19 Ingredients The FDA Just Banned From Soaps

Nineteen ingredients used in various antibacterial soaps have been banned by the Food and Drug Administration, the agency announced Friday.

Two of the most commonly used antibacterial ingredients on the list, triclosan and triclocarban, may disrupt normal hormonal levels in humans and are suspected to play a part in spurring drug-resistant bacteria. Public health advocates have long been critical of antibacterial soaps for fear of exactly these kinds of effects, and the FDA warned soap producers in 2013 that it was investigating the safety of these ingredients.

These ingredients have been ubiquitous for a long time. Though they've come under closer scrutiny more recently, and their use has declined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found evidence of triclosan in the urine of 75 percent of a sample of the population in 2004.

The FDA was originally instructed to review the evidence and construct guidelines for the use of antibacterial ingredients in soap by Congress more than 40 years ago when President Nixon was in office. Friday's decision is in part a response to that directive, which was never fully complied with.

Officials asked the producers of soaps containing these ingredients for evidence demonstrating their efficacy and safety. After review, the FDA concluded they provide no additional benefits that conventional soap lacks; given the potential dangers, manufacturers will no longer be allowed to use these ingredients.

“Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

Soap and body wash producers have already begun to phase out many of the ingredients now banned, including triclosan and triclocarban, according to the FDA.

However, the FDA's ban does not extend to products other than soap or body wash, such as hand sanitizers or wipes, and manufacturers may continue to use the banned ingredients in these products. Three other ingredients, still in wide use, will still be allowed while more evidence of their safety and uses is reviewed by the FDA.

Triclosan is also still found in Colgate toothpaste, which the company argues has been rigorously tested and found to be safe. In 1997, the FDA reviewed evidence of triclosan's use in toothpaste and found it was effective in treating the gum disease gingivitis.

Consumers can find a list of a product's ingredients on its packaging label to see if triclosan or triclocarban, or any of the other banned ingredients (see below), are included. Since these labels are required by law, any product that lacks such information should be regarded with suspicion.

The American Cleaning Institute, a cleaning products industry group, contested the FDA's findings, arguing that antibacterial soaps play an important role in hygiene and are better than conventional soaps.

"The FDA already has in its hands data that shows the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial soaps," the group said in a statement. "Manufacturers are continuing their work to provide even more science and research to fill data gaps identified by FDA."

The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy non-profit that speaks on behalf of public health and environmental causes, praised the decision.

“This decision by the FDA is a huge victory on behalf of human health and the environment,” Ken Cook, co-founder and president of the group, said in a release. “EWG has been conducting research and advocating for this exact federal government action for nearly a decade, and our work, as well as that of other public interest groups and many of our supporters, has finally paid off.”

Companies will have a year to completely stop using these ingredients from their products.

Here's the full list of ingredients banned:

• Cloflucarban
• Fluorosalan
• Hexachlorophene
• Hexylresorcinol
• Iodophors (Iodine-containing ingredients)
  • Iodine complex (ammonium ether sulfate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate)
  • Iodine complex (phosphate ester of alkylaryloxy polyethylene glycol)
  • Nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanol iodine
  • Poloxamer--iodine complex
  • Povidone-iodine 5 to 10 percent
  • Undecoylium chloride iodine complex
• Methylbenzethonium chloride
• Phenol (greater than 1.5 percent)
• Phenol (less than 1.5 percent)
• Secondar amyltricresols
• Sodium oxychlorosene
• Tribromsalan
• Triclocarban
• Triclosan
• Triple dye

Photo credit: United States Department of Agriculture