Before my 7-month-old Florence was born I wanted to be the type of responsible mum that at least bought biodegradable nappies and natural wipes. But quite honestly, like nappies, finding the perfect eco wipe has been fruitless.
The majority, in my opinion, pretend to be something they’re not. Many contain harmful preservatives and skin irritants even when packaged up for sensitive souls. Look, I’ve stood in Boots examining ingredient lists while Florence screams the aisle down, and I don’t have to be an expert to know Ceteareth-12 and Propylparaben are chemicals. I did an internet search on them, and found the latter is a preservative that causes inflammation on broken skin and the former is an alcohol derivative not to be used on damaged skin. Not so handy if nappy rash occurs.
And those wipes that do live up to the promise by using the legally allowed percentages of harmful chemicals, rarely wipe quite right, and can be more dry wipe than wet wipe!
So it is with scepticism that I tried out these newbies, the Clearly Herbal Natural Baby Wipes. And by ‘new’, I mean you probably haven’t seen them before... but now I know John Lewis stock them, there’s no excuse.
What we love
With the sort of dated, wholesome packaging you’d usually only find in health food shops, these baby wipes look like the real eco McCoy. But don’t let that put you off. Read: durable, long-lasting, dependable, practical.
There are some bells and whistles, too. Mother Nature’s best naturally occurring antiseptic soothers - Tea Tree Oil, Aloe Vera and green tea - replace the usual toiletry baddies. Love them for my own skin; love them for my baby’s.
And who would have ever thought to use bamboo for the actual cloth? Fast-growing, naturally anti-microbial and 100% biodegradable, they’re clever and useful.
Put to the test, Florence loved to chew them and got quite narked if I tried to pull them from her clutches. They stayed wet to the last wipe in the pack (my partner thought they were generally too wet, but hey, what does he know?). Better still are the flushable versions.
What to watch out for
Natural does not mean organic. And Clearly Herbal Natural Baby Wipes do not claim to be clean of non-pesticide treated products.
Also, a couple of suspect looking ingredients are listed on the back of the pack, which you’d normally want to avoid, namely phenoxyethanol (green tea derivative) and dehrdrocetic acid (protects the product from inadvertent contamination during use). But the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) have tested them and say that in low doses and on unbroken skin there’s really zero to worry about. So let’s not!
Her bottom did get sore during the two weeks I tested them out, but then she was teething pretty badly, so I’m not going to let that tarnish their good reputation.
Who are Clearly Herbal Natural Baby Wipes best for?
Eco-mummies, and parents who simply want to protect sensitive skin, not the planet.
Clearly Herbal Natural Baby Wipes are biodegradable and free from Alcohol, Perfume, Lanolin, Chlorine, Paraben and SLS. They stay moist til the end, and contain natural goodies for the skin like Tea Tree Oil, Aloe Vera and green tea. Price-wise, you can buy online in bulk to keep the price per pack competitive.
