Triclosan
In plain terms
An antibacterial agent once added to soaps, toothpastes, and other products to kill germs. Its use has dropped sharply since US regulators restricted it.
What the evidence shows
Triclosan is an antibacterial agent that US regulators pulled from everyday products. In 2016 the FDA barred it and eighteen similar ingredients from over-the-counter antibacterial soaps after manufacturers could not show they worked better than plain soap and water. The concern ran past effectiveness: a consensus statement signed by scientists across several fields, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, laid out the case that triclosan and its cousin triclocarban offer little benefit while raising real concerns, including hormone disruption shown in animal studies and a contribution to antibiotic resistance. Before the restriction, national testing found triclosan in the urine of about three-quarters of Americans. It is largely gone from US soaps now, though it can still turn up in some toothpaste and imported goods, where the label lists it as an active ingredient.
On the label
When present, it is listed among the active ingredients, sometimes in a separate "Drug Facts" box, since it is regulated as an antibacterial drug.