[citation needed] It is a substitute for chlorhexidine, with respect to its slow action and concerns about the carcinogenic impurity 4-chloroaniline.

[5] In vitro suspension tests with 5 minute exposure time have shown that octenidine requires lower effective concentrations than chlorhexidine to kill common bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and the yeast Candida albicans.

[6] An observational study of using octenidine on the skin of patients in 17 intensive care units in Berlin in 2014 showed decreasing nosocomial infection rates.

[4] In a 2016 study of pediatric cancer patients with long-term central venous access devices using octenidine/isopropanol for the disinfection of catheter hubs and 3-way stopcocks as part of a bundled intervention, the risk of bloodstream infections decreased.

[8] Octenidine is absorbed neither through the skin, nor through mucous membranes, nor via wounds and does not pass the placental barrier.