The Food and Drug Administration released a statement on Monday proposing a new rule stating antibacterial soap and body wash brands need to prove marketed anti-bacterial soaps are actually more effective than ordinary soaps.
Under the proposed rule, producers of antibacterial soaps and body washes need to prove their products effectiveness or they must stop selling the products as marketed, according to the statement.
"Manufacturers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes must demonstrate that their products are safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections," the statement reads.
The new rule is due to a larger FDA review of ingredients like triclosan which is an ingredient that's drawn skepticism from scientist on its actual benefits for years and is present in antibacterial hand soaps and body washes, according to the statement.
The FDA also said brands like Henkel AG & Co's Dial soap have been reported to be linked to hormone imbalances and bacterial resistance, according to Reuters.
"Antibacterial soaps and body washes are used widely and frequently by consumers in everyday home, work, school, and public settings, where the risk of infection is relatively low," Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said in the statement.
"Due to consumers' extensive exposure to the ingredients in antibacterial soaps, we believe there should be a clearly demonstrated benefit from using antibacterial soap to balance any potential risk."
According to Reuters, the Personal Care Products Council and the American Cleaning Institute, an industry trade group, both issued a statement saying they are both confused by the FDA's claims to there being no evidence of antibacterial soap benefits.
"A review of two dozen relevant published studies analyzing the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps showed that hand washing with these products produces statistically greater reductions in bacteria on the skin than when using non-antibacterial soap," the groups said, according to Reuters.
The proposed rule still needs to pass a 180-day comment period and will not have any affect on alcohol-based hand sanitizers or antibacterial products in health care settings, according to the FDA.
