The FDA Bans Triclosan And 18 Other Ingredients In Crackdown On So-Called Antibacterial Soaps
The FDA just issued a ruling that will make you rethink that bottle of germ-killing soap on your bathroom counter. Three years after the agency asked manufacturers of over-the-counter antibacterial soaps to provide proof of safety and effectiveness, the FDA has decided to ban those marketed as “antibacterial” that contain any of 19 specific active ingredients.
Among them, the most popular are triclosan and triclocarban. In 2013, after enough research suggested that these and other antiseptic ingredients may contribute to bacterial resistance or disrupt hormones when used long term, the FDA called for manufacturers to provide data that would support their continued use. (Some companies just started the processes of changing their formulas right then and there.) The data submitted to the agency was insufficient to deem the ingredients Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective (GRAS/GRAE) for consumers. As a result, companies will no longer be allowed to market products with these ingredients.
The data also failed to show that these antibacterial ingredients do anything more than washing with plain soap and water. “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. In fact, most germ experts agree that washing properly for 20 seconds with warm water and soap is the best way to stop the spread of germs. We don’t need those other ingredients to get clean.
“Because there is evidence that triclosan may mimic thyroid [and sex] hormones, I think that for the lay public the ban is justified,” Philip Tierno, Ph.D., clinical professor in the departments of microbiology and pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, tells SELF. The studies on triclosan showing they have deleterious effects on hormones have mostly been done on animals, so whether or not it works the same way in humans is still being investigated. But with doubts about its safety, and no proof that it’s any more useful than soaps without it, there’s no good reason to keep using it.
Another disinfectant option that’s safe and works well is alcohol-based hand sanitizer. “The ban does not affect alcoholic gel, which can be used to sanitize hands when soap and water is not available,” says Tierno. There’s no evidence of germ resistance to alcohol, and many hospitals use it as a go-to way to minimize the spread of germs.
The ban also doesn’t cover the use of antibacterial products in healthcare settings. And a few ingredients found in drugstore products—benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol (PCMX)—are not included on the list of 19 baddies. The FDA is allowing for another year of data collection to determine whether or not they deserve the same fate.
Companies now have one year to clean up their products, by either removing soaps with these ingredients from the market or reformulating them. Until then, check the ingredients list and opt for soaps without any of these active ingredients listed. Or take the easy way out and choose hand soap that isn’t marketed as “antibacterial” at all.
The FDA just issued a ruling that will make you rethink that bottle of germ-killing soap on your bathroom counter. Three years after the agency asked manufacturers of over-the-counter antibacterial soaps to provide proof of safety and effectiveness, the FDA has decided to ban those marketed as “antibacterial” that contain any of 19 specific active ingredients.
Among them, the most popular are triclosan and triclocarban. In 2013, after enough research suggested that these and other antiseptic ingredients may contribute to bacterial resistance or disrupt hormones when used long term, the FDA called for manufacturers to provide data that would support their continued use. (Some companies just started the processes of changing their formulas right then and there.) The data submitted to the agency was insufficient to deem the ingredients Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective (GRAS/GRAE) for consumers. As a result, companies will no longer be allowed to market products with these ingredients.
The data also failed to show that these antibacterial ingredients do anything more than washing with plain soap and water. “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. In fact, most germ experts agree that washing properly for 20 seconds with warm water and soap is the best way to stop the spread of germs. We don’t need those other ingredients to get clean.
“Because there is evidence that triclosan may mimic thyroid [and sex] hormones, I think that for the lay public the ban is justified,” Philip Tierno, Ph.D., clinical professor in the departments of microbiology and pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, tells SELF. The studies on triclosan showing they have deleterious effects on hormones have mostly been done on animals, so whether or not it works the same way in humans is still being investigated. But with doubts about its safety, and no proof that it’s any more useful than soaps without it, there’s no good reason to keep using it.
Another disinfectant option that’s safe and works well is alcohol-based hand sanitizer. “The ban does not affect alcoholic gel, which can be used to sanitize hands when soap and water is not available,” says Tierno. There’s no evidence of germ resistance to alcohol, and many hospitals use it as a go-to way to minimize the spread of germs.
The ban also doesn’t cover the use of antibacterial products in healthcare settings. And a few ingredients found in drugstore products—benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol (PCMX)—are not included on the list of 19 baddies. The FDA is allowing for another year of data collection to determine whether or not they deserve the same fate.
Companies now have one year to clean up their products, by either removing soaps with these ingredients from the market or reformulating them. Until then, check the ingredients list and opt for soaps without any of these active ingredients listed. Or take the easy way out and choose hand soap that isn’t marketed as “antibacterial” at all.
