Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent that slows or stops the growth of bacteria on surfaces. Triclosan is NOT an antibiotic. It does not treat systemic (inside the body) bacterial infections, which is what antibiotics do.

Some people have questioned whether agents other than antibiotics—such as triclosan and other antimicrobials—might actually help resistant strains of bacteria flourish. In more than 40 years of use, there are no known cases or any evidence that these agents cause resistance in bacteria outside of a controlled laboratory setting. The natural environment provides many challenges to bacteria including a search for nutrients, appropriate conditions for growth, and competition with other organisms that are not duplicated in laboratory experiments; therefore, the experiments that are often quoted do not reflect “real world” results.

It has been widely recognized throughout the medical community that bacterial resistance is the result of misuse and over-prescription of antibiotic drugs, not the use of antibacterial soaps. Petersen & Hayward, reported that doctors are “still prescribing antibiotics for up to 80% of cases of sore throat, otitis media (ear infections), upper respiratory tract infections, and sinusitis (sinus infections), despite the fact that official guidance warns against this practice.”