Do antimicrobial scrubs work? The evidence and the law

Short answer

• A 2017 Duke trial of 40 ICU nurses found no difference in contamination between plain and two antimicrobial scrub types.
• Under EPA rules, unregistered treated clothing may only claim to protect the product itself, not the wearer or patients.
• In 2022 a jury found FIGS' antimicrobial claims were not literally false or deceptive; the rival that sued said it planned to appeal.
• No treated fabric replaces hand hygiene, PPE or a clean uniform every shift.

In this guide (7 sections)

1. What are antimicrobial scrubs?
2. Do antimicrobial scrubs reduce bacteria? What the Duke trial found
3. What can antimicrobial clothing legally claim in the US?
4. What happened in the FIGS antimicrobial lawsuit?
5. How to read an antimicrobial claim on a label
6. Does antimicrobial treatment change how you should work?
7. What to check before you act

The best-known trial on this question found no difference: in a 2017 Duke University study, ICU nurses' scrubs picked up bacteria at the same rate whether they were plain cotton-polyester or one of two antimicrobial types. Separately, US EPA rules mean that treated clothing sold without pesticide registration may only claim to protect the fabric itself, not the wearer or patients. Neither point is a verdict on any particular brand, and a 2022 jury found one company's claims were not false advertising.

This page reports the evidence and the rules. It does not test or rate any product.

What are antimicrobial scrubs?

They are scrubs made from fabric treated with an antimicrobial agent. Retail listings usually name the treatment. Two examples we found in published specs on 23 October 2026:

Fabric	Composition	Named treatment	Where we saw it
FIGS FIONx	72% polyester / 21% rayon / 7% spandex	Silvadur	All Custom Wear help page (a reseller, not FIGS)
Jaanuu ULTRAsoft (style W30003)	65% rayon / 30% nylon / 5% spandex	Silvadur	Ninja Transfers listing (a reseller)

The All Custom Wear page says the treatment "inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeast, algae, and other microorganisms that cause odor" and fabric damage. Note what that wording covers: odor and the fabric. It says nothing about protecting people. The Ninja Transfers listing says the Jaanuu fabric is treated with Silvadur and that the scrubs help keep you fresh.

Brands' own pages may word things differently, and wording changes. Read the current claim on the brand's own site, not a copy.

Do antimicrobial scrubs reduce bacteria? What the Duke trial found

FierceHealthcare reported the study on 30 August 2017. It was published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, led by Deverick Anderson at Duke University Medical Center.

Detail	What the study did
Who	40 nurses in medical and surgical ICUs at a 936-bed hospital
Design	Randomized; each nurse wore three scrub types over three consecutive 12-hour shifts, without knowing which type
Scrub types	Traditional cotton-polyester; silver-alloy embedded fibers; scrubs treated with a combination of antibacterial agents
Samples	Over 2,900 cultures from bed rails, beds and supply carts, and 2,185 from scrub sleeves, abdomens and pockets
Main result	No difference in contamination by scrub type
Other results	New contamination of something in 33% of shifts; scrubs newly contaminated in 16% of shifts; Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA) most common

The authors suggested the treated scrubs likely failed because the textiles have only low-level disinfectant ability and were exposed repeatedly over a short time. They pointed to hand hygiene, gowns and gloves where appropriate, and better environmental cleaning instead.

What the trial does not tell you

• It was one hospital, 40 nurses and three shifts each. It is a small study.
• It measured bacteria on fabric, not infections in patients or staff.
• It tested specific products available in 2017, not every treatment sold now.
• It did not test odor, which is what many product claims are about.

We did not find a larger or newer randomized trial of antimicrobial scrubs while researching this page. If one is published, we will add it.

What can antimicrobial clothing legally claim in the US?

In the US, antimicrobial agents are pesticides under FIFRA (the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act). EPA has a "treated articles exemption" that lets a product treated with a registered pesticide be sold without its own registration, on two conditions set out in EPA's PRN 2000-1:

1. The claims protect only the article itself.
2. The pesticide used is registered for that use.

EPA's consumer page (updated 5 May 2026) gives an example of acceptable wording: built-in antimicrobial properties that inhibit bacteria that may affect the product. It says such properties do not protect users against germs or disease organisms. PRN 2000-1 (page updated 4 November 2025) says the exemption does not cover implied or explicit public health claims against human pathogens.

