EcoWaste Coalition Slams Continued Sale of Baby Wipes with Banned Ingredients

Samples of baby wipes not notified with the FDA

The environmental health group EcoWaste Coalition scored the unrelenting sale of baby wipes and related moist towelettes containing preservatives banned by health authorities as indicated on the packaging.  

“As the demand for cleaning and disinfection products grows amid the COVID-19 outbreak, we see more and more baby wipes and wet wipes being sold in the retail market,” noted Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.

“We find this of serious concern as many of these wipes, including those that claim to be 99.9% disinfectant, are not notified with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and may contain ingredients that can harm human health,” he said.

Of the 28 samples of baby wipes purchased by the group for P10 to P80 from commercial establishments in Caloocan, Manila and Quezon Cities, at least 20 brands lack the required cosmetic product notifications.

The FDA has repeatedly warned that it cannot assure the quality and safety of unnotified cosmetic products, which have not gone through the agency’s evaluation process.

“Potential hazards may come from ingredients that are not allowed to be part of a cosmetic product or from the contamination of heavy metals,” the FDA warned.

Samples of baby wipes containing banned preservatives MCI and MIT

True enough, three of the unnotified wipes contain preservatives methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and methylisothiazolinone (MIT), which are prohibited in leave-on cosmetic products as per FDA Circular 2015-008 (the grace period ended on August 31, 2018).  MCI and MIT are known skin sensitizers, or chemicals that can lead to an allergic response following skin contact.

Samples of baby wipes containing banned preservative isobutyl paraben

Two other products were found to contain preservative isobutylparaben, which is among the five parabens prohibited in cosmetic products as per FDA Advisory 2016-032.  As cosmetic products containing any of these banned parabens “pose potential health risk to the consuming public,” the FDA disallowed such products to be placed or to remain in the local market starting January 1, 2016.

The EcoWaste Coalition latest test buys further revealed that six products provided no listing of their ingredients, and that the labeling information of three products were mostly in foreign characters in violation of cosmetics regulations.

Samples of baby wipes labeled in foreign characters

To protect consumers against adulterated and misbranded products, the EcoWaste Coalition requested the FDA to issue a public health warning against baby wipes containing banned ingredients and those that are not notified with the agency.  It also urged the agency to cause the removal of the non-compliant products from the market and the prosecution of erring parties.

To prevent the consumption of products that may cause harm to health, the group advised consumers to carefully read the product labeling information.

Here are the basic information to look for when purchasing cosmetic products, including wet wipes: brand and product name, manufacturing and expiry dates, net content, batch or lot number, manufacturer and country of manufacture, instructions for use, special precautions if any, full ingredients’ list, and name of company or person responsible for placing the product in the market.

Reference:

https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/attachments/article/328036/FDA%20Advisory%20No.%202016-032.pdf

https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/index.php/advisories-2/cosmetic-2/488137-fda-advisory-no-2018-034

https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/attachments/article/655419/FDA%20Advisory%20No.2020-207.pdf

Additional information:

1. Three products containing banned methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone as ingredients: 123 Kid’s Baby Wipes, Baby Wipes Wet Towels, and Sky Fire Baby Tender Baby Wipes.
2. Two products containing banned isobutylparaben as ingredients: Comsoft Baby Wipes and Happy Baby Wipes.
3. Six products without the required listing of ingredients on the label: Aura Baby Wipes, Dongbang Baby Wipes, Makeup Cleansing Wipes, Soft Cotton Baby Wet Wipes, Winey Beluvs Skin Care Wipe, and Winey Skin Care Wipe.