Source: https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/triclosan/ Preservative · Reef research: Some concern # Triclosan An antimicrobial named in Palau's reef-toxic chemical list. Rarely found in sunscreen today. Banned in - Palau ## Is Triclosan safe for your skin? Regulators in the US and EU have restricted triclosan for human-use reasons. The FDA took it out of consumer antibacterial hand and body washes because the data did not show it was safe for daily long-term use or better than plain soap. The EU allows it only in a short list of cosmetic products at up to 0.3%, and tightened that list in 2024. The FDA action rests on missing safety and benefit data, not on a finding that ordinary use harms people. - FDA: a final rule published 6 September 2016 (81 FR 61106) found that triclosan and 18 other ingredients are not generally recognized as safe and effective for consumer antiseptic washes. It took effect 6 September 2017, and products with these ingredients need a new drug approval or reformulation. - FDA reasoning: the agency said available data were insufficient to establish the safety of long-term daily use, and insufficient to show any added benefit over nonantibacterial soap and water. It also cited animal data suggesting changes in thyroid, reproductive and developmental systems. - FDA scope: the rule covers only consumer hand and body washes, not other antiseptic categories. - EU 2014: Regulation 358/2014 replaced the old blanket 0.3% limit. Triclosan stayed allowed at 0.3% in toothpaste, hand soaps, body soaps and shower gels, non-spray deodorants, face powders and blemish concealers, and nail-cleaning products, and at 0.2% in mouthwash. Compliant products only from 30 October 2014 (placed on market) and 30 July 2015 (made available). - EU 2022 advice: the SCCS (SCCS/1643/22, October 2022) judged triclosan safe as a preservative at the Annex V levels in dermally applied cosmetics except body lotions. It found toothpaste at 0.3% safe on its own but not in combination for children under 3, and mouthwash not safe for children even on its own. - EU 2024: Regulation 2024/996 (3 April 2024) kept the 0.3% limit for the listed product types, removed mouthwash, barred triclosan in toothpaste for children under 3, and added labelling. Non-compliant products could be placed on the market until 31 December 2024 and sold through until 31 October 2025. - EU biocides: in 2016 the Commission declined to approve triclosan for human-hygiene biocidal products, citing environmental risk rather than human health. Sources (6) - [Federal Register 2016: Safety and Effectiveness of Consumer Antiseptics (final rule, 81 FR 61106)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/09/06/2016-21337/safety-and-effectiveness-of-consumer-antiseptics-topical-antimicrobial-drug-products-for) - [FDA: Consumer Antiseptic Wash Final Rule Questions and Answers](https://www.fda.gov/media/106652/download) - [Commission Regulation (EU) No 358/2014](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014R0358) - [SCCS/1643/22 opinion on triclocarban and triclosan in cosmetics](https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/safety-triclocarban-and-triclosan-substances-potential-endocrine-disrupting-properties-cosmetic_en) - [Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:L_202400996) - [Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/110](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016D0110) Last reviewed October 14, 2026. This summarises what regulators and published studies found. It isn't medical advice. ## Where it’s restricted Named in the law or guidance | Location | Status | Since | | --- | --- | --- | | [Palau](https://reeflabel.com/locations/palau/) [law text ↗](https://www.palaugov.pw/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RPPL-No.-10-30-re.-The-Responsible-Tourism-Education-Act-of-2018.pdf) | In force | January 1, 2020 | ## Why it’s regulated The European Commission decided on 27 January 2016 not to approve triclosan as a biocide for human-hygiene products after the assessed scenarios showed unacceptable environmental risks. Its human-health restrictions in the US and EU are covered under humanSafety. ## What the reef research says A 2024 study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials exposed the coral Porites lutea to triclosan for 96 hours. It found no bleaching even at 100 µg/L, but the density of the symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) was 19-52% lower than in controls, their chlorophyll a was 19.9-45.6% lower, and the coral's antioxidant enzyme activity dropped. Gene-expression changes (942 genes at 0.5 µg/L, 1,077 at 100 µg/L) touched immune and reproductive pathways. This is one species in a short lab exposure, so how it plays out on real reefs is not established. The authors conclude that environmentally relevant levels can affect the coral. A 2024 survey of Sanya, China found triclosan in over 80% of 40 coral polyp, algae and sediment samples, and a 2011 review describes triclosan as highly toxic to algae. Sources (9) - [Liang et al. 2024, J Hazard Mater: triclosan toxicity to coral Porites lutea (PubMed abstract)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39368358/) - [Ge et al. 2024, Environ Pollut: parabens, bisphenols and triclosan in coral polyps, algae and sediments, Sanya](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39209051/) - [Dann & Hontela 2011, J Appl Toxicol: triclosan environmental exposure, toxicity and mechanisms of action](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21462230/) - [Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/110: triclosan not approved for product-type 1](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016D0110) - [Commission Regulation (EU) No 358/2014 (cosmetics Annex V triclosan restriction)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014R0358) - [Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996 (cosmetics Annexes, triclosan entry 25)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:L_202400996) - [SCCS/1643/22 opinion on triclocarban and triclosan in cosmetics](https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/safety-triclocarban-and-triclosan-substances-potential-endocrine-disrupting-properties-cosmetic_en) - [Federal Register 2016: Safety and Effectiveness of Consumer Antiseptics (final rule, 81 FR 61106)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/09/06/2016-21337/safety-and-effectiveness-of-consumer-antiseptics-topical-antimicrobial-drug-products-for) - [FDA: Consumer Antiseptic Wash Final Rule Questions and Answers](https://www.fda.gov/media/106652/download) **Related ingredients:** [Triclocarban](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/triclocarban/), [Methylparaben](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/methylparaben/), [Phenoxyethanol](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/phenoxyethanol/) Last reviewed October 14, 2026. ### Label names we match - triclosan ### Regulatory status **Wikidata:** [Q408646](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q408646) **US FDA:** Banned from US consumer antiseptic washes (2016). **EU:** Restricted to specific products at max 0.3%.