Is triclosan safe? Where it's banned, where it's limited, and what regulators found
Where triclosan is allowed
United States
RestrictedFDA's final rule of 6 September 2016 (81 FR 61106) found triclosan and 18 other ingredients not generally recognized as safe and effective for rinse-off over-the-counter consumer antiseptic hand and body washes. Effective 6 September 2017, washes containing them are treated as new drugs needing an approved new drug application. The rule did not cover hand sanitizers or wipes, though 21 CFR 310.545 also lists triclosan for healthcare hand washes, surgical scrubs and patient skin preparations from 20 December 2018. FDA says a cosmetic containing triclosan should list it, and its regulations set no concentration limit for triclosan in cosmetics. [1, 2, 3, 4, 13]
Canada
Permitted with conditionsHealth Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist caps triclosan at 0.3% in cosmetics generally and 0.03% in mouthwash. All oral products must carry 'Avoid swallowing.' and 'The product is not to be used by children under the age of 12.' and meet limits on dioxin-type impurities. Separately, after a 2016 assessment, triclosan was added to Schedule 1 of CEPA 1999 (order published 11 July 2018) on environmental grounds, and a 2020 notice requires pollution prevention plans from makers and importers of products containing it. [5, 6, 7, 12]
European Union
RestrictedAnnex V (entry 25) of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 allows triclosan as a preservative at up to 0.3%, but only in toothpastes, hand soaps, body soaps/shower gels, non-spray deodorants, face powders, blemish concealers and nail products for cleaning nails before artificial nail systems. Regulation (EU) 2024/996 (3 April 2024) kept that list, removed the earlier 0.2% mouthwash allowance, barred triclosan from toothpaste for children under 3 and required the label 'Not to be used for children under 3 years of age' on triclosan toothpaste. Non-compliant products could be placed on the market until 31 December 2024 and made available until 31 October 2025; entry 25 is unchanged in the 18 May 2026 consolidated text. Triclosan is also not approved as a biocidal active for human-hygiene products (Decision (EU) 2016/110). [8, 9, 10]
What is triclosan?
Triclosan is a synthetic antibacterial and preservative chemical that Health Canada says does not occur naturally. FDA says it has been added to some soaps, toothpastes and cosmetics, and to items such as clothing and kitchenware. It is a different ingredient from triclocarban, which FDA also covered in its 2016 soap decision.
Why it's used, and where you'll find it
Health Canada describes triclosan as an antimicrobial agent and preservative, including for deodorizing.
What the research and regulators say
Why FDA pulled it from antibacterial soaps
FDA's 2016 rule rested on a benefit-versus-risk judgment. FDA said the data did not show these washes work better than plain soap and water, and that the data on triclosan were insufficient to find it generally recognized as safe for use in them. Gaps it listed as still open were a long-term animal study of skin cancer from skin application, breakdown products triclosan might form on skin in sunlight, and how laboratory findings on bacterial resistance relate to real-world use. [1, 2]
Hormone questions
In 2016 FDA said the data were not conclusive on triclosan's effects on estrogen, androgen and thyroid hormone levels; high doses lowered some thyroid hormones in rats, but FDA could not conclude what that means for people. In 2022 the EU's scientific committee (SCCS) noted estrogen-like and anti-androgen-like activity in several studies and endocrine activity in animal studies, but found no or inconsistent effects in human studies, including inconsistent thyroid findings. [1, 4, 11]
Antibiotic resistance
FDA said in 2016 that it was not aware of evidence of bacterial resistance at the concentrations actually used in products. It added that laboratory studies do not prove resistance to triclosan is a public health risk but suggest susceptibility may be decreasing, and that data to judge the size of the risk were not available. Health Canada's review found no clear link between triclosan products and increased antimicrobial resistance. [1, 6]
What Health Canada and the SCCS concluded
Health Canada concluded that at the exposure levels considered, triclosan is not harmful to human health, but can reach the environment at levels harmful to aquatic life. The SCCS judged triclosan safe as a preservative at the entry 25 levels in skin-applied cosmetics except body lotion, and in 0.3% toothpaste when used alone, but not for children under 3 who also use other triclosan products. It found 0.2% mouthwash safe for adults only when used alone and not safe for children and adolescents. [6, 9, 11]
Who might choose to avoid it
Parents of children under 3 may want to check toothpaste labels, since the EU requires a warning on triclosan toothpastes. Some people choose triclosan-free soaps because FDA said the data did not show a benefit over plain soap and water.
