According to the most comprehensive study ever done on the best way to reduce bacteria on the skin, good old-fashioned soap turned out to be at the top of the list. So it would be wise to get rid of the latest antibacterial bar of soap that is full of chemicals and stick to the more natural products. The study was conducted by the University of North Carolina on 14 different hand hygiene agents and their ability to reduce bacteria and viruses from the hands.

While antibacterial soaps were best at ridding hands of bacteria, non-antimicrobial soap was the most effective at removing viruses, which can sometimes be resistant to disinfectants in antibacterial soaps. But even worse, the antibacterial soaps can actually allow stronger bacteria to flourish. The least effective product was a waterless, alcohol-based hand cleaner.

More than 75 percent of all liquid soaps and almost 30 percent of bar soaps in the United States have bacterial agents in them. This is a problem because these soaps kill off normal bacteria while allowing the stronger bacteria to grow and flourish. It is the same thing when we take too many antibiotics in our body, the mutated bacteria get smart to antibacterial agents and ultimately more and more bacteria become resistant to the products that are supposed to get rid of germs.

But there is more bad news. The active ingredient in most antibacterial soaps is triclosan. This type of chemical belongs to the chlorophenol class of chemicals, which are suspected of causing cancer is humans. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, triclosan is a pesticide and is considered a risk to both humans and the environment.

Another reason to not purchase antibacterial soaps is that they are also harsh on your skin. The relatively harsh action of antibacterial soaps may leave you open to sores that can attract bacteria, often resulting in skin problems such as eczema, according to doctors at a meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Dr. William Baugh, chief of dermatology at the Beaufort Naval Hospital in Beaufort, S.C. says, “Overuse of antibacterial products is worse than more frequent use of other soaps, as chemicals in the detergents strip away the naturally protective fats and oils on the skin.”

Most commercial soaps contain many synthetic additives that can cause health problems. The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep report is a great place to see what additives are in your favorite brands of soap. This group compared the ingredients of 7,500 personal care products with government, industry and academic lists of known and suspected chemical health hazards and developed a rating system that tells you the relative risk of each product.p