Harmful chemicals aren’t necessary for an effective cleansing in the shower or bath. A couple ingredients to avoid: triclocarban in bar soap and triclosan in liquid soap. A 2008 study by UC Davis researchers highlights the dangers of these ingredients. Using human and animal cell lines, researchers found that triclocarban disrupts reproductive hormone activity and triclosan interferes a type of cell signaling that occurs in brain, heart and other cells. More recent studies are continuing to confirm this evidence and frequent use increases the absorption rate.
You will also see these ingredients in hand sanitizers. A good alternative for an effective hand sanitizer is ethanol/ethyl alcohol.