The science behind wet wipes for infant skin: Ingredient review, safety, and efficacy

Sustainable changes in beauty market trends focused on the perspective of safety in the post-coronavirus disease-19 period

BACKGROUND

In February 2020, WHO announced the outbreak of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in a global epidemic, and the COVID-19 vaccine has recently been developed and approved in many countries to release disease radio waves. Immediately distributed and used to control and control infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world closed extensively in beauty and beauty services to control the spread of the virus.

OBJECTIVES

Therefore, this study for the first time that the perspective of safety in sustainable may be applied to the entire alteration of beauty industry market in the post-COVID-19 pandemic for literature review.

METHODS

A Narrative Review is proposed as a new report and commentary on the sustainable change of beauty market trends centered on safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020. It was written with reference to keywords such as "Covid Beauty Market," "Covid Sustainable," "Covid clean beauty," and "Safety beauty." This study was performed by searching on PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ResearchGate. A total of 383 papers were retrieved, of which 36 were successfully included in this study.

RESULTS

Analysis of customers and markets in the beauty industry since COVID-19 was absolutely required at this time. Harmful and safe edible ingredients of clean beauty perspective should be compared and analyzed. In addition, importance of sustainability value from a clean beauty perspective should be considered.

CONCLUSION

There is an era in which the perspective of safety in sustainable may be applied to the entire beauty industry today. In addition, depending on the customer's perception change, beyond the ingredients, raw material procurement of products, manufacturing process, product experiments, etc. are part of clean beauty to minimize carbon emissions, water use, recycle product containers, and reduce waste.

Skin Barrier Function in Infants: Update and Outlook

A good understanding of infant skin should provide a rationale for optimum management of the health of this integument. In this review, we discuss the skin barrier function of infants, particularly with reference to the use of diapers and baby wipes. The skin barrier of newborns continues to develop with age. Two years after birth, the barrier properties of infant skin closely resemble those of adult skin. However, several risk factors may contribute to impaired skin barrier and altered skin permeability in infants. Problems may arise from the use of diapers and baby wipes. The skin covered by a diaper is effectively an occluded environment, and thus is vulnerable to over-hydration. To date there has been no published information regarding dermal absorption of ingredients contained in baby wipes. Similarly, dermal absorption of topical ingredients in infants with underlying skin conditions has not been widely explored. Clearly, there are serious ethical concerns related to conducting skin permeation studies on infant skin. However, the increasing availability of non-invasive methods for in vivo studies is encouraging and offers new directions for studying this important patient group.

Baby wipes and nappy rash - what is the relationship? A review

Baby wipes are a commonly used cleansing method for infants. A literature review has been performed to assess if using baby wipes is beneficial or harmful compared to water and cloth in terms of nappy rash. This includes a detailed analysis of baby wipe ingredients, as many skin irritants as well as allergens are identified. MedLine, Embase and PubMed were searched and after 420 titles and abstracts were screened, 21 studies remained for inclusion. Baby wipes are deemed as superior to water and cloth in the majority of the literature. However, no definitive conclusion can be drawn as many studies are also industry funded. The most notable allergens identified are fragrances, such as linalool, cocamidopropyl betaine (surfactant), formaldehyde-releasing preservatives and other preservatives, including methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone. As not all allergens are listed on the label accurately, this can be misleading for the consumer.

Why Are Wet Wipes So Difficult to Preserve? Understanding the Intrinsic Causes

Over the last two decades, significant advances have been made in developing disposable baby wet wipes. Wet wipes consist of two main components: nonwoven fabric and liquid. Being more than 90% water, wet wipes are more susceptible to microbial growth than typical personal care products; hence, high concentrations of preservative compounds are often used to ensure extended protection against contamination. However, there is an obvious tendency to minimize the concentration of irritating actives. Baby wet wipes should contain particularly mild surfactants, well-tolerated preservatives, and a buffer system maintaining the formulation pH at a suitable level for the infant’s skin. Efforts have been centered on removing ingredients with irritation potential, such as phenoxyethanol. In addition, a move towards more natural fabrics is occurring. However, these modifications provoke new challenges in preserving the final products. The nature and composition of the fiber can influence the interactions between the preservative and the wipe, subsequently affecting the performance of the preservative system. In this study, we analyzed the causes of the challenge in preserving wet wipes. We found that fabrics containing natural fibers are the main source of contamination, promoting the generation of biofilms on their surfaces. Moreover, the hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB) was utilized to rationalize the physicochemical interactions between the fabric and the preservatives.

The science behind wet wipes for infant skin: Ingredient review, safety, and efficacy

In the diapered area, the continuous exposure to excess moisture and irritants from urine and feces weakens the stratum corneum, making the skin more susceptible to irritation. The use of wet wipes for infants (baby wipes) is a common practice to clean skin after urine or a bowel movement, and this practice even extends to cleaning the hands and face, resulting in repeated daily use. Therefore, ensuring that baby wipes contain ingredients that are safe and mild on skin is important to help minimize skin irritation and discomfort. While disposable baby wipes have been shown to be effective and gentle at cleaning infant skin, even the skin of premature infants, there is growing public concern regarding their safety and tolerability. Not all products are made the same, as differences exist in manufacturing processes, ingredients, materials, safety, and quality testing. Therefore, it is important that healthcare professionals have accessible evidenced-based information on the safety and tolerability of common ingredients found in baby wipes to optimally educate their patients and families. Herein, we provide a review on best practices for ingredient selection, safety, and efficacy of baby wipes.