FDA Orders Antibacterial Ingredients Removed From Soaps

The Food and Drug Administration is giving companies that make soap one year to remove 'antibacterial' ingredients. The FDA says those companies have failed to prove that the soaps are safe and that ingredients like triclosan and triclocarban do nothing to make the soap more effective at killing germs.

The FDA released this statement:

"Companies will no longer be able to market antibacterial washes with these ingredients because manufacturers did not demonstrate that the ingredients are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections."

Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said, "Some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term."