) vaginalis bacteria. The mode of action of SULTRIN is not completely known. Indirect effects, such as lowering the vaginal pH, may be equally important mechanisms.

Benzethonium chloride, also known as hyamine, is a synthetic quaternary ammonium salt. It has surfactant, antiseptic, and anti-infective properties and it is used as a topical antimicrobial agent in first aid antiseptics. It is also found in cosmetics and toiletries such as mouthwashes, anti-itch ointments, and antibacterial moist towelettes. Benzethonium chloride exhibits a broad spectrum of microbiocidal activity against bacteria, fungi, mold and viruses. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifies that the safe and effective concentrations for benzethonium chloride are 0.1-0.2% in first aid products. Aqueous solutions of benzethonium chloride are not absorbed through the skin. It is not approved in the US or Europe for use as a food additive. Being a quaternary ammonium salt, it is more toxic than negatively charged surfactants. However, in a two-year study on rats, there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity. Benzethonium chloride was characterized as a novel anticancer compound possessing both in vitro and in vivo efficacy justifying further investigation.

Cetylpyridinium (used in a form of chloride salt) is a cationic surface-active agent and has a broad antimicrobial spectrum, with rapid killing of gram-positive pathogens and yeast in particular. It is suggested that interaction with bacteria occurs by the disruption of membrane function, leakage of cytoplasmic material, and ultimately the collapse of the intra-cellular equilibrium. The drug is used under various trade names as an oral OTC hygiene product (mouthwash, dental kits, etc.) to control the dental plaque and to prevent the subsequent gingivitis.

Aminacrine has long been known to be a potent frameshift mutagen in viruses and bacteria. It is one in a general class of aminoacridine dyes that bind to DNA and possess mutagenic activity. Aminacrine is used clinically as a topical antiseptic. A part from therapeutic use, aminacrine is also introduced as a matrix for negative mode matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI).

Hexylresorcinol is an organic compound with local anaesthetic, antiseptic and anthelmintic properties. It is available for use topically on small skin infections, or as an ingredient in throat lozenges. Hexylresorcinol may be used as a cosmetic biocide. Hexylresorcinol was introduced by Leonard as a urinary antiseptic with great possibilities. Used in alkaline solution it promised success in experiments in vitro. Boots Hexylresorcinol 2.4mg Throat Lozenges, marketed in UK, are used to relieve sore throat pain. Hexylresorcinol has being shown to be useful for the topical treatment of hyperpigmentation.