Short answer: no. For everyday handwashing at home, plain soap and water clean your hands just as well as antibacterial soap. That isn’t a hunch. It’s the conclusion the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reached in 2016, when it pulled triclosan and 18 other antibacterial ingredients from consumer hand and body washes because manufacturers couldn’t show they worked better than plain soap or were safe for daily, long-term use. What gets your hands clean is the lather, the scrub and the rinse.
Why did the FDA ban triclosan from hand soap?
For decades, triclosan was the default “antibacterial” ingredient in hand soap. In 2013, the FDA asked manufacturers to prove two things: that these soaps prevented illness better than plain soap, and that using them every day for years was safe.
They couldn’t.
So in September 2016, the FDA issued a final rule removing triclosan and 18 other ingredients from consumer antiseptic washes. Several concerns sat behind the request for proof:
- It builds up. CDC biomonitoring from 2003 to 2004 found triclosan in the urine of about three out of four Americans tested.
- Hormone effects in animals. In animal studies, triclosan lowered thyroid hormone and altered reproductive hormones.
- Resistance in the lab. Bacteria exposed to triclosan can become harder to kill with some antibiotics.
At the time, the FDA’s Janet Woodcock put it plainly: “Some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”
It’s worth being precise about what the rule did and didn’t say. It didn’t declare triclosan proven harmful to people. It said the burden of proof hadn’t been met, and the benefit side of the ledger was empty. When a daily-use product can’t show a benefit, even a modest risk isn’t worth carrying.
The rule covers consumer soaps and body washes that you rinse off. It doesn’t cover hand sanitizers or products used in hospitals and clinics.
Is antibacterial soap better than plain soap?
Not for the way people actually wash their hands.
In a 2015 study in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, researchers had 16 volunteers wash with either plain soap or soap containing 0.3% triclosan. After 20 seconds of washing, and again after 30, there was no meaningful difference in how many bacteria came off their hands.
In the lab, the triclosan soap did eventually pull ahead, but only after about nine hours of contact. Nobody washes their hands for nine hours.
The CDC lands in the same place: outside of healthcare settings, studies haven’t found any added health benefit from antibacterial soap.
The reason is mechanical. Soap molecules grab onto oil and dirt, and the germs riding on them. Scrubbing breaks that layer up and lifts it off your skin. Rinsing sends it down the drain. Killing germs on contact was never the main job.
Two details matter more than the label:
- Time. The CDC recommends scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, because shorter washes remove fewer germs. Get the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
- Not temperature. A 2017 Rutgers study of 21 people found cool water removed about as much bacteria as hot. Use whatever’s comfortable.
What replaced triclosan, and does it matter?
When the FDA issued its 2016 rule, it set aside a decision on three other ingredients so manufacturers could submit more data: benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol. Many soaps still sold as “antibacterial” now use one of them, most often benzalkonium chloride.
That substitution has its own question mark. A 2018 review in Applied and Environmental Microbiology gathered lab evidence that exposure to benzalkonium chloride can also favor bacteria that are less susceptible to antibiotics. As of the most recent public record, the FDA still hasn’t issued a final decision on those three ingredients.
Triclosan itself hasn’t disappeared everywhere. The European Union still allows it in hand soaps and toothpastes at up to 0.3%, so check the label if you buy soap while traveling.
Checking takes about five seconds. Antibacterial soaps are sold as over-the-counter drugs, so they carry a Drug Facts box with an “Active ingredient” line. Plain soap doesn’t need one. If the soap by your sink has a Drug Facts box, read that line. If it lists triclosan or benzalkonium chloride, you’re paying for an ingredient that hasn’t shown it does anything plain soap can’t.
In the Built to Last framework, this sits under Protect: lower the tax your body pays. Most of that tax comes from small exposures repeated thousands of times. Hand soap is a good place to start, because you use it more often than almost anything else in your house, and the fix costs nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Does the FDA ban on antibacterial soap cover hand sanitizer?
No. The 2016 rule covered consumer hand soaps and body washes that you rinse off with water. Hand sanitizers are regulated separately, and products used in hospitals and clinics were left out of the rule.
How long should I wash my hands?
At least 20 seconds of scrubbing, according to the CDC. Shorter washes remove fewer germs. Cover the palms, the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails, then rinse well.
Does hot water kill more germs when I wash my hands?
No. The CDC says warm and cold water remove the same number of germs, and a 2017 Rutgers study found cool water worked about as well as hot. Water hot enough to kill germs would scald your skin, so use whatever temperature is comfortable.
Is benzalkonium chloride banned in hand soap?
No. In 2016 the FDA deferred its decision on benzalkonium chloride, along with benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol, so manufacturers could submit more safety and effectiveness data. As of the most recent public record, no final decision has been made, so products containing it are still on the market.
Is triclosan still used anywhere?
Yes, outside the U.S. consumer soap aisle. The European Union still allows triclosan in hand soaps and toothpastes at up to 0.3%. In the U.S., it can no longer be sold in consumer hand and body washes.
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Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA issues final rule on safety and effectiveness of antibacterial soaps. September 2016.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hand Hygiene Frequently Asked Questions.
- Calafat AM, et al. Urinary concentrations of triclosan in the U.S. population: 2003–2004. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2008.
- Kim SA, et al. Bactericidal effects of triclosan in soap both in vitro and in vivo. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2015.
- Jensen DA, et al. Quantifying the effects of water temperature, soap volume, lather time, and antimicrobial soap as variables in the removal of Escherichia coli ATCC 11229 from hands. Journal of Food Protection, 2017.
- Kim M, et al. Widely used benzalkonium chloride disinfectants can promote antibiotic resistance. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2018.
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