To protect your family from the flu, prevent colds, and arm yourself against food poisoning, washing your hands with soap labeled “antibacterial” may seem like you’re doubling down on your germ-killing efforts. But is antibacterial soap really more effective (and necessary) than regular soap?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), probably not. There’s no scientific proof that over-the-counter antibacterial soaps are better at lowering your risk of getting sick than ordinary bars of suds.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Handwashing in communities: clean hands save lives.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2019). Antibacterial soap? You can skip it, use plain soap and water.
Why trust our experts?
Written by:
Brittany DoohanBrittany Doohan was the Content Director at HealthiNation and is currently the Editorial Director at Medscape. Through her work with Medscape, she won a Silver Telly Award in May 2022 for "Sleepless Nation: A Public Health Epidemic — Episode 2: A Decade Without a Diagnosis." She has worked in health journalism and video production for more than 8 years, and loves the challenge of explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand and creative way.
Reviewed by:
Alexandra Schwarz, MDDr. Schwarz is board eligible Sleep Medicine and board certified Family Medicine physician. She is a member of the AASM and ABFM.
