Is Plain Soap Better Than Antibacterial Soaps?

Antibacterial soaps show no health benefits over plain soaps and, in fact, may render some common antibiotics less effective, says a University of Michigan public health professor.
In the first known comprehensive analysis of whether antibacterial soaps work better than plain soaps, Allison Aiello of the U-M School of Public Health and her team found that washing hands with an antibacterial soap was no more effective in preventing infectious illness than plain soap. Moreover, antibacterial soaps at formulations sold to the public do not remove any more bacteria from the hands during washing than plain soaps. Because of the way the main active ingredient---triclosan---in many antibacterial soaps reacts in the cells, it may cause some bacteria to become resistant to commonly used drugs such as amoxicillin, the researchers say. These changes have not been detected at the population level, but e-coli bacteria bugs adapted in lab experiments showed resistance when exposed to as much as 0.1 percent wt/vol triclosan soap. "What we are saying is that these e-coli could survive in the concentrations that we use in our (consumer formulated) antibacterial soaps," Aiello said. "What it means for consumers is that we need to be aware of what's in the products. The soaps containing triclosan used in the community setting are no more effective than plain soap at preventing infectious illness symptoms, as well as reducing bacteria on the hands." The study, "Consumer Antibacterial Soaps: Effective or Just Risky"" appears in the August edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The team looked at 27 studies conducted between 1980 and 2006, and found that soaps containing triclosan within the range of concentrations commonly used in the community setting (0.1 to 0.45 percent wt/vol) were no more effective than plain soaps. Triclosan is used in higher concentrations in hospitals and other clinical settings, and may be more effective at reducing illness and bacteria.

Are You to Clean?

Still scrubbing with antibacterial soaps? you may be better off switching back to plain old suds, says a University of Michigan research team. In a review of 27 studies, Allison Aiello, the lead researcher, determined that most antibacterial cleansers probably don't kill more bacteria or fight off infectious illness any better than regular soaps.

Some antibacterial soaps could even squelch the effectiveness of antibiotic drugs, Aiello warns. Scientists have yet to detect such changes at the population level, but lab tests have shown that E. coli bacteria can become drug resistant when exposed to the amount of triclosan found in most commercial cleansers.

If you still feel better washing with an antibacterial, consider soaps made with tee tree oil, suggests Donald Abrams, M.D., director of clinical programs at the Universith of California, San Francisco's Osher Center for Itegrative Medicine. Native to Australia and traditionally used to treat topical infections, this essential oil has antimicrobial properties.