In the war against germs, many Americans have taken to carrying around bottles of hand sanitizer.

Most bottles have printed on their fronts that hand sanitizer “kills 99.99% of germs.”

What many consumers don’t know is that hand sanitizer can be worse for us than the 99.99% of germs it is supposed to kill.

The reason for this is that hand sanitizer contains a toxic ingredient called triclosan. Triclosan, along with a hormone-disrupting chemical called bisphenol A (BPA), has been linked to major health issues involved in cases of cancer and hormonal disruption.

In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that triclosan is present in urine of roughly 75% of Americans. With hand sanitizer seemingly doing more harm than good, it is imperative that we look for safer and more effective antiseptic alternatives.

Researchers are finding that essential oils, such as cinnamon and tea tree essential oils, are more effective as anti-fungal antiseptics. Even better, they do not contain toxic ingredients like triclosan and BPA.

Research shows that 10 drops of cinnamon in a single liter of water kills all six strains of non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing E. coli within 24 hours.

Tea tree oil works as an immune system stimulant and is effective in killing viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

While alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t contain triclosan, switching to essential oils can be a beneficial decision.

Essential oils do not have the same negative side-effects and are strong antibacterial and antifungal agents.