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Antibacterial Soap Ingredients

Almost every day in the news there are stories about different flu virus strains and how they are sweeping the country. One of the most common lines of defense with these viruses is simply washing hands with an antibacterial soap. There is some debate regarding antibacterial soap as there is an argument that the extensive use of these products could lead to resistant strains of illnesses. Also it usually takes about two minutes of hand washing with antibacterial soap for the benefits to take affect, so most people wash off the benefits before they can take hold. Antibacterial soap is similar to regular soap in many ways but it also has some unique ingredients which provides the antibacterial attributes.

  1. Triclosan

    • Included in many types of antibacterial soap is Triclosan, which is a potent antibacterial and anti-fungal agent. Essentially, what Triclosan does is bind to the bacteria and, through a chemical reaction, restrict the bacteria's ability to reproduce and build cell membranes. It does not "kill" the bacteria but instead poisons a specific enzyme that many bacteria and funguses need for survival and reproduction. If a bacteria can not reproduce then it can't grow and contaminate its host. Some bacterial species can develop low-level resistance to triclosan due to certain mutations, which results in a decrease of triclosan's effect. Another way for these bacteria to gain low-level resistance to triclosan is through overexposure to the chemical. Some research has shown that triclosan may interfere with a type of cell signaling that occurs in brain, heart and other cells of humans.

    Tetrasodium EDTA

    • Adding Tetrasodium EDTA is also a common way to create an antibacterial soap. This chemical is a chelating agent which sequesters metals that the bacteria need in order to grow. A chelating agent is a substance whose molecules can form several bonds to a single metal ion. In simple terms, what Tetrasodium does is bond to metals through a chemical reaction. The bacteria cannot absorb these metals, thus the bacteria starve to death.

    Triclocarban

    • Disrupting the bacteria's cell membrane is also a way to antibacterial soaps work. This is done by adding a chemical called Triclocarban. This chemical also inhibits an enzyme that is needed for building cell membranes in bacteria. Basically, the bacteria cells "fall apart." Triclocarban was first introduced for use by surgeons and other operating room personnel to prevent bacterial infections. Some researchers have found that triclocarban may disrupt reproductive hormone activity in humans which has led to some controversy around its usage.

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