Type of claim	Status under EPA's treated-article rules
Protects the fabric from odor-causing or damaging microbes	Can fall under the exemption, with a qualifying statement
Claims to control named pathogens such as S. aureus or E. coli	Needs EPA registration and supporting data
"Fights germs" or "antibacterial protection" for the user	Treated as a public health claim; not allowed without registration

EPA says it has acted to stop sales of products with unsubstantiated public health claims and will keep doing so. It also says it worries such claims could lead people to neglect basic hygiene.

These rules are US federal rules. Other countries regulate treated articles differently, and we have not covered them here.

What happened in the FIGS antimicrobial lawsuit?

Strategic Partners Inc. (SPI), which trades as Careismatic Brands and makes rival scrubs, sued FIGS in 2019. California Apparel News reported in November 2019 that SPI's suits alleged, among other things, false claims about antimicrobial protection. A registered nurse also filed a separate class action at the time. FIGS called the suits meritless.

On 3 November 2022 a jury ruled for FIGS. dot.LA reported that the jury found FIGS' claims were not literally false and did not deceive a substantial segment of FIGS' consumers, and that SPI was not entitled to damages. SPI's counsel said it planned to appeal. We have not confirmed the result of any appeal, so treat the 2022 verdict as the latest outcome we can source.

The verdict was about false advertising law in that case. It was not a scientific finding about whether treated scrubs reduce contamination or infection.

How to read an antimicrobial claim on a label

Use this as a reading checklist, not a buying score:

• What does it protect? "Inhibits odor" or "protects the fabric" is a product-protection claim. "Protects you" or "fights germs" is a public health claim.
• Is there an EPA registration number? EPA notes that treated articles relying on the exemption usually don't carry one for the product.
• Who wrote the claim? Reseller pages may copy older wording. Check the brand's own domain.
• Does it change the care label? FIONx's published care is a cold wash. That may clash with a 60°C laundering policy, which our guide to how to wash scrubs explains.

Does antimicrobial treatment change how you should work?

No guidance we checked makes an exception for treated fabric. NHS England's uniform guidance still expects a clean uniform every shift. NHS Scotland's policy says uniform is not PPE and should never be treated as PPE. The Duke authors' own recommendations were about hand hygiene, gowns and gloves, and cleaning.

If you want to compare fabrics on composition and care rather than claims, see scrub fabric blends. If you are buying your first set, our nursing student scrubs guide covers what to check first.

What to check before you act

• Read the exact claim on the brand's own site and note what it says it protects.
• Treat any claim of protecting you or patients with caution unless it shows EPA registration.
• Check the care label against your employer's laundering policy.
• Keep following hand hygiene, PPE and clean-uniform rules regardless of fabric.
• Questions about infection risk go to your infection prevention team or a clinician.

Questions people ask

General information only, not medical, legal or employment advice. Your employer's uniform and laundry policy comes first, and brand specs and prices change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Sources

1. Bacteria lurks on nurses' scrubs even when clothing made of antibacterial fabrics (FierceHealthcare, 30 Aug 2017)checked October 23, 2026
2. Consumer products treated with pesticides (US EPA, updated 5 May 2026)checked October 23, 2026
3. PRN 2000-1: Applicability of the treated articles exemption to antimicrobial pesticides (US EPA, updated 4 Nov 2025)checked October 23, 2026
4. FIGS wins lawsuit (dot.LA, 4 Nov 2022)checked October 23, 2026
5. Scrubs maker Figs sued (California Apparel News, Nov 2019)checked October 23, 2026
6. FIGS FIONx fabric (All Custom Wear help center, reseller)checked October 23, 2026
7. Jaanuu W30003 (Ninja Transfers, reseller listing)checked October 23, 2026
8. DL(2018)4: NHSScotland national uniform and dress code (Scottish Government)checked October 23, 2026