42 PRESERVATIVES
What lies within: Unfolding wet wipe preservation
Naama Eylon - Sharon Laboratories, Israel
The preservation of wet wipes in general and personal care and baby wipes specifically have been on the mind of every wet wipes manufacturer. Wipes are an integral part of the baby care
hygiene regime, and safety is always the top priority when it comes to baby care products. Ingredients and components used in baby care should be addressed by means of safety evaluation, clinical testing and of course – real life use. Avoiding microbial contamination and an
adequate preservation are a key to the product safety. The industry is aware of the difficulty to preserve wipes, and for many manufacturers, preservation of wet wipes has been a pain point. In this article we will describe newly identified
reasons for the preservation challenge of wipes, offering a different view on ways to reduce risk and achieve antimicrobial protection through rational design of a preservative system. Firstly, we should review the common
perceptions associated today with the wipes preservation: product properties and packaging ■ Product properties: Wet wipes consist of two parts; a non-woven fabric carrier which is impregnated with an aqueous solution, known as the formula. The combination of a liquid, which is the usual area of microbial growth, and a substrate, is adding to the complexity. A standard concern of personal care product formulators is matching a preservative solution to a specific formulation; the aim is make sure sure that the product is not only protected from contamination, but also stable and that all components are compatible with each other. With wipes, further complications are expected, due to the potential interactions between the liquid and the substrate, as well as the preservative and substrate. An example of the latter is often described as impact to colour – and some formulators prefer to avoid specific organic acids after experiencing an impact to the colour of the wipes – specifically yellowing. ■ Packaging: The ideal packaging in terms of microbial inhibition conceptionally is a single- pack sachet, but this is not the common packaging for everyday use. Most personal care and baby wipes are packed in soft, somewhat resealable packs, and sometimes tubes. This type of packaging is adding to the preservation challenge as the wipes inside the pack are in fact exposed to external
PERSONAL CARE February 2022
10 8 6 4 2 0
0 2 7 Day Figure 1: Challenge test on standard wet wipe formula
E.coli■
S.aureus■
P.aeruginosa■
C.albicans■ A. brasiliensis■ 14 21 28
E.coli■
S.aureus■
P.aeruginosa■
C.albicans■ A. brasiliensis■
10 8 6 4 2 0
0 2 7 Day
contamination, as the pack is not fully sealed once opened for the first time. And last – it is important to acknowledge
the reality of consumer behaviour - the ‘real life’ use: If we are in need of a wipe for cleansing – dirt is a built-in part of the equation. Wipe packs are often opened with unwashed hands, bringing constant contamination risk into the product. It is impossible to address the topic
of preservation without mentioning two additional factors. Although not directly
14 Figure 2: Challenge test on standard wet wipe formula, with fabric
connected to microbial risk, these factors add to the challenge: marketing claims and regulations. Regulatory and safety issues are slowly
reducing the variety of solutions that can be used – from the ban of specific ingredients which were once commonly used, to restricting the level of use. But in fact, when it comes to wipes, it seems like the consumer pressure and marketing claims are driving some changes even faster than the regulations. This can
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Log (population)
Log (population)
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