Makeup wipes swap to Reusable cotton rounds + jojoba oil

Why make the swap

• Why switch to reusable cotton rounds + jojoba oil

  Cotton rounds used with water or a fragrance-free cleanser, so nothing extra stays behind. They get washed and reused instead of binned after one swipe.

• What's the concern with makeup wipes

  Wipes are often used without rinsing, so what they’re soaked in stays on your skin. Dermatologists have listed make-up remover wipes among the sources of methylisothiazolinone, a preservative behind a rise in skin allergies in the 2010s, and the EU has since banned it in leave-on products. Some wipes also add fragrance, which FDA says can cause allergic reactions in some people. Many wipes are made with plastic fibres like PET or polypropylene, and England has passed a ban on wet wipes containing plastic.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  Drop used rounds in the laundry bag and wash them with your towels.

  ASPACES reusable bamboo-cotton rounds, 20-pk: Cotton and bamboo-derived fabric; the maker doesn't give the blend.

  Brooklyn Botany jojoba oil, 8 fl oz: One ingredient: jojoba oil. Use it with a reusable round.

• Sources (5)

  1. DermNet: methylisothiazolinone allergy 'epidemic'; sources include wet-wipe make-up removers; EU banned it in leave-on products (2015) (opens in a new tab)
  2. Boyapati et al. 2013, Australas J Dermatol: methylisothiazolinone allergy from wipes (baby wipes causing hand dermatitis) (opens in a new tab)
  3. FDA: 'fragrance' can stand in for undisclosed ingredients, some of which can cause allergic reactions (opens in a new tab)
  4. Ó Briain 2020: non-flushable wipes tested were PET, polypropylene or PET-cellulose; flushed wipes shed microplastic fibres (opens in a new tab)
  5. UK government 2025: new law bans wet wipes containing plastic in England (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.