Pure They Are Not!! (Huggies Pure Wipes)

Member Name: cookie334

Product:	Huggies Pure Wipes
Date:	15/11/08 (477 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good at cleaning

Disadvantages: Way too many dangerous chemicals

I don't usually use baby wipes. I usually try to use cotton wool and water. My daughter is 14 months, but I try not to use anything on her skin if I can help it.

I do buy the occassional packet of wipes to take with us when we're out and about just in case, so when I read on a packet of Huggies Pure "gentle cleaning like cotton wool and water", I thought I'd give them a try.

* Packaging *

Huggies Pure come in a pack of 72 wipes. The packet, which is predominantly blue and red, opens at the top with a sticky tab.

The packet displays lots of information. It has all the essentials such as contact details, ingredients (which I will go into later) etc. It also tells you that there is no perfume, they're alcohol free and the wipes are "gentle cleaning like cotton wool and water".


* Price *

Huggies Pure, as with most wipes will vary hugely in price depending on where they are bought and if there are any offers on at the time. I bought my packet from Boots for £2.49.


* My Experience *

I used these Huggies Pure wipes a few times and I have to say I was initially very impressed. The wipes are quite thick in comparison to other brands and have teddies imprinted all over which is a cute little addition. They are quite moist too, which is a must for a baby wipe. The packet is resealable, however, the seal isn't very strong as it is just like a sticker over the opening. It is fine for a while, but once the pack has been opened and sealed a few times, it does loose its stick. The wipes seem to keep their moisture well though, so I didn't have a problem with this. The wipes are very effective at cleaning even the stickiest poo splattered nappy (sorry if too much information, but it's necessary to know these things do their jobs properly).

A short while after using these for the first time, my daughter had terrible nappy rash. It's not something she usually suffers from, but she was cutting her big back teeth, so I put it down to that. However, every time I used these, she had the same reaction and this led me to think differently. Each time, she would have a red bum with broken skin in places and everytime it would clear up when I went back to the cotton wool and water. This was enough to clarify that it was indeed the wipes that were doing this to my daughter.

I decided to take a look at the ingredients. Legally, the ingredients have to be listed in the order of the amount the product contains, so the first item - aqua, is the main ingredient. On average, the first 3 items listed in an ingredients list will make up 90-95% of the product. Huggies Pure contain (in order):

Aqua
Potassium Laureth Phosphate
Glycerin
Polysorbate 20
Tetrasodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Malic Acid

As you can see, even to the most chemical clueless individual (me), these wipes are not what you'd call "pure", and I certainly would not compare them to cotton wool and water.

But just how bad are these ingredients? With the claims that Huggies make and the fact these are made especially for babies, you would presume they're pretty mild, right? WRONG!!

I decided to do some research into the individual ingredients contained within Huggies Pure wipes.

Aqua - water and harmless

Potassium Laureth Phosphate - This is a synthetic (man made) humectant. Humectants are used to keep the skin moist. Synthetic humectants create a suffocating film on the skin to prevent moisture loss. Chemicals with "eth" in the title should be avoided as it will often be contaminated with dioxane, which is linked to birth defects and cancer.

Glycerin - I couldn't find much information on this, but I did find that it's a synthetic humectant, which is a sugar alcohol and is of low toxicity.

Polysortbate 20 - A synthetic emulsifier. Emulsifiers are used to keep ingredients such as oil and water together. Synthetic emulsifiers are skin irritants.

Tetrasodium EDTA - EDTA is a synthetic preservative, which can be an irritant, particularly to the eyes. Synthetic preservatives are considered by learding dermatological associations to be the number one cause of contact dermatitis.

Methyl paraben - This is another synthetic preservative, which is derived from crude oil. It is toxic and allergenic. As there is an "eth" in the title, this also suggests to me that it could be linked with cancer and birth defects. As mentioned above, could be a cause of contact dermatitis.

Malic Acid - I couldn't find a reason for this being in a baby wipe, in fact I couldn't find much information about it being used in the personal care industry. I did find that it has uses in dentistry and medicine. It can also be used to peel skin (usually the face).


Finding all this out is certainly enough to put me off ever using these on my babys (or anyones) skin ever again. Although, in Huggies defence, when I compared to the ingredients in Boots own brand wipes, they contain a lot less chemicals.

I am not a scientist and certainly do not claim to be an expert. I'm just a mum, who was worried about the ingredients of a product.

There is absolutely loads of information out there and I have included some extra facts at the end if you are interested, however, as they are not directly to do with Huggies Pure, I will not involve them in the main part of the review.


* Would I use again? *

Absolutely not!!! I had no idea something so simple and every day could be so dangerous for my children.


* Would I recommend? *

No chance. As effective as they were at doing what they're meant for, I don't recommend using anything with these ingredients.

_________________________________________________ ___

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Recent studies show that as the skin is the largest organ, we may aquire more toxins through skin absorption and inhalation, than through the foods we eat. When applied to the skin they pass through and enter the bloodstream within minutes.

According to the Enviromental Defense Groups ongoing research "78% of the chemicals in highest volume commercial use have not had even 'minimal' toxicity testing"

There is no government regulation of "organic" or "natural" in the personal care industry, so if a product states it's organic, this may not be the case.

Babies have proportionally more skin compared to weight. This means substances absorbed by their skin end up in a higher concentration in their bloodstream.

According to Women's Environmental Network - up until 6 months old, infants lack a blood - brain barrier to prevent blood borne toxins entering the brain. Low level exposures that would have little or no effect on an adult brain can sabotage a foetal one.

Summary: Stick with cotton wool and water