Study: Antibacterial Soap No More Effective Than Regular Soap
For hand washing, using antibacterial soap might not remove bacteria more effectively than using plain soap, according to a recent study.
“On [sic] December 2013, the US FDA proposed a rule stating that manufacturers must provide data to demonstrate that antibacterial soap is more effective than plain soap or water. The objective of the present study was to examine the in vitro and in vivo bactericidal effect of triclosan (the most widely used antiseptic agent in soap) in soap,” said the study’s researchers.
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For the study, researchers exposed 20 strains of bacteria to both regular soap and antibacterial soap (created by adding 0.3% triclosan to the plain soap) for 20 seconds at both room temperature and warm temperature, to simulate hand-washing conditions. Researchers also tested the efficacy of the 2 soaps on the hands of 16 participants artificially inoculated with bacteria.
Overall, there were no major difference in bacterial activity between regular soap and antibacterial soap at either temperature, although the researchers did note a significant difference in effect after 9 hours of exposure.
“These results suggest that although triclosan-containing soap does have antibacterial activity, the effects are not apparent during the short time required for hand washing,” they concluded.
The complete study is published in the September issue of Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
-Michelle Canales
Reference:
Kim SA, Moon H, Lee K, Rhee MS. Bactericidal effects of triclosan in soap both in vitro and in vivo. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2015 September [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1093/jac/dkv275.