Could the FDA's Delay to Rule on 3 Hand Soap Ingredients Spell Trouble for the Industry?

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Image by Mariusz Blach at Adobe Stock

A letter submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the Green Science Policy Institute (GSPI) NGO urges the agency to ban three antibacterial hand soap ingredients, citing safety concerns. The GSPI referenced a study published in Environmental Science & Technology in 2023 (co-authored by GSPI), highlighting quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) as a "chemical class of emerging concern." The ingredients in question are two QACs: benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and benzethonium chloride (BZT); and the organohalogen chloroxylenol (PCMX) — which have been awaiting the FDA's ruling for more than a decade. Could this delay be exposing consumers to potential risk? The GSPI thinks so. It certainly exposes the industry to new scrutiny; just look at what happened with UV filters.

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