Baby wipes — is ‘chemical- free’ the best option?

I thought it would be useful to do a detailed write-up of some of my issues with a recent highly shared blog post called “Are your baby wipes safe?”. (Hmm, that’s not a fear mongering title at all.)

The author categorically states that she wants to avoid parabens, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1–2-diol (“because it releases formaldehyde”) Methylisothiazolinone, and fragrance. So let’s look at this ingredient list in detail.

There are some weak studies that parabens can have some hormone effects and some people choose to avoid them for this reason. The main reason they are used in any wet wipes items is that they are an effective preservative which stops bacteria and yeast build up. This is quite important when parents are touching areas with faecal matter then touching the wipes container again, and then storing in nappy bags which can be kept in warm environments like cars.

‘2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1–2-diol is to be avoided as it releases formaldehyde’ according to the author which is a bug bear of mine on these types of blogs. Formaldehyde is naturally produced in a range of foods including apples and pears. Humans also biosynthesise this chemical. It stops certain reactions including… bacterial growth. It can be carcogenic in large doses. That’s why it’s important to know the dose of formaldehyde to know if you should be concerned about formaldehyde — my rule of thumb is this more or less than in apple juice? That way I can work out if I need to be worried about my child having a small amount wiped on their skin.

This can be a contact allergen in some people, so it’s mainly a worry if you know you have a sensitivity.

Methylisothiazolinone is a preservative being used as a substitute for parabens as so many people are trying to avoid them. It can cause contact allergies in people who are very sensitive, so as a result there are limits on the usage. This page has a zero tolerance policy for the product which seems extreme unless you have a known sensitivity.

Fragrance; eh, this is personal preference. I prefer fragrance-free wipes but it’s such a broad brushstroke you can’t really comment on the validity of it.

The ingredients she hope to avoid are;

Malic Acid — gosh, who’d want an acid on their skin…. Hang on … this acid is also the one in fruit juices. You recognise it as being the main taste in apple juice. Again, this can be an irritant but an actual level of the ingredient is important as it could also be less aggravating than a splash of highly watered down (and sugarless) juice.

Phenoxyethanol is a germicidal. It’s naturally found in green tea. It can be toxic in higher dosages, but again the dose is a vital piece of information to determine if this is an issue.

Propylene glycol is a food grade chemical. It breaks down very quickly. It’s also used in lotions as it improves absorption of chemicals and in medicines as a stabiliser. It is generally recognised as safe and even the EU allows up to 0.1% in food items.

Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride — this has a couple of uses in this context, mainly that it’s a bactericide and surfactant that can help remove more oily messes. In addition to the scary industrial uses that a lot of the natural care ‘research’ brings up, this is also the active ingredient in burns and ulcer lotions. It’s a good way to stop any small sores from getting a bacterial infection.

Tocopheryl Acetate is a form of vitamin E. In this form about 5% can be absorbed into the skin. It’s more stable and less acidic than the non-acetate form. I think this is case where the chemical name causes alarm as this is common part of vegetable oils and seeds and people are generally not alarmed by the natural wipe recipes that oils like almond oil (which a lot of ‘natural’ wipes use to help moisturise).

Now I don’t want to suggest that any of these ingredients are good no matter what. You can obviously find examples of how these ingredients can be problematic. However, it’s important to look into why these ingredients are used and compare any risks with the alternatives and most importantly to know the dose levels. Looking at the fact that they can be hazardous in a high concentration and comparing this to the very low levels used in other applications is silly and inaccurate.

The natural products without these preservatives are fine, of course. Many children throughout history survived without wet wipes. There is a higher risk of bacterial build-up which can lead to other health issues, but this can be largely managed with adequate hand hygiene and storage of wipes. Natural wipes without preservatives needs to be replaced more often which can be an extra load on new parents and can be very stressful when you are out with your baby and need to change them in a place that doesn’t have running water for example.

At the end of the day you need to make a decision on issues like this based on the risks of the ingredients (which in this case are very low unless you have a specific contact allergy) and your ability to either store natural wipes or make wipes on demand.