P. R. Patil Institute of Pharmacy, Talegaon (SP)..
In infants diapered area, the continuous exposure to moisture and irritants from urine and feces weakens the stratum corneum layer, making the skin more susceptible to irritation. Baby wipes undergoes a variety of tests to ensure the safety and effectiveness including: In vitro eye irritation test, on skin wiping test, Antibacterial test Microbiological test, Human patch test. Ensuring effective removal of residues from urine and feces, maintaining gentle contact with skin, using products that are free from potential irritants and contaminants and that can support the acid mantle of the skin can help promote skin health. As a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional baby wipes, Ayurvedic baby wipes are an excellent choice for parents seeking a natural and holistic approach to baby care. While disposable baby wipes have been shown to be effective and smooth 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.
A baby wipes is a small moistened piece of plastic or cloth that often comes folded and individually wrapped for convenience, wet wipes are used for cleaning purposes like personal hygiene and household cleaning. The material is moistened with water or other liquids depend on the applications. The finished wet wipes are folded and put in pocket size package. Pre- moistened, disposable or reuseable cloth use for cleaning and caring for a baby skin.
Fig. No. 1: Marketed formulation of baby wipes
Skin:
In Ayurveda the word “TWACHA” or “CHARMA” is used for skin. Twacha is derived from ‘Twach-Savarne’ Dhatu meaning the covering of body. The development of skin follows the fertilization of Shukra & Shonita. In foetal stage (garbha) different layers of the skin are formed & this formation is caused by all the three doshas and particularly by Pitta. The formation of skin layers is just similar to the formation of layers, on the upper or outer surface of boiled milk. Just as the santanika formed in layers & gradually increase in thickness, all the layers formed in the developmental stage of the embryo of foetus join together to become the skin on the outer surface of the fully developed foetus. The six layers of the Twak are formed from the Mamsa Dhatu or Rakta dhatu. After the Paka of Rakta by its Agni, it gets dried up to form the skin, like the deposition of cream on the surface of boiling milk.
Fig. No. 2: Anatomy of Skin
Skin irritation in the diapered region (commonly referred as diaper dermatitis) is one of the most common skin disorders found in infancy, with the highest incidence at 9 -12 months of as age. Overhydration and prolonged expose to urine and feaces are known to be the main contribution to skin irritation in the diapered area. However, an infant’s diet, medications, underlying skin condition, certain product ingredient, caretaker behavior, and practice such infrequent diaper change or ineffective cleaning can also influence the occurrence of diaper dermatitis. It has been reported that the diapering process can be stressfull event for an infant
They can have different mechanism, for example
A disposable baby wipes consists of three main components the base sheet (the cloth that makes the wipes) the formulation (the ingredients in the solution that make the wipe wet and help with cleaning), and package, as shown in fig. The packaging (not discussed here) and the base sheet are the most physically obvious component of a wipe. There are three types of base sheet with difference in composition which translate into difference in thickness and soft to touch.
Fig. No. 3: Composition of Baby Wipes
Disposable baby wipes have been used in the cre and hygiene of diapered baby skin for decades. Aside from portability and convenience, the most important product benefits are the ability to clean thoroughly while being gentle to baby skin. Caregivers find them convenient and effective for cleaning during diaper changes and quick cleanup on baby’s hands and face. Since we introduced a disposable wipe in 1996, design and formulation improvements have been incorporated to better meet the needs of babies, parents, and caregivers. Continuous innovations in the sheet, or substrate, have produced a soft and flexible wipe that effectively removes and absorbs soil. The substrate is wetted with a water-based cleaning and skin care formulation called “lotion” herein that not only aids in emulsifying and removing soil, but also helps maintain a natural skin surface pH.
Baby Wipe Design
Baby wipes consist of a substrate and lotion. The current substrate is a non-woven sheet made of regenerated cellulose and polypropylene/polyester Our fibres, which are blended to be soft and flexible with a cloth-like feel. The regenerated cellulose component provides absorptive and cleaning properties and the polypropylene/polyester adds softness and flexibility. A hydroentangled blend of fibres with different shapes serves to increase loft and softness, improve skin surface contact, and increase absorptive void space. The attributes above make the substrate more effective in physically removing soil and absorbing fluid while protecting the caregiver’s hands. The components of the substrate may be modified or rebalanced to achieve the desired.
Benefits and Uses of Wet Wipes
2.Literature Review
1.John M Boyce American Journal of Infection Control 49 (1), 104-114, 2021
Despite a plethora of wipes available for use in health care facilities, there is a paucity of articles describing wipe composition, potential interactions between wipes and disinfectants, the manner in which wipes are used, and their relative efficacy. The purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth review of wipes used for disinfection of hard surfaces in health care settings.
2.Emma Mactaggart, David Orchard, Mei Mui Tam Australasian Journal of Dermatology 62 (4), 470-477, 2021
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. 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.
3.Rim Cheriaa, Jaouachi Boubaker Journal of Industrial Textiles 51 (2_suppl), 2124S-2147S, 2022.
