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 Say goodbye to those “antibacterial” soaps. The Food and Drug Administration says they do little or nothing to make soap work any better and said the industry has failed to prove they’re safe. 
 
 Companies will have a year to take the ingredients out of the products, the FDA said. They include triclosan and triclocarban. Soap manufacturers will have an extra year to negotiate over other, less commonly used ingredients such as benzalkonium chloride. 
 
 “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,” the FDA said in a statement. 
 
 “Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products.” 
 
 Triclosan used in 93 percent of liquid products labeled "antibacterial" or "antimicrobial” – at least 2,000 different products, according to the FDA. 
 
 “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water." 
 
 In 2013 FDA gave soapmakers a year to show that adding antibacterial chemicals did anything at all to help them kill germs. It made the rule final Friday. 
 
 Related: Think Twice About Antibacterial Soap, FDA Says 
 
 “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. 
 
 “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.” 
 
 The FDA started asking about triclosan in 1978. Environmental groups and some members of Congress have been calling for limits on the use of triclosan. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sued and the FDA agreed to do something about triclosan by 2016. 
 
 There’s no proof yet that triclosan is dangerous to people, but some animal studies suggest high doses can affect the way hormones work in the body. 
 
 “Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products.” 
 
 The proposed rule only affects hand soaps and body washes. Triclosan is often used in toothpaste and it's been shown to help kill germs that cause gum disease. 
 
 “In response to comments submitted by industry, the FDA has deferred rulemaking for one year on three additional ingredients used in consumer wash products – benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol (PCMX) – to allow for the development and submission of new safety and effectiveness data for these ingredients,” the FDA added. 
 
 “Consumer antibacterial washes containing these specific ingredients may be marketed during this time while data are being collected.” 
 
 The American Cleaning Institute said it had given up on fighting over triclosan and would focus on the other ingredients still under consideration. 
 
 “It is important to note that this FDA rule does not affect consumer hand sanitizers, antiseptic products used in healthcare settings, and antiseptics used in food handler settings," it said in a statement. 
 
 “The FDA already has in its hands data that shows the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial soaps. Manufacturers are continuing their work to provide even more science and research to fill data gaps identified by FDA." 
 
 Related: How to Protect Yourself From the Flu? Wash Your Hands 
 
 The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree that soap doesn’t need added antiseptics to make it work any better. 
 
 Gabriele Ritz / EyeEm / Getty Images/EyeEm 
 
 “Washing with plain soap and running water remains one of the most important steps consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others,” the FDA said. 
 
 “If soap and water are not available and a consumer uses hand sanitizer instead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that it be an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.” 
 
 Triclosan breaks open the cell walls of bacteria, killing them. But it takes several hours to do this, so it does little good in the time it takes to wash and dry hands. 
 
 The FDA is also reviewing hand sanitizers and products used by hospitals. ||||| Español 
 
 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. 
 
 This final rule applies to consumer antiseptic wash products containing one or more of 19 specific active ingredients, including the most commonly used ingredients – triclosan and triclocarban. These products are intended for use with water, and are rinsed off after use. This rule does not affect consumer hand “sanitizers” or wipes, or antibacterial products used in health care settings. 
 
 “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.” 
 
 The agency issued a proposed rule in 2013 after some data suggested that long-term exposure to certain active ingredients used in antibacterial products — for example, triclosan (liquid soaps) and triclocarban (bar soaps) — could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects. Under the proposed rule, manufacturers were required to provide the agency with additional data on the safety and effectiveness of certain ingredients used in over-the-counter consumer antibacterial washes if they wanted to continue marketing antibacterial products containing those ingredients. This included data from clinical studies demonstrating that these products were superior to non-antibacterial washes in preventing human illness or reducing infection. 
 
 Antibacterial hand and body wash manufacturers did not provide the necessary data to establish safety and effectiveness for the 19 active ingredients addressed in this final rulemaking. For these ingredients, either no additional data were submitted or the data and information that were submitted were not sufficient for the agency to find that these ingredients are Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective (GRAS/GRAE). In response to comments submitted by industry, the FDA has deferred rulemaking for one year on three additional ingredients used in consumer wash products – benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol (PCMX) – to allow for the development and submission of new safety and effectiveness data for these ingredients. Consumer antibacterial washes containing these specific ingredients may be marketed during this time while data are being collected. 
 
 Washing with plain soap and running water remains one of the most important steps consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others. If soap and water are not available and a consumer uses hand sanitizer instead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that it be an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. 
 
 Since the FDA’s proposed rulemaking in 2013, manufacturers already started phasing out the use of certain active ingredients in antibacterial washes, including triclosan and triclocarban. Manufacturers will have one year to comply with the rulemaking by removing products from the market or reformulating (removing antibacterial active ingredients) these products. 
 
 The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by helping to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for helping to ensure the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products. 
 
 
 
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– Companies that sell over-the-counter antibacterial soaps will have a year to clean up their acts—namely, to remove those products from shelves and stop marketing them, or take certain ingredients out of their products that the FDA now says are essentially ineffective, NBC News reports. Products containing 19 active ingredients—including triclosan (typically used in liquid soaps) and triclocarban (added to bar soaps)—can't be marketed after Sept. 6, 2017, according to the new ruling, as they haven't been proven by manufacturers to be any better than regular soap and water at keeping illnesses and infections at bay. "In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term," Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, says, per an FDA release. The affected ingredients are all designed to be used with water and then rinsed off—meaning hand sanitizers and wipes are still good to go for now, as are products used in health care settings. The FDA had been looking into antibacterials hard-core since at least December 2013, when it announced that consumer groups and scientific studies had raised major red flags about the ingredients' effectiveness and safety, with some being linked to hormonal issues and bacterial resistance. But concerns about triclosan have dated back to the late '70s, and even the CDC says soap doesn't need an antibacterial boost, NBC notes. Three of the ingredients—benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, and chloroxylenol (PCMX)—get an extra year's buffer beyond the 2017 deadline "to allow for the development and submission of new safety and effectiveness data for these ingredients," the release states. (You were probably using antibacterial soaps all wrong anyway.)