Wet wipes – ingredient lists and INCI analysis

Wet wipes are cloths soaked in a liquid that cleanses or refreshes the skin and is generally not rinsed off. They are used for nappy changes, make-up removal, cleaning hands on the go or refreshing the face and body. After use they are disposed of with household waste, and the pack usually warns not to flush them.

The INCI list describes the liquid, so AQUA is almost always first. It is followed by humectants like GLYCERIN or PROPYLENE GLYCOL, mild surfactants or solubilisers such as COCO-GLUCOSIDE, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL or POLYSORBATE 20, and sometimes emollients. Make-up removing wipes add ingredients like ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE or POLOXAMER 184 to lift make-up, and refreshing wipes may contain ALCOHOL.

With so much water and a large surface area, wipes depend on preservation, typically PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM BENZOATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE or BENZOIC ACID with a pH adjuster such as CITRIC ACID. Scented wipes list PARFUM followed by any named allergens above the regulatory threshold. In practice, the ingredient list covers the liquid only, not the fibres of the cloth.