The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new rule preventing many soaps from being sold as antibacterial—a decision that prompted the association representing the industry to issue a statement reassuring the public that soaps still work as advertised.

The rule, which was finalized Friday, bans ingredients such as triclosan and triclocarban from being used in liquid and bar soaps because studies have found that long-term exposure to the chemicals could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects. FDA also ruled that 17 other ingredients commonly found in antibacterial soaps were no more effective at killing germs than regular soap and water.

The rule does not apply to consumer hand sanitizers or wipes, or antibacterial products used in health care settings.
"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," said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term." http://bit.ly/2cly60b

The American Cleaning Institute, which represents soap manufacturers, didn't directly address FDA's claims in a statement reacting to the decision. However, the group noted that millions of people use its industry's products every day.

"The FDA already has in its hands data that shows the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial soaps," ACI said. "Manufacturers are continuing their work to provide even more science and research to fill data gaps identified by FDA.

"In the coming year, ACI and its member companies will submit additional safety and effectiveness data on the key ingredients in use in consumer antibacterial soaps today: benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol," the association added. http://bit.ly/2bW4GBT

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