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We’re All Tired. Are Makeup Wipes Our Salvation?
The exhausted person’s guide to skin care
Makeup wipes are high on the list of bestselling beauty and personal care products on Amazon — that’s before lip balm, makeup brushes, and teeth-whitening kits. Made from materials such as cotton, wood pulp, and polyester, these disposable cleaning cloths usually contain ingredients similar to those found in face cleansers. Similar to cleansers, makeup wipes contain ingredients like surfactants, which are compounds that help remove excessive oil, dirt, and makeup. The wipes may also contain humectants — compounds that help draw water to the surface of the skin — as well as emollients, which form a protective film to trap the moisture. Some wipes are packaged dry and require the addition of water. Others are wet and contain preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold.
It sounds like a quick and nifty delivery system. So, can you just always use a makeup wipe — traditional cleanser be damned?
Fayne Frey, a board-certified dermatologist who developed FryFace, a science-based skin care information website, is fairly unimpressed with makeup wipes. “In the beauty industry, there are lots of ways to apply products. Wipes are just another way to apply something to the skin,” she says.
Dermatologists generally view makeup wipes as a useful tool to remove cosmetic, sweat, and debris for people on the go. “When this is your only option, it is a great option,” says Sandra Johnson, a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in cosmetic dermatology and clinical trials. “For example, they are great to keep in your athletic bag so you can wipe your face before you exercise and again after you exercise.”
As for the idea of using wipes daily as a substitute for good old cleanser and water, dermatologists tend to advise against it for a few different reasons.
One problem is that the wipes often contain greater concentrations of surfactants than more traditional cleansers. “This may be problematic for patients with sensitive skin, as can be the preservatives in wipes,” says board-certified dermatologist Meghan Feely, who serves as a clinical instructor at Mount Sinai’s Department of Dermatology.
For people with healthy…
