Background: One of the hair problems that interfere with comfortable activities
and appearance is dandruff. Dandruff is caused by abnormal sebum production,
individual susceptibility and fungi. Kaffir lime leaves contain flavonoids that are
claimed to inhibit antifungal activity. This study was conducted to formulate a gel
preparation of ethanol extract of kaffir lime leaves by varying the concentration of
gelling agent Carbopol 940, namely 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%. Methods: Kaffir lime
leaves were made ethanol extract by maceration method with 96% ethanol
solvent, then gel preparation was made. The gel preparations were tested for pH,
viscosity, spreadability, adhesiveness and inhibition against Malassezia furfur
using the pitting diffusion method. Results: The antifungal test showed that the
gel preparation of kaffir lime leaf ethanol extract can inhibit the growth activity of
Malassezia furfur fungus because there is a clear zone around the well area in F1
(13.2 mm), F2 (14.2 mm) and F3 (14.8 mm). The physical evaluation test of the
gel preparation showed good results except for the formula spreadability test
which was not in the range of good parameters. Conclusion: The variation of
Carbopol in the formulation showed that the higher the concentration of Carbopol,
the lower the pH, the increase in adhesion, the increase in viscosity and the
decrease in spreadability. Kaffir lime leaf ethanol extract gel preparation has
antifungal activity against Malassezia furfur. Evaluation of the physical properties
of the gel preparation showed good results except for the spreadability test.