Behind the Label: Ultra Soft Wet Ones with Chamomile Extract
Don’t give germs a helping hand by Pat Thomas
Nobody washes their hands anymore – the escalation of MRSA in hospitals is just one testimony to that fact.
Instead, when we are feeling a little grimy, in a car or on a plane, during a summer picnic or at the office, we reach for a disposable wipe. And in the past decade there has been an unprecedented boom in the use of disposable cloths of all kinds.
In any supermarket today, along with hand and baby wipes, you can buy self-tan and deodorant wipes, as well as ones for removing make-up, nail polish and blackheads and washing cars, furniture, floors, fridges and ovens.
Wipes are made from plastic, cellulose and polyester fibres pressed together and soaked in a cleaning fluid. In 2004 their global retail value was approximately $4 billion. Personal and cosmetic wipes account for around 65 per cent of this market. They are standard issue for US troops in Iraq. In the UK, Wet Ones, manufactured by Jeyes, claims 57 per cent of the adult wipes market.
Figures from North America suggest that if someone were to load all the disposable wipes purchased there last year onto 18-wheel lorries, the convoy would number 9,000 trucks, stretch for 68 miles, and would be carrying 83,000 tons of used convenience cloths.
Wipes have other disadvantages: they are expensive, can’t be flushed down the toilet and clog sewer systems when they are. They are also very slow to biodegrade. It is likely that all the wipes we’ve ever used are still festering somewhere underground. The environmental impact of this has never been studied.
In addition to this, packs of wipes are prefect breeding grounds for germs. The antibacterial ingredients in Wet Ones Ultra Soft With Camomile Extract are supposed to be effective against E coli, salmonella and listeria on the skin. But once you open a packet of wipes and stick an unwashed hand inside, the clock starts ticking: the chances are that all three of these bugs can be found growing in any frequently used packet of personal wipes (especially the money-saving, long lasting jumbo packs of baby wipes).
To deal with pack contamination, manufacturers add large amounts of preservatives and antibacterials. Eight of the 25 ingredients in Wet Ones Ultra Soft With Camomile Extract fall into this category. What happens to these chemicals when they enter the waste system has never been studied. On human skin they can be irritating, break down the skin’s own protective barrier and cause sensitisation and dermatitis. Some can be transferred to foods during preparation and into your body when you eat. How often this happens and its consequences have also never been studied.
All wipes contain skin-irritating chemicals we could do without. The cleaning power of Wet Ones is based on solvents like denatured alcohol, which can cause dry, cracked skin – a perfect environment for infections. They also contain the solvent and penetration enhancer propylene glycol, and a range of ingredients with carcinogenic potential – including emulsifiers that can be contaminated with 1,4dioxane, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative and a PEG compound (which can contain carcinogens). In the face of all this, the addition of skin-soothing camomile seems pointless.
Sidebar: Ingredients
Aqua, alcohol denat, propylene glycol, cetearyl isononanoate, ceteareth-20, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, glycerine, cetyl palmitate, ceteareth-12, Chamomilla recutita, parfum, allantoin, myrtrimonium bromide, laurtrimonium bromide, bisabolol, methylparaben, butylparaben, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, diazolidinyl urea, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, trideceth-9, benzoic acid
Alcohol denat
Solvent
Dry skin; contact dermatitis
Propylene glycol (derived from petroleum)
Humectant
Skin irritation; contact dermatitis; a penetration enhancer – alters skin structure, allowing other chemicals to penetrate deeper into the skin and bloodstream.
Cetearyl isononanoate
Semi-synthetic emollient; moisturiser
Possible allergen.
Ceteareth-20
Semi-synthetic emulsifier; surfactant; viscosity adjuster
Can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen implicated in breast, prostate and skin cancer.
Cetearyl alcohol and glyceryl stearate
Emollient; moisturiser; emulsifier
Contact dermatitis; skin sensitisation.
Glycerine
Solvent; humectant; lubricant
Can dry the skin, making it more vulnerable to sun damage and to other harmful chemicals in the mix.
Cetyl palmitate
Semi-synthetic emollient; moisturiser
Contact allergies.
Ceteareth-12
Semi-synthetic emulsifier
Can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane (see above).
Chamomilla recutita
Herbal extract; skin conditioner
Can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals, especially those with hay fever triggered by ragweed.
Parfum
Fragrance compound
Central nervous system disruption (eg, headaches, mood swings, depression, forgetfulness); allergic and asthmatic reactions; skin irritation; some perfume ingredients, such as artificial musks and phthalates, are hormone-disrupting.
Methylparaben, butylparaben
Preservatives
Skin irritation; contact dermatitis and allergies; parabens are oestrogen mimics: butylparaben and isobutylparaben have the strongest effect. Excess oestrogen is a trigger for oestrogen dependent cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus and testicles, and may even have effects on foetal development. Scientists analysing breast-cancer tissue have found accumulated parabens in every sample.
Sorbic acid
Preservative
The skin condition urticaria
Diazolidinyl urea
Synthetic preservative
Dermatitis; releases formaldehyde (a carcinogen) as it breaks down
Benzoic acid
Preservative
Eczema; allergies
Sidebar: Alternatives
The best natural alternative to wipes is soap and water, but this hasn’t stopped some ‘natural’ toiletry companies from marketing their own brands of personal wipes. Don’t buy into the hype. From whatever angle you look at it, and even without the addition of skin-irritating chemicals, the wipes phenomenon is a human and ecological disaster we could all do without. Try the following instead:
At work
Wash your hands with soap and water: it’s still the most effective way of getting rid of germs.
When travelling
Make use of public toilets. Alternatively, carry a damp flannel or two in a sealable plastic bag for use on the go.
For baby
Wipes can irritate sensitive skin. Use toilet tissue and damp cotton wool for nappy changes.
Household cleaning
Microfibre cloths made of densely packed fibres thinner than human hair can clean almost every surface without the need for chemical cleaners. Buy the best you can afford and use slightly damp on all washable surfaces.
This article
first appeared in the July/August 2005 edition of the Ecologist
