FDA: No scientific evidence antibacterial products beat soap and water

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently dealt a blow to consumer soap companies by decreeing that washing hands with regular soap and water was sufficient to prevent illnesses.

On Friday, the FDA issued a statement that read, in part:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a final rule establishing that over-the-counter (OTC) consumer antiseptic wash products containing certain active ingredients can no longer be marketed. 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. Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products.