Looking for eco-friendly baby wipes in the UK? Find out the eco terms to be wary of, and then try out my top suggestions for sustainable baby care – from plastic-free to certified compostable.
As a mum of two, I’m all about keeping things clean and green. Especially so when it comes to my kids.
I’ve previously shared my top tips on getting started with reusable nappies. And I’ve shared my guide to eco-friendly disposable nappies. This is the guide for you if reusables aren’t for you, or if you want to use reusable nappies on a part-time basis.
But what about eco-friendly baby wipes?
The truth is that choosing eco-friendly baby wipes is a quagmire of greenwash. There are so many green claims that it’s difficult to know where to begin. Let me start off by showing you the best baby wipes brands available right now, and then the marketing terms to be wary of.
The Eco-Friendly Baby Wipe Brands In The UK To Know
Whilst reusable baby wipes are king when it comes to sustainability, they don’t necessarily suit every situation. If you need to use disposable baby wipes, then here are some more sustainable and eco-friendly brands to look out for.
Eco by Naty
Naty eco-friendly baby wipes, available from Ethical Superstore (£2.75 for 56 wipes / 4.9 p per wipe) are wipes that I really rate. I used them on both of my kids when reusables weren’t a practical option for us – like when we were on holiday – and loved them.
Naty’s wipes are chlorine and perfume-free. What’s more, you won’t find any alcohol, parabens, or phthalates in them either.
The Naty wipes themselves are made from 100% beechwood tree pulp from sustainably managed forests. They have also been independently certified to home compost in 12 weeks. And the good news is that Naty wipes are also free from animal testing and suitable for vegans.
Something to note is that they do contain sodium benzoate. This is a commonly used preservative that helps to extend the shelf life of baby wipes. I know that some people with incredibly sensitive skin like to avoid this particular ingredient due to allergies, so if that’s your child, then you may want to explore other options.
If sodium benzoate has flown under your radar, I personally wouldn’t worry. If your baby doesn’t have an allergy to sodium benzoate, then these wipes shouldn’t be a problem. Sodium benzoate, despite the chemical name, is a naturally occurring substance found in fruits, including cherries, cranberries, and raspberries. It’s considered safe to use on babies, plus it is permitted in organic health and beauty products by all organic certification bodies worldwide.
Cheeky Panda Bamboo Wipes
Cheeky Panda’s Bamboo Wipes, available from Ethical Superstore (£2.99 for a pack of 64 wipes / 4.7 p per wipe), is another one to look at as an alternative to baby wipes.
This personal care brand is a certified B-Corp. What this means is that Cheeky Panda has been independently recognised for meeting the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.
In practice, this shows up in lots of ways. Its wipes are FSC-certified, so the bamboo comes from responsibly managed forests. They’re also Leaping Bunny–approved, cruelty-free, and free from animal testing.
The wipes themselves are made without plastic and are free from harsh ingredients that some conventional wipes can contain. This includes formaldehyde, chlorine, and synthetic fragrances. However, again, they do contain sodium benzoate, so this is another brand to avoid if your baby has a specific allergy to this preservative.
Environmental credentials aside, how do they perform? I found that bamboo is strong yet soft, so these wipes don’t disintegrate when you are trying to wipe a wriggly baby. Plus, as they contain just water, apple extract, and aloe, they are incredibly gentle on your baby’s skin.
Kit & Kin
Kit & Kin wipes (£2.75 for a pack of 60 wipes / 4.6 p per wipe) are another more sustainable choice.
Made with 99% water and infused with soothing chamomile, these soft yet strong plastic-free wipes are gentle on sensitive skin. So much so that they are approved by Allergy UK. They’re also free from petrochemicals, alcohol, chlorine, parabens, SLS, and a whole list of other nasties you don’t want near your baby.
The only thing to note is that, again, these wipes contain sodium benzoate, so this is another one to avoid if your baby has a specific allergy or hypersensitivity to this ingredient.
Natracare
Natracare’s eco-friendly baby wipes, available from Ethical Superstore (£4.65 for a pack of 50 wipes / 9.3 p per wipe), are another wipe brand that I’ve tried and loved – although they are quite a bit more expensive than other brands.
Scented with organic essential oils of chamomile, apricot, and sweet almond oil, these cleanse and refresh your baby whilst smelling so good.
