Revealed: the secret truth about the beauty industry (part 13)
Antibacterial soaps – how do they work and what are they worth?
Do you use antibacterial soaps because you believe that they protect you from infections – especially in periods when the risk of catching flu or a cold is high? Unfortunately, those soaps are not protecting you – quite the opposite.It’s a proven fact that antibacterial soaps kill bacteria. The problem is that they don’t differentiate between good and bad bacteria and leave you defenceless against the bad bacteria that may survive.
These soaps and shower gels break the skin’s natural defence layer and prepare an ideal breeding ground for bacteria that might have resisted the antibacterial agent.
Antibacterial soaps are a group of cleansing products which contain some kind of antibacterial agent – most commonly triclosan.
Triclosan is a synthetic preservative. Thanks to its antibacterial and antifungal effects you can find it in a number of cosmetics – e.g. soaps, shower gels, deodorants, body lotions and toothpastes.
When triclosan blends with other chemicals (e.g. with chloride in the water) it can create dioxin-type compounds and chloroform – these are all considered hazardous chemicals which cause allergy and (in extreme cases) cancer. That suspicion was raised in a study published in the Journal of Environmental Science Technology (by the American Chemical Society).
Triclosan was invented by Swiss chemicals company Ciba in the 1960s. It was gradually picked up by manufacturers of home detergents – and that’s when they started marketing antibacterial products. Since then we have been led to believe that by using those products we will be more protected from infections. But this is simply not true.
First of all, we should leave it on the skin for at least 2 minutes for it to be effective – yet it takes triclosan much less time to harm your body. Breaking up the natural defence of the skin it can cause allergy. Triclosan in toothpastes can do significant damage to the mucosa of the mouth and if swallowed, it can kill the beneficial bacteria in the digestive system and harm the liver. It can also disrupt hormone functions and increase the risk of breast cancer.
Triclosan is so widespread that it can be isolated from blood, urine and even mother’s milk.
Triclosan is building up in the body of those who use these products – yet it also affects people who are trying to avoid it.
Another ‘interesting fact’: the European Union classifies triclosan as an environmentally hazardous substance. It’s hardly biodegradable and when it does degrade, the antibacterial soap or toothpaste pollutes the environment with a severely toxic type of dioxin which is extremely dangerous for aquatic organisms and can wreak havoc on rivers and their ecosystems.
These chemicals have been banned in the manufacturing of plastics that may come in contact with food – yet they are still used in cosmetics, even in oral care products!
Microbiologist Dr. Stuart Levy suggested that antibacterial products should only be used in households where someone has a severe illness and a very weak immune system. Antibacterial are absolutely unnecessary in households where people are healthy – in fact, it does more harm than good to their health and to their environment.
It’s ill-advised to use such products in baby bath because it weakens their immune system – for which the first few years are crucial.
The simplest way of preventing diseases and infections is thorough hand wash with soap and hot running water.
It’s best to throw away all cosmetics which contain synthetic colours, scents and other chemicals. Take control over your skin’s health now!
Have a wonderful an chemical-free day,
Andrea Varga-Darabos
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