Triclosan has been used in hand soaps, hand sanitizers, body washes, and other personal care products for a while now. And people buy them to stay as healthy and germ-free as possible.

The problem? Triclosan is a strong antibacterial designed for use in hospitals, where germs are rampant, not our homes. Too much contact with this heavy duty ingredient can cause health issues like skin and eye irritation, hormonal disruption, and organ toxicity. Not only that, but bacteria are developing resistance to it.

What’s more, there’s some controversy over whether or not it can effectively kill viruses–like the cold or flu virus. Chemical company BASF points to several viruses including SARS that can be killed with triclosan, but FDA data show it may not be effective in preventing the spread of common cold and flu viruses.

The FDA saw the toxic light on this (and 18 other ingredients commonly used to make antibacterial soaps), and put a ban on their use in consumer (i.e., not for hospitals and food service settings) products. Companies who use these ingredients have one year to reformulate or take the products off the market.

Well, that’s a step in the healthy direction. But how are we supposed to keep ourselves germ-free this cold and flu season without powerful antibacterial hand soap and sanitizer? The FDA found, while investigating triclosan and related ingredients, that a good hand washing with soap and warm water is an effective way of steering clear of germs and infection.

Time to get shopping for safer products free from harsh antibacterials and other toxic ingredients. Of course, we aren’t always near a sink. So, grab yourself a natural hand sanitizer for de-germing on the go.

7 Natural Alternatives to Antibacterial Soap and Sanitizer

1. 100% Pure Hand Wash goes a step beyond simple soap. As with all products this brand creates, this unique formula is created with unexpected ingredients, like Sake and coffee cherry. Available in three scents.

2. Dr. Bronner’s Organic Pump Soap cleans without drying. Comes in a big 12 oz bottle and several scents.

3. SKIN Oodles of Orange Hand & Body Wash is not only nontoxic and made with the most natural ingredients, but adds some zest to your vanity.

4. EO Peppermint Hand Sanitizer is safe and gentle on skin. A refreshing blend of essential oils make this hand san a pleasure to use. Also available in Lavender.

5. Tammy Fender The Purist Hand Sanitizer keeps hands free of germs with a botanical blend. Includes echinacea to boost immunity and antiseptic tea tree oil.

6. Intelligent Nutrients Sanitizer kicks 99.9% of germs to the curb without leaving hands stripped or sticky. Clean, refreshing scent.

7. Jao Brand Refresher combats two winter skin woes at once. This blend of germ fighters and natural moisturizers hydrate skin while protecting against contaminants.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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Chemical cleaners remind me of elementary school. Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth alongside Ms. Pac Man, the harsh smell of bleach and whatever that green gravel they sprinkled around could knock this third-grader onto her dungarees. Now it turns out, that cleaner might be responsible for my years as an allergy-ridden teen. And not for the reason you might think, (the smell, the chemicals, and the vomit it inevitably tried to mask…). It’s because a new study out of the University of Michigan shows that some soaps and cleaners are making children more prone to allergies as teenagers.

We’ve already reported on the dangers of antibacterial soap. These can leave a residue on your skin with a few surviving bacteria – which promptly multiply into stronger bacteria that are much harder to kill. But this latest information takes it up a notch. As Metro.com reports, the triclosan found in soaps, toothpaste and other hygiene products can change the immune system in a young person. Allison Aiello is an associate professor and the lead on the study. As she told Metro.com, “It is possible that a person can be too clean for their own good.”

So triclosan is a Very Bad Thing. (Just how bad? Skin Deep links it to cancer, reproductive toxicity, skin irritations and more.) Good old-fashioned soap and water work well, but more and more people are reaching for the heavy-duty antibacterial soaps that could probably take out a zombie plague. But don’t forget, there are many good reasons not to wash daily. So where does this leave us?

For some, it’s thinking that the culture of clean has gone too far. Yes, germs are bad, and you’re never going to find me walking barefoot through a public bathroom or sticking my hand on things well acquainted with other people. But when I find myself fishing out my shirt sleeve to open a door or gazing in awe at a friend who doesn’t, I have to wonder. Have the cartoon germs which scamper smarmily across cleaner commercials gotten into my subconscious? Or am I really just being a good citizen and not spreading germs?

But as more and more evidence shows that extreme vigilance on the germ front can actually harm us, it is hard to know what’s safe and what’s neurotic. I’ve noticed that when I get sick, I can’t trace the cause to touching the wrong door knob or sitting in the wrong restaurant booth. (Though I can trace my last bad cold to a woman who, rounding a corner on the street, sneezed directly on me. Avoid corners during the aforementioned zombie plague.) In the end, it just time some of us relax a little and let the sunshine (and dirt) in.

Image: arlingtonva

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