ABSTRACT

Antibacterial wash products, i.e., soaps, have been developed with the dual purpose of reducing bacterial flora on the skin as well as cleansing the skin. These products are classified as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Drugs have been defined by the FDA as “articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man … and articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man …” [1]. These antibacterial wash products are designed for use on the hands and on the rest of the body. 332Antibacterial soaps are marketed in two forms: liquids and bars. There are also antibacterial creams and towelettes, but these represent only a small fraction of products in this category. As of September 1995, antibacterial liquid soaps had a 63% volume share of the U.S. liquid soap market and represent total Food/Drug/Mass Combined sales of over $173,000,000 [2]. Similarly, antibacterial bar soaps have a 48% volume share of the U.S. bar-soap market on total Food/Drug/Mass Combined sales of over $693,000,000 [3].