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.
