Why do a lot of hand soaps in stores claim to be ';antibacterial';?

aren't ALL soaps bacterial? isn't the point of soap to kill bacteria?Why do a lot of hand soaps in stores claim to be ';antibacterial';?
Actually, the point of soap ISN';T to be antibacterial, it's to make water clean better. Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids which can be derived from oils or fats by reacting them with an alkali and high heat. (Old soap recipes were lye, an alkali, mixed with tallow, which contained the fatty acid) The sodium or potassium salts in the soap help soften the water, and the fat in the soap loosens the dirt, and allows it to be washed away. Soap acts as an emulsifier, or a substance that allows oil and water to combine, and makes it easier to remove oil or grease. The suds produced by soap are a sort of mechanical cleanser, because they suspend dirt, grease and bacteria above the skin and allow them to be rinsed off the skin Soap, by itself, will not destroy germs, but the lye and other ingredients in it create an environment where bacteria won't thrive.





Soaps that claim to be antibacterial generally contain triclosan, which is a bacteria killer, or tetrasodium EDTA, which works because it inactivates the metal ions in bacteria that they need to grow. Some antibacterial liquid soaps contain plain old isopropyl alcohol Not all soaps contain these ingredients, and cannot, therefore, be called anti-bacterial.Why do a lot of hand soaps in stores claim to be ';antibacterial';?
It is a marketing buzzword. People have gone germ-phobic and are creating mutant germs by using all this anti-bacterial crap. Yes, Soap, water and friction get rid of germs.