Moisturising Gloves as a Solution for Occupational Skin Health: Advances and Challenges

Abstract

Extended glove usage is crucial in various occupational settings to safeguard workers and maintain hygiene standards. However, prolonged wear creates an occlusive environment that disrupts normal skin evaporation, leading to temporary overhydration. This reversal of the diffusion gradient facilitates the penetration of residual soaps and alcohol from hand hygiene practices, which can deplete skin moisture and cause irritation. Moisturising agents have been integrated into gloves to address occupational dry skin, as conventional lotions often suffer from low compliance and incompatibility with latex. Their selection requires careful optimisation to ensure effective skin penetration without compromising glove integrity or introducing manufacturing complexities. Additionally, variations in activation stimuli among individuals must be taken into account to ensure consistent efficacy. This review discusses advancements in moisturising glove technologies, including interlayer coatings, direct surface applications, matrix integration, microencapsulation and hydrogel-based controlled-release systems. Despite these innovations, research gaps remain in standardising hydration assessment methods, evaluating real-world performance and comparing the efficacy of moisturising gloves with conventional skincare methods. Addressing these challenges through further clinical studies is crucial for refining the design and effectiveness of moisturising gloves in occupational applications.

Keywords: dry skin; functional gloves; hydration; moisturising gloves; occupational skin health.

FIGURE 1

Skin under normal and occlusive conditions. Glove occlusion interferes with the skin's natural evaporation process, reversing the diffusion gradient and facilitating the penetration of residual chemicals, which can damage the skin barrier and contribute to dehydration.

FIGURE 2

Three mechanisms of active agent permeation across the stratum corneum. The intercellular pathway involves diffusion through the lipid matrix, the intracellular pathway requires transport within and between corneocytes and the follicular pathway utilises hair follicles as entry points.

FIGURE 3

Layers of the moisturising surgical glove invented by DeFina. The blue background highlights the three core layers, with the middle layer saturated with lotions. The grey‐coloured layers represent additional components that enhance the glove's functionality (adapted from [9]).