How to spot it on a label
Look for 'Triclosan' in the ingredient list, or among the active ingredients in a Drug Facts box on products sold as drugs. Triclocarban is a separate ingredient.
Check what's in your own productsScan a barcode or a label photo and Label X-Ray flags triclosan and everything else in plain English, with your allergies checked automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Is triclosan banned in the US?
Not entirely. Since September 2017 FDA's rule has kept it out of over-the-counter antibacterial hand and body washes unless a product has an approved new drug application. FDA's regulations set no concentration limit for triclosan in cosmetics.
Is triclosan banned in Europe?
No, but it is limited to 0.3% in toothpaste, soaps, non-spray deodorants, face powders, blemish concealers and nail-cleaning products. It is no longer allowed in mouthwash, and toothpaste must say it is not for children under 3.
Is triclosan banned in Canada?
No. Health Canada's Hotlist restricts it to 0.3% in cosmetics and 0.03% in mouthwash. Canada also lists it on Schedule 1 of CEPA 1999 (the List of Toxic Substances) because of harm to the environment; Health Canada found it not harmful to human health at the exposure levels considered.
Is triclosan safe in toothpaste?
FDA's 2019 consumer page said a 1997 FDA review found triclosan in one toothpaste effective in preventing gingivitis. The SCCS judged 0.3% toothpaste safe for adults and for ages 0.5 to 18 when used alone, but not for children under 3 who also use other triclosan products.
Is triclosan in deodorant safe?
The EU permits it in non-spray deodorants up to 0.3%, and the SCCS judged skin-applied cosmetics at those levels safe, except body lotion. Check the ingredient list to see whether a deodorant contains it.
Related ingredients
Sources
- U.S. FDA (Federal Register) — Safety and Effectiveness of Consumer Antiseptics; Topical Antimicrobial Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use; Final Rule (81 FR 61106, 6 Sept 2016) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- U.S. FDA — Consumer Antiseptic Wash Final Rule Questions and Answers: Guidance for Industry (Small Entity Compliance Guide), July 2017 (accessed 2026-10-20)
- eCFR (U.S. Government) — 21 CFR 310.545: Drug products containing certain active ingredients offered over-the-counter (OTC) for certain uses (accessed 2026-10-20)
- U.S. FDA (archived copy, 12 Jan 2025) — 5 Things to Know About Triclosan (content current as of 16 May 2019; no longer on fda.gov, read from an archived copy of 12 Jan 2025) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Health Canada — Triclosan (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Health Canada — Triclosan - information sheet (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Health Canada — Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist (accessed 2026-10-20)
- EUR-Lex (European Union) — Consolidated text: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (version of 18 May 2026), Annex V, entry 25 (accessed 2026-10-20)
- EUR-Lex (European Union) — Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996 of 3 April 2024 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as regards the use of Vitamin A, Alpha-Arbutin and Arbutin and certain substances with potential endocrine disrupting properties in cosmetic products (accessed 2026-10-20)
- EUR-Lex (European Union) — Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/110 of 27 January 2016 not approving triclosan as an existing active substance for use in biocidal products for product-type 1 (accessed 2026-10-20)
- SCCS (European Commission) — Scientific advice on the safety of triclocarban and triclosan as substances with potential endocrine disrupting properties in cosmetic products, SCCS/1643/22 final (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Justice Laws (Government of Canada) — Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (S.C. 1999, c. 33), consolidated text current to July 2026, Schedule 1 (accessed 2026-10-20)
- eCFR (U.S. Government) — eCFR search: 'triclosan' in Title 21 (matches only 21 CFR 310.531 and 310.545) (accessed 2026-10-20)
This page summarizes what regulators and published research say, as of the review date above. Rules and evidence change; check the linked sources for the latest. It is general information, not medical advice — talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health.