Antibacterial soap is not better at fighting germs
Much to the disappointment of soap makers, scientists prove that antibacterial soap no more effective than plain soap in fighting germs. The study is published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
The study examined the effect of triclosan (the most commonly used active antiseptic ingredient used in soap) on bacteria in two ways. The first was to examine the bactericidal effects of triclosan in soaps against all 20 strains, and the second compared the ability of antibacterial and non-antibacterial soap to remove bacteria from human hands, by using 16 healthy adult volunteers. The results of the study indicate that there is no significant difference between the effects of plain soap and antibacterial soap when used under ‘real life’ conditions.
The scientists recreated the conditions of human hand washing by exposing the bacteria for 20 seconds at 22°C (room temperature) and 40°C (warm temperature) to triclosan with a concentration of 0.3% – the maximum allowed by law. There were significantly great effects after more than nine hours, but not during the short time required for hand washing.
Lead author on the paper, Dr. Rhee, commented that: “advertisement and consumer belief regarding the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps needs to be addressed.”