A wet wipe is a commercial product made of a fibrous substrate impregnated with a lotion that often comes folded and individually wrapped for convenience. The present work relates to wet wipes' composition to clean the baby's body. Wet wipes were produced from two spunlace nonwoven fabrics consisting of polyester/viscose and a wetting solution. Objective performance evaluation was carried out to determine the efficiency of the wipes for manufacturing and end uses. The lotion formula comprising surfactants, a solubilizer, preservative compounds, perfumes, and mainly purified water is selected to deliver the intended benefits of a baby wet wipe.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2024 The skin of newborns is classified as sensitive, with a higher risk of skin barrier disruption and irritation of a diapered area. Despite dermatologist recommendations to use only water and a cloth for cleaning, most of the population still relies on the comforts of modern parenting, which includes intensive daily usage of baby wet wipes. Novel baby formulations are designed following the concept of infant skin health, containing a gentle cleanser, suitable emollient, and buffer system enabling a slightly acidic pH value and they are free of ethyl alcohol. Thus, it is important to understand the chemical background of such a complex liquid formulation.
Food and Chemical Toxicology 84, 106-114, 2015 Exposure to topically applied substances occurs routinely in premature and hospitalized infant care. Safety determinations are most accurate when exposures are based on appropriately designed studies to capture variations in practice patterns and population heterogeneity. Current safety assessments may not reflect actual practice resulting in overly conservative or understated default assumptions for toxicological determinations. We quantified the amount of baby wipes lotion transferred to premature and term neonatal skin as grams/kg body weight/day.
Abusive suffocation with foreign bodies is an uncommon form of child abuse. We present the case of a 2-month-old infant with colic who was forcibly suffocated with a baby wipe by a female babysitter. He presented to the emergency department in respiratory distress, and the foreign body was removed in the operating room by otorhinolaryngology. He was found to have intraoral lacerations and a left diaphyseal humeral fracture. To our knowledge, there is only 1 other collection of case reports of abusive suffocation with baby wipes.
Aim: Ayurvedic baby wipes: A Natural Approach to Infant Care
Objectives:
4.METHOD & MATERIALS
Ingredients Classification and Function
1.Water
Fig. No. 4: Water
Surfactants
Fig. No. 5: Surfactant
Surfactants are the molecules within the formulation that provide cleaning action. Surfactants contain hydrophilic moieties attached to hydrophobic end chains. It is the hydrophobic end chains that bind to oily residue on the skin surface and help remove it. For baby wipes, it is important to use a surfactant that can adequately remove.
Fig. No. 6: Polysorbate-20
IUPAC Name: Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitian monolaurate
Molar Mass: 1,227.54 gm/mol Chemical Formula: C58H114O26 Density: 1.1gm/cm 3
Boiling point: 695.8
Uses: It used as washing agent.
Preservatives:
Fig. No.: 7: Orange Oil
Synonym: sweet orange oil, oil of orange peel
Biological source: Orange Oil is the volatile oil obtained by expression from the fresh peel of the ripe fruit of Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) belonging to family (Rutaceae) Chemical Constituents: Limonene, citronellal, citral
Geographical Source: -
It is indigenous to India but cultivated commercially in South Spain(Seville), Caribbean Islands, U.S.A, Morocco & Sicily. In India, it is grown in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Kashmir.
Uses: 1. Skin soothing and calming
2. Aloe Vera
Fig. No: 8: Aloe vera
Synonyms – aloe
Biological source: Aloes is obtained from the dried juice of the leaves of • Aloe barbadensis Miller, known as Curacao aloes,
Geographical Source: Indigenous to East and South Africa, West Indies and tropical countries.
Family - liliaceae
Uses - Hydrating and moisturizing delicate skin. Anti-inflammatory properties reduce redness
3.Rose Oil
Fig. No. 9: Rose Oil
Biological Source:
Rose oil is extracted from the flowers of Rosa damascene.
Family: Rosaceae
Chemical constituents:
Rose oil contains citronellol, geraniol, nerol, linalool, phenyl ethyl alcohol, pinene, limonene and p-cymene.
Used in the preparation of soaps, body lotions, face cream etc. used as moisturizer.
4.Neem Oil
Fig. No. 10: Neem Oil
Synonyms - Azadirachta indica
Biological Source: Neem consists of the fresh or dried leaves and seed oil of Azadirachta indica.
Family - meliaceae
Chemical Constituents: The most important active constituent is azadirachtin and the others are nimbolinin, nimbin, nimbidin, nimbidol .
Geographical source: India, Myanmar, Tropical countries
Uses -1. Antimicrobial properties: reduces bacterial and fungal growth 2. Anti-inflammatory properties: soothes irritated skin.
Evaluation Test
On-skin wiping tests: The wipe is tested on adult skin models to ensure it is compatible with skin.
Fig. No. 11: Microbiological test
CONCLUSION:
Ensuring effective removal of residues from urine and feces, maintaining gentle contact with skin, using products that are free from potential irritants and contaminants and that can support the acid mantle of the skin can help promote skin health. In recent years, significant advances have been made to the development of baby wipes, including removal of ingredients with irritation or allergenicity potential. This rigorous approach to safety assurance, tailored to the specific product type and conditions of use, provides confidence that our baby wipes are safe under intended and reasonably foreseeable product use conditions and help maintain natural skin surface pH, an indicator of skin maturation and health in babies.
REFERENCES
T. G. Agrawal, U. P. Pote, V. N. Sabale, M. A. Raut*, V. G. Pete, Ayurvedic Baby Wipes: A Natural Approach to Infant Care, Int. J. of Pharm. Sci., 2024, Vol 2, Issue 12, 2392-2400. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14511959
10.5281/zenodo.14511959
