Scented baby wipes swap to Fragrance-free plant-fibre wipes

Why make the swap

• Why switch to fragrance-free plant-fibre wipes

  Our pick is 99% purified water with aloe, apple extract and a mild preservative on a 100% bamboo-fibre cloth: five listed ingredients, no fragrance and no disinfectant. AAP advises wipes free of alcohol and fragrance, and suggests rinsing a bad rash with plain water.

• What's the concern with scented baby wipes

  Fragrance and preservatives such as methylisothiazolinone are recognised contact allergens.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your pediatrician before changing what your baby or child uses.

• Good to know before you buy

  Don’t flush them. A rash that won’t clear needs a pediatrician.

  Eco Wave bamboo water wipes, unscented, 12 × 64: Wipe is 100% bamboo fibre, a plant fibre, in 99% water with aloe, apple extract and a mild preservative. No fragrance.

  WaterWipes Sensitive+ Newborn & Baby unscented wipes, 12 × 60: Viscose (plant-fibre) wipe. Its listing says it contains a trace of benzalkonium chloride, a quat disinfectant. Don't flush it.

  WaterWipes Sensitive+ Textured Clean, baby & toddler, 720 count: Viscose (plant-fibre) wipe, per the listing. Don't flush it.

• Sources (6)

  1. Chang & Nakrani 2014, Pediatrics (opens in a new tab)
  2. Warshaw et al. 2017, Dermatitis (opens in a new tab)
  3. AAP HealthyChildren: choose wipes free of alcohol and fragrance; rinse severe rashes with water (opens in a new tab)
  4. Eco Wave baby wipes, maker's page: 100% bamboo; five ingredients; no alcohol or fragrance (opens in a new tab)
  5. WaterWipes (Textile World, Mar 2022): wipes made with viscose, plant-based and plastic-free (opens in a new tab)
  6. WaterWipes Sensitive+ listing: ingredients Aqua, grapefruit seed extract; trace of benzalkonium chloride; do not flush (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.