FDA bans antiseptic chemicals from soaps; no proof they work

Antibacterial soaps and body washes are on their way out; they aren’t any more effective at cleaning than plain soap and water and they might even be unsafe, the Federal Drug Administration announced Friday.

The move is aimed at countering consumer perception that the antibacterial washes are more effective at killing germs and preventing illness, said the FDA’s Dr. Janet Woodcock. The FDA did say that many manufacturers are already in the process of removing the specified ingredients from their products. The Food and Drug Administration’s decision primarily targets two common ingredients, triclocarbon and triclosan, which are found in nearly every antibacterial soap.

Manufacturers have one year to either remove these ingredients from their products or take the products off the market.

The agency said more studies need to be done to determine the health effects of the banned antibacterial ingredients, including triclosan and triclocarban.

The agency told manufacturers almost three years ago that they must show their products are safe and effective. Hand sanitizers are not affected by the FDA ban-only anti-bacterial soaps.

Companies are also not allowed to market antibacterial claims about their wash products because they failed to demonstrate if the ingredients are “safe for long-term daily use”, the agency said in a statement.

The most risky of these additives are triclosan and triclocarban that when absorbed through the skin are said to be capable of disrupting hormone cycles and cause muscle weakness. The more we hear about resistant infections, the more we reach for things like antibacterial soaps.

Some brands including Dove and Dial antibacterial soap have ingredients that contain 19 specific chemicals. The agency said it would hold off passing judgment on three additional ingredients for one year, in order to give manufacturers more time to submit data. One of the commonly used ingredients in antibacterial soap actually takes hours to work, making it of little use in hand washing, according to NBC News.

“A small quantity of our bar soap in Puerto Rico, where FDA rules also apply, is being reformulated”, he said.

Antibacterial hand and body wash makers did not provide the data requested to ascertain the safety and effectiveness of the 19 active ingredients indicated.