Take any pack of wet wipes from the market and check the ingredients list on the package, you will find out that water (Aqua) always tops the list. Most people are not aware that the solution that makes wipes moist is made up of 99% of water. Water is the primary ingredient and serves as a carrier and diluent for the other ingredients. The diagram below outlines a list of ingredients typically found in wet wipes.

2 280x300 - Wet Wipes Raw Material

What else is in the liquid of wet wipes?

Preservatives：
Preservatives are the subject to negative press in the media but nevertheless, they play an important role in wet wipe products. The function of a preservative system is to fight bacteria in wet wipes made with a lot of water, inhibit the growth of mold, harmful microbes or fungus and keep the wipe shelf-stable.

Note that as consumers are more aware of ingredients found in their products and their potential hazards, there is a growing trend for products to contain no controversial preservative ingredients. In this case, more wet wipes manufacturers are cautious about selecting gentle, mild preservatives that can reduce potential sensitivity or irritation on human skin while preventing product contamination.

In the personal care industry, European Union (EU) has maintained a list of approved preservative chemicals known as Annex V of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. High-quality wet wipes manufacturers can refer to the list to select preservatives that are allowed for use in wipes (baby wipes in particular) to ensure the safety and efficacy of the wipes. Ingredients on the list are recognized for their antimicrobial action and safe usage concentrations.

Commonly selected preservative Ingredients are ( & not limited to ):

Sodium Benzoate
Phenoxyethanol
2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1.3-Diol
Chlorphenesin
Benzalkonium chloride
Controversial preservative ingredients with allergenicity and irritation potential to be avoided:

Methylisothiazolinone
Formaldehyde releasing preservatives
Parabens
Surfactants
Surfactants are the molecules within the formulation that has cleaning properties. The role of surfactants is to lower the surface tension of water and make it easier to remove dirt or oily soil from the surface and skin.

Common surfactants found in mainstream baby wipes

Coco-glucoside
PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil
Polysorbate 20
PH adjusters
PH adjusters such as Citric Acid or Sodium Citrate are common in skin care wet wipes where you will often see “PH Balanced” on the packaging. A balanced PH is set around 4.5-5.5 which is close to that of healthy skin.

The adjustment of formulation pH serves two critical purposes—to prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the formulation and to help form healthy skin barriers.

Humectants
Formulators use Humectants such as propylene glycol and glycerine to deliver moisturization benefits to the skin. Humectants are typically found in skin care products such as makeup removal wipes, hand wipes or baby wipes.

Fragrance
For a wipe to deliver a pleasant scent, Fragrance ingredients that are made of aroma compounds are added to the formulation. Fragrance could also serve to help overcome body odours or to mask the undesirable scent of other ingredients. However, apart from preservatives, the fragrance is also notably viewed by consumers as a clinically relevant allergen in wipes, and fragrance-free wipes have won popularity with consumers over recent years.

Some other skin benefit agents such as emollients, emulsifiers, and anti-oxidants could also be used as market differentiators to increase consumer appeal. Natural ingredients and vitamins that are known to be kind to the skin may also be added including Aloe Vera, grapefruit seed extract, Chamomilla Recutita, and vitamin E derivatives.

When we talk about controversial, harsh, harmful or toxic ingredients in wet wipes, what do they actually mean?

Wet wipes Ingredients linked to skin irritation, cancer, endocrine disruption, developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity and more.

In general, wet wipes Ingredients should be carefully selected and properly formulated based on safety profile, allergenicity, tolerability, effective concentration, desired functions and consumer expectation.