Many of us choose antibacterial soap thinking we are taking extra measures to protect ourselves from germs.
But now, a study has found it is no more effective than plain soap at killing bacteria.
Millions of consumers in the US use antibacterial hand soap and body wash products, spending nearly $1 billion annually (£6.5 million), researchers said.
In the UK, the soap, bath and shower market, which includes both anti-bacterial and plain soap, was worth £638 million in 2014, according to Mintel.
The expectation is that antibacterial products will provide more protection from germs than plain soap, the researchers continued.
However, their study revealed there is 'no significant' difference between antibacterial soap and the normal type.
Korean scientists examined the effect of triclosan, the active antiseptic ingredient most commonly used in these types of soaps.
They examined how effectively the ingredient killed bacteria, testing it against 20 strains.
They added triclosan to bacteria warmed to 22°C (room temperature) and 40°C (warm temperature) for 20 seconds, to recreate the conditions under which humans normally wash their hands.
They used a triclosan concentration of 0.3 per cent - the maximum allowed by law.
They found triclosan had killed significantly more bacteria after nine hours or more, but not during the short time required for hand washing.
Then, they compared the ability of antibacterial and non-antibacterial soap to remove bacteria from human hands, by using 16 healthy adult volunteers.
They found it was no more effective, both experiments indicating that there is 'no significant difference' between the effects of plain soap and antibacterial soap when used under ‘real life’ conditions, they concluded.
The paper's lead author, Dr Min-Suk Rhee, of Korea University, said 'advertisement and consumer belief regarding the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps needs to be addressed.'
The study provides practical information that may prove useful for governments and industry, the researchers said.
It was published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
