Antimicrobial Soaps May Fuel 1-in-6 Drug-Resistant Infections as Studies Show No Benefit Over Plain Soap
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 16
Antimicrobial Soaps May Fuel 1-in-6 Drug-Resistant Infections as Studies Show No Benefit Over Plain Soap
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 16
Summary
Decades of studies found antimicrobial soaps do not prevent illness better than plain soap and water, despite marketing claims that they kill 99.9% of germs.
A 2007 review of 27 studies found triclosan was no more effective than plain soap, while lab evidence showed triclosan-resistant bacteria can also become more resistant to antibiotics.
The FDA banned 19 antimicrobial ingredients from home antiseptic washes in 2016, but deferred decisions on benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol; more than a third of the U.S. disinfectant market now uses these replacements.
WHO says 1 in 6 common bacterial infections are now resistant to standard antibiotics, up 40% from 2018 to 2023, with resistant infections causing about 1 million deaths a year.
Public health guidance still favors plain soap and water for routine cleaning, reserving disinfectants for higher-risk situations such as bodily fluids, raw meat contamination or stomach-bug outbreaks.