But some of the best-known celebrities use their soap boxes to spread scientifically dubious--and potentially harmful--messages.

FORBES: Stars Vs. Science

At one such festival last year in Haridwar, the state authorities used newspaper advertisements to implore the faithful not to use detergent or soap when bathing.

ECONOMIST: Pilgrimages

Healthcare staff must use soap and water to get rid of the bug, and hospital wards must be cleaned using more powerful disinfectants than usual to eradicate the bug.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Patients killed by new bug strain

She had to use a toothbrush to scrub where it had mixed with green soap from the dispenser, then caked in mineral crusts around the base of the taps, around the plughole and the overflow.

NEWYORKER: Friendly Fire

Canton-Potsdam also has patients use chlorhexidine wipes, applied after a regular shower, as an alternative to the soap.

WSJ: Steps for Surgical Patients to Fight Infection

Lore and Bharara also see a value in creating specialized sites for each category--first Diapers.com for baby goods, now Soap.com for drugstore products--under one online roof, allowing shoppers to use the same shopping cart for both sites.

FORBES: Magazine Article