These wipes are free from detergents such as sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) or any of its close relatives. They also don’t contain any parabens or synthetic preservatives, including methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and other types of formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
Sodium benzoate isn’t listed as an ingredient in these baby wipes, so they MAY be suitable for babies with this particular allergy. I would double-check with Natracare first, though, just to be on the safe side.
The wipes themselves have also been certified as organic by The Soil Association, and they’re vegan and cruelty-free.
Something to note is that Natracare says its eco-friendly baby wipes are home-compostable in the UK; however, I couldn’t find any independent verification to support this claim.
CannyMum Bamboo Dry Wipes
If you are looking for all the convenience of disposable baby wipes but want to eschew the plastic packaging, then these CannyMum bamboo wipes are a good eco-friendly choice. These are available in packs of 200, directly from CannyMum’s Amazon shopfront.
CannyMum’s plastic-free baby wipes come in a fully recyclable cardboard box. When you want to use one, simply wet it with a little warm water and then wipe. The wipes are soft, so don’t pull on your baby’s skin, yet strong. This means they don’t disintegrate when wet, as toilet paper does. Once you’re done, the used wipes can then be composted at home if you want to (not the poopy ones!).
As these wipes are dry, absolutely nothing is added to them. Dye-free, fragrance-free, chlorine-free, preservative-free, and sulphate-free, these wipes are my top choice for babies with sensitive skin.
The Eco-Friendly Baby Wipe Terms to Be Wary Of
Now that you know some of the greenest eco-friendly baby brands available, it’s also important to know about greenwashing.
The baby wipes market in the UK is awash with green buzzwords, many of them without substantiation. Here are some of the most common terms to be wary of:
Flushable
The trouble is that many disposable baby wipes, even the ones marketed as “flushable” are a disaster for both our sewer systems and the environment.
This is because even flushable baby wipes can contain plastic, and therefore don’t break down in the water in the same way that toilet paper does. And even non-plastic wipes can cause blockages. In short, don’t flush any wipes down the toilet, regardless of what the packaging might say.
Biodegradable
Biodegradable sounds good, but have you considered what the term biodegradable really means? Many people think the term biodegradable means compostable. However, this isn’t true as all compostable items are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable items are compostable.
Confused? Compostable means being able to be broken down to make compost. Meanwhile, the term biodegradable means that an item can be broken down into increasingly smaller pieces.
This isn’t helpful with regard to biodegradable plastics. A biodegradable plastic bag will break down into smaller pieces and hence biodegrade. However, those smaller pieces of plastic become microplastics, which in turn pose a much bigger environmental problem.
I’ve written more about the differences between biodegradable and compostable, which explains them in more detail. The short version is that the term ‘biodegradable’ isn’t very helpful for anyone trying to make greener shopping choices, and in particular, those looking to make eco-friendly baby wipe purchasing decisions.
Compostable
A packet of baby wipes may say that they are compostable; however, it all depends on how you dispose of them.
Food waste doesn’t break down in landfill. So it’s safe to say that compostable baby wipes certainly won’t compost in a landfill. For compostable baby wipes to compost, you have to have access to the correct facilities.
For home-compostable baby wipes, there are a number of issues when it comes to composting, particularly if you plan on using your homemade compost in your fruit or vegetable beds.
This is because if you’ve been wiping a poopy baby bum, then you don’t want human faeces in your lovely compost. The other issue is that baby wipes tend to be impregnated with moisturising lotions, perfumes, or detergents that you probably don’t want in your compost.
Something else to think about is how large your compost bin is, and if it can handle the number of baby wipes you plan to use in a day.
In order to make good compost, you need a 50:50 mix of materials that are rich in nitrogen and carbon. The nitrogen comes from materials such as grass clippings and food waste. Meanwhile, carbon comes from brown material, such as woody stems and cardboard, and compostable baby wipes.
Will it be possible for you to maintain a 50:50 mix by adding baby wipes every day? If you have too much carbon in your bin (as you may do by adding baby wipes every day), then the composting process will be very slow. It’s definitely a point to consider.
Final Thoughts
Baby wipes might be used to keep your baby clean, but so many wipes out there pollute the planet in the process. Whilst greenwashing is rife in the baby wipe industry, and there is so much you need to look out for, thankfully, there are quite a few eco-friendly baby wipe options out there.
Whether you want the convenience of wet wipes or want to go down the completely plastic-free route of dry wipes, you can keep your baby clean, whilst helping the planet.
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