A team of researchers at Korea University, Seoul, has found that antibacterial soap made with the common antibacterial and antifungal agent triclosan was no better at killing germs than regular soaps.

The researchers found that there was no significant difference between a soap that had triclosan and the same soap without it. They noted that both the versions of the soaps killed 20 common, dangerous bacterial strains in a lab setting at almost same rate.

In a real-world experiment, researchers said both the versions of the soap cleared hands from the harmful bacteria, Serrate marcescens, a pathogen responsible for urinary tract infections and wound infections.

Lead researcher Min Suk Rhee said, “Triclosan in soap does not always guarantee higher antimicrobial efficacy during hand washing. It is more important for consumers to wash their hands correctly and frequently rather than to use the antibacterial soaps containing triclosan”.

Rhee said in order to test whether triclosan in soap is more effective than plain old soap and water; he exposed 20 different strains of bacteria to the two different formulations in a lab setting.

The soap was heated to 72 degrees and then 104 degrees to mimic both room temperature and warm water. Rhee found that the antibacterial soap was not better than soap and water when it came to eradicating most of the bacterial strains.

In a real-world experiment, Rhee exposed 16 healthy participants to S. marcescens by dipping their hands in a bacterial solution. They were then told to wash their hands with either the antibacterial soap or the regular soap. The findings again showed that the antibacterial soap was no better than the regular soap.