Iodine has been used as an antiseptic for decades. It can still be found in our local drugstores, sold as a disinfectant for skin cuts and wounds. Unfortunately, developing water-based formulations containing iodine is not a trivial process: iodine has a low solubility in water, making the preparation of aqueous iodine solutions rather difficult.
Several methods have been examined so far, focusing on the incorporation of iodine in various complexes. One example is iodine-containing polymers called iodophors; however, many adverse effects have been reported, such as allergic dermatitis correlated with the polymer nature. It’s clear that there is an urgent need for a new approach to safely deliver iodine.